Introducing 2 guinea pigs at a time?

[parkpiggies]

Hi,
I was wondering if it works to introduce an already bonded pair to another bonded pair? I have 2 girls currently and would like another, but dont want an ‘outsider’ situation. Plus, I think little herds of piggies are really cute. Any advice?

 

[Piggies&buns]

It all comes entirely down to character compatibility between the piggies. Whether it will work or not will be up to them. I will add in a guide below which explains what works and what doesn’t when trying to merge piggies

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Siikibam]

You can try. Just do it as you would bonding a pair - neutral ground and no hides. Just bear in mind that if they don’t get along there’s nothing you can do.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[parkpiggies]

It all comes entirely down to character compatibility between the piggies. Whether it will work or not will be up to them. I will add in a guide below which explains what works and what doesn’t when trying to merge piggies

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Mine are about 6 months old, do you think it would be more likely to work if i introduced younger or older pigs?

 

[parkpiggies]

You can try. Just do it as you would bonding a pair - neutral ground and no hides. Just bear in mind that if they don’t get along there’s nothing you can do.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

I have 2 cages at the moment anyway, so if they dont get on I can always just have 2 separate pairs. Thanks for your help

 

[Siikibam]

Mine are about 6 months old, do you think it would be more likely to work if i introduced younger or older pigs?

It’s about character compatibility and not age. Either way you can’t know if they’ll get on or not.

I’m not too familiar with sows so don’t know if there would be a risk of ending up with four singles. @Piggies&buns ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I don’t think with sows it would be a risk of ending up with four singles - doing something like this with boars would though.

Character is more important than age, but bonding two pairs of sows, they need to be of different ages to have a better chance of acceptance.

 

[parkpiggies]

I don’t think with sows it would be a risk of ending up with four singles - doing something like this with boars would though.

Character is more important than age, but bonding two pairs of sows, they need to be of different ages to have a better chance of acceptance.

My two arent particularly dominant, one more than the other but its only the occasional rumble strutting. I’ll just see how it goes. I'm scared that once i get another i’ll get even more addicted and end up with 50 pigs running around my house

 

[Piggies&buns]

Its perfectly normal for one to be more dominant than the other, that is how the hierarchy functions.

Space will obviously need to be your other consideration - a 6x2 c&c or equivalent floor space for four piggies to live together.

 

[parkpiggies]

Its perfectly normal for one to be more dominant than the other, that is how the hierarchy functions.

Space will obviously need to be your other consideration - a 6x2 c&c or equivalent floor space for four piggies to live together.

I have 2 in a 5x2 now and I have the space and extra grids to make it a 6x2, which i will be doing if i do get another 2

 

[Siikibam]

Best way to go would be to a rescue. If they do bonding then even better. The girls can then pick out their own friends

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,
I was wondering if it works to introduce an already bonded pair to another bonded pair? I have 2 girls currently and would like another, but dont want an ‘outsider’ situation. Plus, I think little herds of piggies are really cute. Any advice?

Hi!

I would opt for younger girls unless you can date yours at a good welfare standard rescue with mandatory quarantine/vet care and a pregnancy watch; otherwise there is a risk that acceptance may not happen. Alternatively a neutered rescue boar may also be an option; in this case age is irrelevant since mutual liking and acceptance right at the start is the crucial hurdle.
These are the rescues we can guarantee that you are in safe hands: Rescue Locator (some other countries via link underneath the map)

Please be aware that there can be issues with pet shop and breeder sows: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
Unfortunately we are seeing a rising number of these problems on here, which is always an indicator of what is happening on a wider scale.

Here is our sow and bonding advice (keep in mind that the full bonding process lasts on average around 2 weeks):
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)