So, I currently have a shed that I have my four girls in, and recently I have come across another 4 girls I am interesting in adopting to add to my group. Aside from bonding, moving in etc is my space adequate for 8 guinea pigs? It measures 46 square feet or 4.32 square meters. Thanks
Space dilemma
- Thread starter Hj10
- Start date
Yes it is big enough - 14 square feet is needed for 4 sows and then a minimum of 2 additional square feet per additional piggy, so the shed does provide enough space for that many piggies.
In terms of bonding, and you don’t say how old any of the piggies are, sows are less accepting of new companions as they get older and that merging two established herds of adult sows is a rather difficult thing to achieve. Usually neither dominant in each herd is willing to step down to a lower ranking position which makes being able to bond two such herds quite unlikely.
Therefore, if you were to try to do so, having a way to split your shed in half so they can live either side of a divider would be wise if you would not be able to return the second group of sows (ie if they are not coming from a rescue centre).
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
In terms of bonding, and you don’t say how old any of the piggies are, sows are less accepting of new companions as they get older and that merging two established herds of adult sows is a rather difficult thing to achieve. Usually neither dominant in each herd is willing to step down to a lower ranking position which makes being able to bond two such herds quite unlikely.
Therefore, if you were to try to do so, having a way to split your shed in half so they can live either side of a divider would be wise if you would not be able to return the second group of sows (ie if they are not coming from a rescue centre).
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Also to say, I don’t specifically have one sow who is the most dominant as they are all pretty chilled. I do have one who I think is top pig but she doesn’t really exhibit dominance behaviours, all the girls just enjoy their own space reallyMy girls are all approaching 3 (rough estimate) the girls I’m looking at are about 1-2 years old
She may not appear very dominant but she will be and the others will all know her position and their positions, thereby she may not feel the need to enforce it with lots of dominant behaviours. It doesn’t mean she, nor the dominant of the other herd, would be prepared to step down and accept a lower ranking position, and this is why merging two established herds of adult sows is a tricky thing to achieve.
All you can ever do with a bonding is try is on neutral territory and see what happens.
If it doesn’t work and you’re committed to the second herd, then you will need to split the shed in half so they can live side by side.
All you can ever do with a bonding is try is on neutral territory and see what happens.
If it doesn’t work and you’re committed to the second herd, then you will need to split the shed in half so they can live side by side.