Guinea Pig Introduction Failure (i Think!)

[r3plica]

Hi all,

I am new to these forums; I will make an introduction thread later, but for now I have a pressing issue which is causing me great concern

I have had 2 guinea pigs (male) for about a year and they have a lovely cage. They are kept indoors (in my office) and have (up to now) lived perfectly well together.
About 3 weeks ago, someone gave us a baby piggy (8 weeks) because they couldn't keep it.
I read a few posts and spoke to some friends and they told me it would be ok to introduce this little piggy to the brothers, so I did.

At first there was a little apprehension and the piggies would chase eachother and maybe even nibble the babies hind legs, but after about a week this seemed to be solved.

Anyway, about 30 minutes ago I came to feed my pigs and I noticed one had an injury to his ear. I immediately took him out and gave his ear a clean with damp cotton wool, he was not distressed by this.

We have a small cage (10" * 20" approx) that they lived in when the brothers were babies; I have put one of the brothers in there because every time they are together now (today is the first day this has happened) they attack each other after making the teeth chattering.

I am really worried and have no idea what to do. Ideally I would like them all to live together peacefully.

Please help

 

[Claire W]

Hello and welcome.

I am afraid I do not have much advise but it is very rare for a boar trio to work and sadly when you add a third, you are in danger of upsetting the balance which I think is what has happened here

If one of the boars has been injured (i.e blood been drawn), it is very unlikely that this arrangement will work.

Are the two brothers still ok together? If so, I advise that you keep the two brothers together and if you are able to, may be find the baby boy a friend from a respectable rescue. A lot of rescues now offer boar dating where you can take your boy along and allow him to choose his own friend.

Where about's are you located? That way may be someone can point you in the direction of your nearest good rescue.

There are some great sticky threads listed at the top of the behaviour section that you may find helpful.

 

[r3plica]

I tried putting the brothers together and no, they just aren't getting on
They both seem fine with the little one, so at the moment I have separated the top part from the bottom (effectively making 2 cages). I think this is better than using my small cage because it really is just too small.

I live in Huddersfield; I will have a look out for a rescue center, maybe I can find Billy a friend

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

I know that some places think that introducing a youngster to a bonded pair is no problem, but as you have sadly found out (and as we have seen in the past), it can unfortunately destabilise the existing bond. For that reason, we generally advise against introducing a third boar to a working couple. I am sorry that you it has not worked out for you!

Please be aware that space is a crucial factor in a boar bond; the more space the better. You may find our boar guide at the top of this section helpful, as well as the other information threads.

You are lucky to have got several good rescues within your reach that offer boar bonding in some form. Milhaven Guinea Pig Rescue in Keighley, BARC in Barnsley who have some very competent guinea pig fosterers and Cavy Corner in Doncaster.
http://www.milhaven-rescue.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Milhaven-Guinea-Pig-Rescue/242212542587095
http://barnsleyanimalrescue.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Milhaven-Guinea-Pig-Rescue/242212542587095
http://www.cavycorner.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/cavycorner

You can give your trio another chance tomorrow on neutral ground after a bath, but it is rather likely not to work out. A cut to the ear is not quite yet the end of the world. However, I would not keep your boys as a trio and look for a character compatible new friend for one of the boys.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-reintroducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

PS: With members from all over the world, it is a great help for us if you added your county/general area to your details. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. In the same section you can also upload your avatar, the picture that appears with your name in every post and in your profile.

 

[Briony_S]

I would have a look on ebay for second hand cage as you can ger them quite cheap sometimes. I minimum size for 2 is 120cm but boars need a bigger area usually. I would suggest to keep the single one next to the others if possible (in a different cage) just until you get a 4th pig sorted cos otherwise he may get lonely

 

[r3plica]

Our cage we currently have is 22" by 57" and is 44" tall (it has 2 floors). For now, I have sectioned off the two floors as I mentioned above.
I have been toying with getting a C&C cage for awhile now, so this seems like the perfect opportunity so I will start looking for one now.

I contacted Milhaven after Claire suggested another boar and will await their reply before contacting any others.

Thanks for your help guys; I am really really upset that this has happened

 

[Claire W]

Try and not be too upset. You was given false information and didn't know this was going to happen.

Good luck with your search. Joanne who runs Milhaven is lovely and there are a few members on here who have adopted from her.