Piggy Bonding, Cage Merging?

[pigsandpellets]

I really want to give my piggies all they space that I can give them and currently my four pigs live separately (2 pigs in one cage and 2 pigs in the other) but the cages are side by side. In one cage are the younger piggies, they’re both a little over a year old, and in the other are the older pigs, both maybe around 4 years old. The cages are both 2x4 C&C cages and they are close to each other. I would really love to merge the cages but I want to know good ways I could bond them efficiently. Is it good to merge older and younger piggies? Any techniques to bonding younger and older pigs or just pigs in general? I would just love for them to have more fun with each other and definitely more space. One of my younger piggies loves to bite at the cage and look over at the older piggies which makes me think she wants to see them. Should I even do it? Here is the picture where the cages intersect and where I would merge the cages at. Any tips, thoughts, suggestions? Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

The first key factor is what sex are the piggies? If they are all Male then you cannot merge them at all. Boars must be kept in pairs only. Also, you can only have one Male any number of females. So if you have a sow pair and a boar pair then you also cannot merge them

They may look into the cage, but it does not mean that a bonding will work. If they are all female, then attempting a bonding between them all is possible but you need to do it the right way and they have to be compatible. The two dominant sows (one from each pair) have to be able to come to an agreement between them. If they can’t, then it won’t work

 

[Piggies&buns]

This thread explains merging - Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
This is the bonding procedure - Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[pigsandpellets]

The first key factor is what sex are the piggies? If they are all Male then you cannot merge them at all. Boars must be kept in pairs only. Also, you can only have one Male any number of females. So if you have a sow pair and a boar pair then you also cannot merge them

They may look into the cage, but it does not mean that a bonding will work. If they are all female, then attempting a bonding between them all is possible but you need to do it the right way and they have to be compatible. The two dominant sows (one from each pair) have to be able to come to an agreement between them. If they can’t, then it won’t work

They are all females, yes. The older ones are definitely the dominant ones and when I take them all out to have some play time, the older ones love to antagonize the younger ones and nip them in the behind a little bit. I would think the more I correctly bond them, it could work out but I don’t know if the older ones would still be doing that sort of thing even if they do become comfortable with each other.

 

[pigsandpellets]

They are all females, yes. The older ones are definitely the dominant ones and when I take them all out to have some play time, the older ones love to antagonize the younger ones and nip them in the behind a little bit. I would think the more I correctly bond them, it could work out but I don’t know if the older ones would still be doing that sort of thing even if they do become comfortable with each other.

The nips being little nudges on their butt, just thought I’d clarify.

 

[Piggies&buns]

They are all females, yes. The older ones are definitely the dominant ones and when I take them all out to have some play time, the older ones love to antagonize the younger ones and nip them in the behind a little bit. I would think the more I correctly bond them, it could work out but I don’t know if the older ones would still be doing that sort of thing even if they do become comfortable with each other.

You should not really be having them mixing for play time. Guinea pigs don’t interact like that. Each time they meet to them it is a bonding session and they are attempting to establish dominance, which is then interrupted and it is stressful. If you are going to do a bonding, you need to put them into a neutral area and see it through to conclusion whether that be failure or success. If the initial introduction session is successful then you thoroughly clean out the cage and move them all in together. The process of establishing a hierarchy continues for a few weeks after they have all been put permanently together and may still fail during this time.

There will be one dominant pig in your older pair, and one dominant pig in your younger pair. It’s those two dominant piggies who need to come to an agreement and the others all form a hierarchy around one dominant piggy when they have had a successful bonding

 

[Piggies&buns]

They are all females, yes. The older ones are definitely the dominant ones and when I take them all out to have some play time, the older ones love to antagonize the younger ones and nip them in the behind a little bit. I would think the more I correctly bond them, it could work out but I don’t know if the older ones would still be doing that sort of thing even if they do become comfortable with each other.

There will always be dominance even if they get on. It is just natural piggy behaviour

 

[pigsandpellets]

You should not really be having them mixing for play time. Guinea pigs don’t interact like that. Each time they meet to them it is a bonding session and they are attempting to establish dominance, which is then interrupted and it is stressful. If you are going to do a bonding, you need to put them into a neutral area and see it through to conclusion whether that be failure or success. If the initial introduction session is successful then you thoroughly clean out the cage and move them all in together. The process of establishing a hierarchy continues for a few weeks after they have all been put permanently together and may still fail during this time.

There will be one dominant pig in your older pair, and one dominant pig in your younger pair. It’s those two dominant piggies who need to come to an agreement and the others all form a hierarchy around one dominant piggy when they have had a successful bonding

Thank you so much for the information! I will definitely keep the bonding techniques in mind and keep them in a neutral area to properly bond.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do give the merging guide a read. It explains very well when things are most likely to work out - the ages etc. You’ve got a good chance with your younger pair still being young, they will hopefully be accepted by your older ones, but it does all come down to character. Let us know how it goes!