Female Guinea Pig Bonding Help :)

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hayleighm175

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Hello all and thank you for reading.
So I had two Female guinea pigs, Holly and her daughter Honey. I unfortunately lost Honey not so long ago which left her mum lonely, so I decided to get another female guinea pig to help with the grief and keep her company.
Up for adoption I saw a single female guinea pig and brought her come. They said she was approx 5 months old and that girls bond very easily and agreed that Holly needed company.

I did quarantine and then snuggled with them both on the couch, which they were fine and making the happy churpy noises.
I then put them in the run but one cage inside the other, if that makes sense, so they couldnt touch each other but were side by side. All ok.
However when putting them in the bathroom to let them 'find' each other they started to fight- made a ball together and I split them up with the towel. I tried a second time and the same happened. Holly has a nip on her nose which was bleeding a little, though nothing serious.
The new piggy is said to be approx 5 months (though they were guessing) and Holly is 3 years x

After reading more on bonding guinea pigs I think the store wasn't correct when they said that bonding females is easy. I remember having lots of females as a kid but I may have got baby 'new' ones.

Any advice appreciated, thank you x
 
Hi, sorry that it is proving difficult for you, yes females can be tricky. I would perhaps give them longer side by side to get to know each other before trying another introduction on neutral territory. Keep swapping them over so they get used to each others smell. Hopefully when they get used to each other they will settle down. Sounds as if you are doing everything correctly!
 
pig in the city said:
Hi, sorry that it is proving difficult for you, yes females can be tricky. I would perhaps give them longer side by side to get to know each other before trying another introduction on neutral territory. Keep swapping them over so they get used to each others smell. Hopefully when they get used to each other they will settle down. Sounds as if you are doing everything correctly!
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Thank you. I hope so. I read that babies are much easier to bond with older females so perhaps I should have done that but i trusted the store. I think i was in too much of a rush to get her comapny. I have another large cage if they don't get along and the adopted piggy will stay with me regardless as she did need a home.

I'm just really confused as what to do now. I remember I had a huge area in the barn when I was younger with over 20 female piggies and they were all friends! It's just my luck at the moment xx
 
So update this morning- ive just put them side by side again and although it's holly that is bitten, she's constantly puffed up and chattering her teeth and yawning. The new piggy just seems interested but in a nice way and mostly staying at the other side with just the every now and then hello at the bars xx
 
hayleighm175 said:
So update this morning- ive just put them side by side again and although it's holly that is bitten, she's constantly puffed up and chattering her teeth and yawning. The new piggy just seems interested but in a nice way and mostly staying at the other side with just the every now and then hello at the bars xx
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It is a myth that sows go together easily; not even with introducing babies to adults. Give Holly time to make friends with your new girl. It may work out or not - you can never know. A casual swipe injury counts as accident and won't prevent a bond, but a full-on bite is the end for any bonding.

You may find this link helpful. Usually there is a lot of apprehension/fear behind over the top hostility when bonding. It is working around that that is the tricky bit. Some piggies just don't like others and end up happier with having their own territory while getting the stimulation from constant interaction through the bars. it is often very difficult to re-bond dominant sows that have been living in a stable pair for a long time in my experience. I have currently a nice collection of those aging headache ladies myself that have ended up here for vaious reasons.
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
You even may find dome of the advice in this thread here useful even though the bonding dynamics differ between genders - however the parts that deal with compatibility and what you can do if a bond doesn't work out does not.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Wiebke said:
It is a myth that sows go together easily; not even with introducing babies to adults. Give Holly time to make friends with your new girl. It may work out or not - you can never know. A casual swipe injury counts as accident and won't prevent a bond, but a full-on bite is the end for any bonding.

You may find this link helpful. Usually there is a lot of apprehension/fear behind over the top hostility when bonding. It is working around that that is the tricky bit. Some piggies just don't like others and end up happier with having their own territory while getting the stimulation from constant interaction through the bars. it is often very difficult to re-bond dominant sows that have been living in a stable pair for a long time in my experience. I have currently a nice collection of those aging headache ladies myself that have ended up here for vaious reasons.
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
You even may find dome of the advice in this thread here useful even though the bonding dynamics differ between genders - however the parts that deal with compatibility and what you can do if a bond doesn't work out does not.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Click to expand...

Thank you very much I will have a good read through now. They've been together (through bars and not touching) a while. Holly is still yawning and teeth chattering whilst looking puffed up. New piggie is being quite high pitched when she does say hello though can't touch her. I'm quite suprised how much Holly is different though, she was pretty down/quiet after losing her mate and has perked up despite not liking her new buddie!
 
hayleighm175 said:
Thank you very much I will have a good read through now. They've been together (through bars and not touching) a while. Holly is still yawning and teeth chattering whilst looking puffed up. New piggie is being quite high pitched when she does say hello though can't touch her. I'm quite suprised how much Holly is different though, she was pretty down/quiet after losing her mate and has perked up despite not liking her new buddie!
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I would not try to bond Holly at the moment. Her signals are still very much "keep away from me, I am very alarmed and potentially hostile". But it is good that the newbie is perking her up!

Perhaps you might consider finding a mate for the newbie so they can live together with Holly as a neighbour with constant interaction and stimulation through the bars, but her own territory? it is a solution for either very dominant or very fear-aggressive piggies.
We have got a recommended UK rescues locator on the top bar.
 
hayleighm175 said:
Hello all and thank you for reading.
So I had two Female guinea pigs, Holly and her daughter Honey. I unfortunately lost Honey not so long ago which left her mum lonely, so I decided to get another female guinea pig to help with the grief and keep her company.
Up for adoption I saw a single female guinea pig and brought her come. They said she was approx 5 months old and that girls bond very easily and agreed that Holly needed company.

