Introduction

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alison357

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Hi all,
I've got a male pig (Hammy) that I've had for about 3 weeks now. He was unwanted at his previous home. He has also been bullied previously and is quite timid. Therefore I decided to castrate him (which was done about a week ago), and get a female to be his companion.
Yesterday I acquired a female (Daisy), which is also of a timid disposition so hopefully in time they will get along.
I won't put them together for another couple of weeks to guard against unwanted pregnancy. My plan was to put the cage side by side for them to get to know each other first, and then introduce properly in a fortnight.
However, last night when I put the cages side by side, Hammy went absolutely mental, squeaking dementedly and trying to chew out of his cage into hers. I've never seen anything like it - he normally hardly makes any noise although he frolicks about quite happily. Daisy's response was to sniff him briefly through the bars and then retreat into her hidey hole.
We moved the Daisy into a different room as I thought it was a bit much for her first night in a new place. None the less, Hammy carried on trying to chew through the bars for another half hour in a most distressing way.
I don't know whether he is just so pleased to see another pig after several weeks, or whether it's his remaining hormones making him desperate and frustrated.
My question is, would it be better to keep them completely separate until introducing them properly in 2 weeks? Or would it be better to put the cages nearby and put up with the obsessive chewing and squeaking? I'm sure it will wear off eventually but don't want Hammy injuring himself in the meantime!
Any advice gratefully received!
Alison
 
I have the same problem with my little boy who is waiting to be neutered, i have to keep him on the other side of the room until he's all safe to be introduced after his op otherwise he is manic and squeaks all the time. When he's not by them he calms down completely and is very chilled which is much better for him than being frustrated because he doesn't understand.
 
Hi and welcome!

It is great that you are getting a "sowfe" for your new boy; he will be in piggy heaven! However, I have the unexpected "present" from a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post neutering op boar living with me. She's now two years old, just to prove that particular point! Since Tegan was born, I have heard of more late births. They are rare, but they happen! Please wait a full 6 weeks to be 100% safe, so we don't see you in our pregnancy section!

Lisaali has given you the link with tips on how to best conduct an introduction; you may also find the dominance behaviours thread helpful to jusge what is going on. Hopefully, they will be best friends through the bars by then. With a mixed gender intro, you should know pretty quickly whether they work as a couple or not. Acceptance should happen within 15-20 minutes of first interaction. Ideally, Daisy will submit to Ham's mounting at least once. Expect quite some chasing and some drama!
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

We have got lots of information at the top of our Care sections, but please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

PS: With members from all over the world, we are grateful if you added your country, state (US/Aus) or county/general area (UK) to your details, so we can give you any appropriate advice, links and recommendations straight away. Click on your username on the top bar and 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 on your profile.
 
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