New guinea pig

[siepiggies]

hello, I have recently rescued a eight month old male intact guinea pig about three days ago, he is currently in a 2 x 4 cage, and I am getting him used to me still. I have in the past had two guinea pigs at separate times, but I was in elementary school, so mostly my parents taking care of them. This is all still pretty new to me when it comes to bonding. So my question is since I just got him three days ago is it too early to get a second guinea pig to try bonding him with? if so how long should i give him before introducing a second piggy? I also will be building a bigger cage this weekend I was thinking of doing an L-shaped c&c cage 2 x 5 for each side.

 

[Roselina]

Hello and welcome to TGPF
We are a very friendly bunch who are devoted to guinea pigs
What is your Guinea pig called and we’d love to see a photo

I would let him settle for a few weeks and then get a new piggy to put side by side in the new part to start with
You would need a neutral area to bond the piggies ….or if you have a rescue near that could find your piggy a friend and do the bonding for you.
I’ve added the guinea pig info that will help you

Thread 'Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides'

Oct 30, 2017

Guinea pig constellations
Boars, sows or mixed pairs; babies or adults?
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Bonding and social behaviours
A- Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
'Popcorning' and 'zooming' - joy and exuberance (videos)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonds...

• sport_billy
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides

• 

 

[siepiggies]

Hello and welcome to TGPF
We are a very friendly bunch who are devoted to guinea pigs
What is your Guinea pig called and we’d love to see a photo

I would let him settle for a few weeks and then get a new piggy to put side by side in the new part to start with
You would need a neutral area to bond the piggies ….or if you have a rescue near that could find your piggy a friend and do the bonding for you.
I’ve added the guinea pig info that will help you

Thread 'Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides'

Oct 30, 2017

Guinea pig constellations
Boars, sows or mixed pairs; babies or adults?
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Bonding and social behaviours
A- Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
'Popcorning' and 'zooming' - joy and exuberance (videos)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonds...

• sport_billy
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides

• 

Thank you very much! the piggy is named Papua (like papua new guinea). Noted when I build the new cage I can put a divider in the middle where they have their own space and I will have extra C&C grids I can use to make a playpen that neither of them been in before so it’s neutral when they meet face-to-face. but i will wait a few weeks to let him settle in more on his own before introducing a second piggy.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.
He looks to be a lovely boy!

Definitely give him a little time to settle in. What you don’t want is to try to bond scared and unsettled piggies as they can overreact which can cause tensions and unsuccessful bonding.

Make sure the cage when he gets a friend is 180x60cm (that is 70x24 inches). Space, multiple of everything and that all hides have two exits is so important to boar pairs.

We can help with bonding information when the time comes!

What I would say for now is it that it looks like he has too many pellets in his bowl.
Pellets should be just one tablespoon per pig per day and never left with constant access to them. Pellets are the least important part of the diet, contribute too much calcium and can cause them to lower hay intake which will have long term negative health effects.
We actually don’t recommend the use of food bowls at all. We recommend veg and pellets are scattered into loose piles of hay on the cage floor (and that hay is not restricted by being in hay bags or racks; or that at least some of it is loose in a flat tray or on the cage floor).
Eating from a bowl doesn’t give any mental stimulation whereas if they have to search for their food through hay then it encourages their natural foraging abilities and keeps them occupied. It is very important that he is kept stimulated particularly while he is alone.
Once he has a friend, scattering the veg and pellets will also reduce the risk of any food hogging.
Mine get 5 pellets each and I hand feed them as a way of bonding with them. I actually only give pellets twice a week instead of daily.

Also, the hay tray with holes in the bottom is a risk to his feet. It would be safer for him if you could remove the white bit.

 

[siepiggies]

Welcome to the forum.
He looks to be a lovely boy!

Definitely give him a little time to settle in. What you don’t want is to try to bond scared and unsettled piggies as they can overreact which can cause tensions and unsuccessful bonding.

Make sure the cage when he gets a friend is 180x60cm (that is 70x24 inches). Space, multiple of everything and that all hides have two exits is so important to boar pairs.

