Introducing a baby to a bonded pair.

[A.Blaze014]

Hello! I have a bonded female pair of piggies (Hazel and Hedwig) I have had them for almost a year, and they are doing great! Recently a friend found a baby guinea pig in a pet shop, housed in an aquarium, felt bad for her and bought her. After about 2 days she realized she also was not set up to have her, so I took her in. I would really like to bond her with my 2 older girls, however have never been in this situation, I have been scent swapping for about a month, as well as have their homes set up side by side. I assume by her size and behavior she is around 12-14 weeks old. I know to introduce them in a neutral area with plenty of snacks and toys to keep them busy, however when is it time to intervene? How much “picking” is normal, and what could be too stressful? And do I introduce the 3 of them at the same time?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to be forum

Please do carry out the introduction as soon as you can.
Babies under four months of age should not be alone.

As it is done now it obviously can’t be undone but please don’t scent swap anymore.
Scent swapping is not recommended - it is an outdated method which unfortunately still does the rounds in the internet. It has been known to cause problems when bonding. Piggies are territorial and don’t like finding the scent of other pigs in their space so when they meet the pig with that scent they can be viewed as an intruder which can be detrimental to bonding.

When bonding you don’t use any toys or hides in their neutral area. It should just be hay and water. Any other item in the bonding pen can end up being used as territory which can then cause issues if one pig claims it as their own.

Yes you put all three in at the same time.

I’ve added our bonding guide below which explains the process and the behaviours you do and don’t want to see in full detail

Good luck for the bonding - keep us posted on how it goes!

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck with the bonding.

 

[A.Blaze014]

Welcome to be forum

Please do carry out the introduction as soon as you can.
Babies under four months of age should not be alone.

As it is done now it obviously can’t be undone but please don’t scent swap anymore.
Scent swapping is not recommended - it is an outdated method which unfortunately still does the rounds in the internet. It has been known to cause problems when bonding. Piggies are territorial and don’t like finding the scent of other pigs in their space so when they meet the pig with that scent they can be viewed as an intruder which can be detrimental to bonding.

When bonding you don’t use any toys or hides in their neutral area. It should just be hay and water. Any other item in the bonding pen can end up being used as territory which can then cause issues if one pig claims it as their own.

Yes you put all three in at the same time.

I’ve added our bonding guide below which explains the process and the behaviours you do and don’t want to see in full detail

Good luck for the bonding - keep us posted on how it goes!

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours

Thank you! I have not done this long so hopefully it’s still early enough it has not caused any issues. I appreciate the reply and will update soon!