Help Wanted On Introducing Two New Piggies

[Grace]

After searching local rescuses with no luck I found two we fell in love with. They are at a reputable pet store. Both are females and are kept with partners, NOT each other. They are both abyssinians about four to ten weeks old. If I bring them home, I have two questions--
Are they young enough to bond with each other?
Will they stress out leaving their buddies (who will then be put together).
How do I introduce them to each other-we have a nice large c&c cage with all the requirements. We have always wanted abbys, but the "buddies" are short hair, otherwise we would get the pair. Plus the whole family just clicked with the two. We plan on getting them on Friday, so please --any info would help.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

Your two girls should bond with each other quite well; they will be both deperate for company at that young age! Bondings are usually not a big problem when piggies are young, but please brace yourself for seeing quite a bit of dominance behaviour especially for the first few weeks as they establish a hierarchy and a working group. The trick is to not interfere as long as the dominance is in the low to medium range. Unlike us humans, guinea pigs come with the "manual". After a short initially acceptance phase (which usually lasts a few minutes to half an hour), they will move straight into the dominance phase, which will take several days to a few weeks, depending on closely they are matched and how confident they are in themselves. This phase only determines the shape of the relationship not how good friends they will become afterwards.

Please introduce your girls in a new place where you have removed anything that one piggy can get cornered in (i.e. no hideys at first and then only hideys with two exits). In your case, it can be the new cage, as it is new to both. Block the access to a hayloft if you have one during the intro. make sure that you have two bowls (at least a body length apart) and a hidey each as one of features of dominance behaviour is chasing the underpiggy off any sleeping place and food to reinforce the standing.

You may find these information threads from our behaviour and bonding section helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-reintroducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/

 

[GeorgesHuman]

Wiebke always gives very sound advice, so I have nothing more to add, but congratulations on your new girls and good luck with the bonding process. I hope your girls have a long and happy and prosperous life together