We can help with bonding information when the time comes!

What I would say for now is it that it looks like he has too many pellets in his bowl.
Pellets should be just one tablespoon per pig per day and never left with constant access to them. Pellets are the least important part of the diet, contribute too much calcium and can cause them to lower hay intake which will have long term negative health effects.
We actually don’t recommend the use of food bowls at all. We recommend veg and pellets are scattered into loose piles of hay on the cage floor (and that hay is not restricted by being in hay bags or racks; or that at least some of it is loose in a flat tray or on the cage floor).
Eating from a bowl doesn’t give any mental stimulation whereas if they have to search for their food through hay then it encourages their natural foraging abilities and keeps them occupied. It is very important that he is kept stimulated particularly while he is alone.
Once he has a friend, scattering the veg and pellets will also reduce the risk of any food hogging.
Mine get 5 pellets each and I hand feed them as a way of bonding with them. I actually only give pellets twice a week instead of daily.

Also, the hay tray with holes in the bottom is a risk to his feet. It would be safer for him if you could remove the white bit.

Ooh this is great information, especially about the pellets i had no idea, i will do way less, with the hay being in a bag i will leave some more loose hay around the cage and add a few pellets through there, i will also get rid of the white bit in the tray so there are no possibilities of his foot being stuck, thank you so so much!

 

[Piggies&buns]

You may find this guide helpful

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

Jul 14, 2014

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 7
• Forum: Diet

• 

 

[siepiggies]

Welcome to the forum.
He looks to be a lovely boy!

Definitely give him a little time to settle in. What you don’t want is to try to bond scared and unsettled piggies as they can overreact which can cause tensions and unsuccessful bonding.

Make sure the cage when he gets a friend is 180x60cm (that is 70x24 inches). Space, multiple of everything and that all hides have two exits is so important to boar pairs.

We can help with bonding information when the time comes!

What I would say for now is it that it looks like he has too many pellets in his bowl.
Pellets should be just one tablespoon per pig per day and never left with constant access to them. Pellets are the least important part of the diet, contribute too much calcium and can cause them to lower hay intake which will have long term negative health effects.
We actually don’t recommend the use of food bowls at all. We recommend veg and pellets are scattered into loose piles of hay on the cage floor (and that hay is not restricted by being in hay bags or racks; or that at least some of it is loose in a flat tray or on the cage floor).
Eating from a bowl doesn’t give any mental stimulation whereas if they have to search for their food through hay then it encourages their natural foraging abilities and keeps them occupied. It is very important that he is kept stimulated particularly while he is alone.
Once he has a friend, scattering the veg and pellets will also reduce the risk of any food hogging.
Mine get 5 pellets each and I hand feed them as a way of bonding with them. I actually only give pellets twice a week instead of daily.

Also, the hay tray with holes in the bottom is a risk to his feet. It would be safer for him if you could remove the white bit.

I also have another question for when I build a bigger cage and I get the second piggy after a few weeks and let the second piggy settle in. Would it be best to put a barrier in between the two where they can start to see and smell each other before I fully introduced them, when letting the new piggy settle, or should I have the cages completely separate until the new piggy is settled and I introduce them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

When you get the new pig, what you do first depends on where you get the pig from.

First make sure you double check the sex of the pigs

If you get a pig under four months of age then you need to bond them either immediately or within 24 hours. Babies should never be alone. You have to forego all quarantine because the social and companionship needs of babies come first.

If you get a pig from somewhere other than a reputable rescue and who is over 4 months of age, then ideally you quarantine in a separate room for two weeks to ensure no illnesses or parasites can be spread.
After the two weeks you then move the two pigs side by side for a length of time you feel necessary depending on how they settle - it could be a couple of days, could be a couple of weeks.
If quarantine isn’t possible- and that may be because either pig is struggling being alone and needs immediate side by side interaction , or through space restrictions; then you may need to accept that both pigs may need treating if there is a transmissible illness brought in

If you get a pig from a reputable rescue who had already been vet checked and quarantined at the rescue then they can go straight side by side on the day you bring the new pig home. As above - for however long you feel necessary for bonding.

