Introducing A Baby Sow To Two Bonded Sows

[buttonlove]

Hi all.
I'm looking for advice on introducing a new baby sow to two existing sows. I have researched as much as possible regarding this, but would be grateful for any tips from owners who have been through the same thing.
My existing girls are a year old in a couple of days and Arabella can be quite a feisty piggy and is the dominant sow over Clara.
I'd appreciate any tips from any of you regarding this as I've read mixed things about having hideys in the neutral area or bath bonding them.
Thank you,
Charlotte

 

[Critter]

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with hideys but make sure they have at least two entrance holes Baby wouldn't appreciate being cornered by a hulking great sow!
You're unlikely to need a buddy-bath for them. Babies are USUALLY well accepted by sows, even feisty ones. It is normal to bottom-sniff and to chase a baby around. It can look traumatic but they soon understand their place (at the bottom of the pile). From there they can go on to form loving bonds.
They don't always chase new ones. Some sows get rather maternal and protective and will affectionately lick an introduced youngster.
I've seen both responses with mine, and I think both are very normal.

You already know to keep the area neutral. Having a big pile of hay and a few veggies can help to relieve any tension

 

[ayemee]

Hello,

When I bonded my girls I put them in a neutral territory area with a massive pile of hay in the middle. I didn't have any hideys in until the dominance calmed down after a few hours. Then I introduced hideys with two exits eg. Cardboard tunnel, to see how they would get on with those.

Good luck with the bonding!

 

[buttonlove]

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with hideys but make sure they have at least two entrance holes Baby wouldn't appreciate being cornered by a hulking great sow!
You're unlikely to need a buddy-bath for them. Babies are USUALLY well accepted by sows, even feisty ones. It is normal to bottom-sniff and to chase a baby around. It can look traumatic but they soon understand their place (at the bottom of the pile). From there they can go on to form loving bonds.
They don't always chase new ones. Some sows get rather maternal and protective and will affectionately lick an introduced youngster.
I've seen both responses with mine, and I think both are very normal.

You already know to keep the area neutral. Having a big pile of hay and a few veggies can help to relieve any tension

Thank you for your quick reply!
I have noted all of that down & will use those techniques. Hopefully it all goes well!
I do have one question, if all goes well in the initial meeting (how long should this last by the way if all goes well?), how long should I wait to put them into the original cage? (after thoroughly cleaning it and rearranging it). I've seen some people say to put them straight in it after they've met and others who say to do the neutral territory meetings multiple times.

 

[Critter]

If it all goes well it's generally fine to put them in the same day. If they like each other it's causing stress to the baby to keep parting her from her new 'Aunties' so unless it goes badly I wouldn't separate them. Shouldn't be any need to do 'stages'
As for time, it's hard to say except to use your own judgement. When they seem ok, pop them in The chasing can last a day or two, but as long as they're behaving reasonably well towards her she should be fine to be put in the main cage the same day, even if they are still chasing her around a bit.
It can seem daunting, but it generally goes well with sows and babies, so don't worry too much xx

 

[buttonlove]

Hello,

When I bonded my girls I put them in a neutral territory area with a massive pile of hay in the middle. I didn't have any hideys in until the dominance calmed down after a few hours. Then I introduced hideys with two exits eg. Cardboard tunnel, to see how they would get on with those.

Good luck with the bonding!

Thank you!

 

[buttonlove]

If it all goes well it's generally fine to put them in the same day. If they like each other it's causing stress to the baby to keep parting her from her new 'Aunties'.
As for time, it's hard to say except to use your own judgement. When they seem ok, pop them in The chasing can last a day or two, but as long as they're behaving reasonably well towards her she should be fine to be put in the main cage the same day.
It can seem daunting, but it generally goes well with sows and babies, so don't worry too much xx

Thank you ever so much Noting it all down as we speak! Fingers crossed it all goes well
I generally let my girls have the run of my room every day until I go to bed, do you suggest I refrain from doing this until they are fully bonded in the original cage first & then eventually let them have the whole room?

 

[Wiebke]

I start any group bonding with a large pile of hay or grass in the middle and no hideys. In my experience of about 50 bondings or so, new piggies tend lock themselves in, so dominance can't really happen. It is better to just let them get on with it and work through it as much as possible. Depending on how it goes, I wouldn't even have hideys in the cage at first, as one of the normal dominance manoeuvres is to chase an underpiggy out of any hidey. Also only have hideys with two exits until dominance has settled down. The strongest dominance generally comes from the sow just above in ranking, as it is her position in the hierarchy that she wants to reinforce. How each bonding goes, depends entirely on the character combination. It is worth taking your time in the run up (unless you have got a baby that is simply desperate for company), so you can take as many extraneous stress factors out of the equation as possible. Youngsters can go overboard from overload and some piggies can suffer from fear-aggression, i.e. their agressive behaviour is defensive and needs a slow, gradual intro. This is especially single sows with not much experience with dominance. It is generally easier to introduce younger sows, as they are physically not able to challenge the exisitng hierarchy.

Here are our tips:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

 

[buttonlove]

I start any group bonding with a large pile of hay or grass in the middle and no hideys. In my experience of about 50 bondings or so, new piggies tend lock themselves in, so dominance can't really happen. It is better to just let them get on with it and work through it as much as possible. Depending on how it goes, I wouldn't even have hideys in the cage at first, as one of the normal dominance manoeuvres is to chase an underpiggy out of any hidey. Also only have hideys with two exits until dominance has settled down. The strongest dominance generally comes from the sow just above in ranking, as it is her position in the hierarchy that she wants to reinforce. How each bonding goes, depends entirely on the character combination. It is worth taking your time in the run up (unless you have got a baby that is simply desperate for company), so you can take as many extraneous stress factors out of the equation as possible. Youngsters can go overboard from overload and some piggies can suffer from fear-aggression, i.e. their agressive behaviour is defensive and needs a slow, gradual intro. This is especially single sows with not much experience with dominance. It is generally easier to introduce younger sows, as they are physically not able to challenge the exisitng hierarchy.

Here are our tips:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

Thank you very much for all of that information. I am going to be reading intensely about it tonight