I did quarantine and then snuggled with them both on the couch, which they were fine and making the happy churpy noises.
I then put them in the run but one cage inside the other, if that makes sense, so they couldnt touch each other but were side by side. All ok.
However when putting them in the bathroom to let them 'find' each other they started to fight- made a ball together and I split them up with the towel. I tried a second time and the same happened. Holly has a nip on her nose which was bleeding a little, though nothing serious.
The new piggy is said to be approx 5 months (though they were guessing) and Holly is 3 years x

After reading more on bonding guinea pigs I think the store wasn't correct when they said that bonding females is easy. I remember having lots of females as a kid but I may have got baby 'new' ones.

Any advice appreciated, thank you x
Click to expand...
I always put a baby in they tend to bond quickly, regarding what the store said they should have kept it shut, so many of the staff don't know what they are talking about. All they are interested in is making money if they won't bond you may have to leave them apart & get a little one for each. A lot of Guinea pig
Rescues will bond them, they may be helpful at bonding your 2 or bonding each one with another.
Good luck
 
Thanks all, I've been talking to a local private rescue that has some 6 week old females after finding a pregnant pig. Theyve said I can take them both to try and pair with the 6 week old ones. Do you think that would be worth trying with Holly?
 
Hey, I'm in a similar situation. I have a bereaved female and brought in a new baby female today, ideally wanted 2 babies as my original piggy was a rescue and a few years old before I got her 2 years ago so if anything happened to her they had each other. I'm thinking of finding another baby and doing a 3 way introduction but don't know if it's too ambitious and don't want to distress any of them. I hope you get on well introducing the new babies and sounds like you've done everything right. Maybe Holly may feel more like a mum to the younger ones? I'd be interested to know how you get on.
 
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Hiya- new update. I went to the rescue and have come back with a tiny girl! After ringing them this morning they only had one girl they could part with. Holly has fallen in love with her straight away. She is constantly grooming her and herself, and also lickng her eas? The little one keeps hiding and then coming out which is when holly cleans herself again.
 
BoJangles said:
Hey, I'm in a similar situation. I have a bereaved female and brought in a new baby female today, ideally wanted 2 babies as my original piggy was a rescue and a few years old before I got her 2 years ago so if anything happened to her they had each other. I'm thinking of finding another baby and doing a 3 way introduction but don't know if it's too ambitious and don't want to distress any of them. I hope you get on well introducing the new babies and sounds like you've done everything right. Maybe Holly may feel more like a mum to the younger ones? I'd be interested to know how you get on.
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Hiya I hope my experience has helped though I'm not sure what would happen with 2 babies. :) xx
 
hayleighm175 said:
Thanks all, I've been talking to a local private rescue that has some 6 week old females after finding a pregnant pig. Theyve said I can take them both to try and pair with the 6 week old ones. Do you think that would be worth trying with Holly?
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I think so or what I found was introduce to a a older female, to act as mum. I did that & it worked very well. Good Luck.
 
hayleighm175 said:
Hiya- new update. I went to the rescue and have come back with a tiny girl! After ringing them this morning they only had one girl they could part with. Holly has fallen in love with her straight away. She is constantly grooming her and herself, and also lickng her eas? The little one keeps hiding and then coming out which is when holly cleans herself again.
Click to expand...
Brilliant! Did they go together straight away? I've noticed my piggy has started talking again which is really nice x
 
BoJangles said:
Brilliant! Did they go together straight away? I've noticed my piggy has started talking again which is really nice x
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Yes straight away. She jusy started cleaning herself and then the little ones ears. Theyre both sharing some grass now in the run.
I just need to decide what to do with the new older piggy... maybe get another baby female for her x
 
hayleighm175 said:
Yes straight away. She jusy started cleaning herself and then the little ones ears. Theyre both sharing some grass now in the run.
I just need to decide what to do with the new older piggy... maybe get another baby female for her x
Click to expand...
Thank you really good to know
 
hayleighm175 said:
Yes straight away. She jusy started cleaning herself and then the little ones ears. Theyre both sharing some grass now in the run.
I just need to decide what to do with the new older piggy... maybe get another baby female for her x
Click to expand...
Sounds like a plan (well, a good excuse anyway)Pics please.
 
madguinealady said:
Sounds like a plan (well, a good excuse anyway)Pics please.
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Haha yes a good plan. I did really want to eventually have a large herd like I did before. I think I have the room and wanted to get retired sows but that was before I realised how hard they can be to bond!
 
I must be extremely lucky.I have a herd consisting of ten girls and one boy and haven't had any failed introduction.I swap smells for a week then clean fleece and scrubbed litter trays .The new girl or girls get put in and they are all fine.No fights or bullying .
 
madguinealady said:
I must be extremely lucky.I have a herd consisting of ten girls and one boy and haven't had any failed introduction.I swap smells for a week then clean fleece and scrubbed litter trays .The new girl or girls get put in and they are all fine.No fights or bullying .
Click to expand...
That gives me hope for thr herd I want! Do you introduce babies or females of all ages? I think Holly must be very dominant or still sore from losing her young. Xx
 
I introduce females of all ages.Had two separate herds two years ago because I had one girl in each group that hated each other but the present herd are great together.I also have Tobit's in a cage, one neutered, that live-in the same room but above them and they get on great too.
 
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