When bonding day comes you then put them on neutral territory - this can be for several hours or even overnight if needed. It depends on how the bonding goes.
While in neutral, if the bonding is going well then you can clean the cage they are to live in together and after the bonding, as per the bonding guide below, you move them to the cage together and leave them together from then on.

If the bonding fails, then sadly they will have to stay side by permanently. The minimum cage size for each pig in this scenario is a 2x3 c&c or 120x60cm (48x24 inches).

If you have access to a rescue centre who can help with the bonding then that is even better as they can help find a suitable companion and you aren’t left with a failed bond and side by side pigs.

I hope that helps

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics'

Jan 23, 2019

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 7
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonds and Species Understanding

• 

 

[siepiggies]

When you get the new pig, what you do first depends on where you get the pig from.

First make sure you double check the sex of the pigs

If you get a pig under four months of age then you need to bond them either immediately or within 24 hours. Babies should never be alone. You have to forego all quarantine because the social and companionship needs of babies come first.

If you get a pig from somewhere other than a reputable rescue and who is over 4 months of age, then ideally you quarantine in a separate room for two weeks to ensure no illnesses or parasites can be spread.
After the two weeks you then move the two pigs side by side for a length of time you feel necessary depending on how they settle - it could be a couple of days, could be a couple of weeks.
If quarantine isn’t possible- and that may be because either pig is struggling being alone and needs immediate side by side interaction , or through space restrictions; then you may need to accept that both pigs may need treating if there is a transmissible illness brought in

If you get a pig from a reputable rescue who had already been vet checked and quarantined at the rescue then they can go straight side by side on the day you bring the new pig home. As above - for however long you feel necessary for bonding.

When bonding day comes you then put them on neutral territory - this can be for several hours or even overnight if needed. It depends on how the bonding goes.
While in neutral, if the bonding is going well then you can clean the cage they are to live in together and after the bonding, as per the bonding guide below, you move them to the cage together and leave them together from then on.

If the bonding fails, then sadly they will have to stay side by permanently. The minimum cage size for each pig in this scenario is a 2x3 c&c or 120x60cm (48x24 inches).

If you have access to a rescue centre who can help with the bonding then that is even better as they can help find a suitable companion and you aren’t left with a failed bond and side by side pigs.

I hope that helps

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics'

Jan 23, 2019

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 7
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonds and Species Understanding

• 

Okay amazing, i will see if i have any rescues with piggies near me to get him from, thank you so much for the help this is the best info i could even get, there’s a lot of conflicting information online, and i have watched bonding piggies videos to know what to expect for the future

 

[Piggies&buns]

Okay amazing, i will see if i have any rescues with piggies near me to get him from, thank you so much for the help this is the best info i could even get, there’s a lot of conflicting information online, and i have watched bonding piggies videos to know what to expect for the future

We make sure our information is easy to understand and accurate.
Take a look around all the guides and feel free to ask questions!

 

[fluffysal]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of guinea pigs. What a handsome boy he is! Good luck finding him a cage mate, a bonded boar pair is a wonderful thing. There are lots of boar fans on here.

 

[Roselina]

Oh he is gorgeous
He is a very lucky piggy
Where are you putting the hay ? I don’t really like a hay rack and my piggy Geoff loves to hide in it
I have 2 piggies Geoff and Freddy ( he is a skinny pig)

 

[siepiggies]

Oh he is gorgeous
He is a very lucky piggy
Where are you putting the hay ? I don’t really like a hay rack and my piggy Geoff loves to hide in it
I have 2 piggies Geoff and Freddy ( he is a skinny pig)

I ordered a hay bag that can hang off the horizontal bar on the side of the cage near his water, it’s got two holes where he can pull the hay out as he eats (as shown in photos he eats out of it and in the last photo it’s to the left back of his cage)

 

[fluffysal]

He will get a lot of enjoyment from a pile of hay, especially while he's on his own.

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Papua is just

I just pile hay on the cage floor so my 2 can eat it, play in it, sleep under it.
It’s more than food.

Looking forward to getting to know you