I have 4 guinea pigs and I recently got a fifth from a rescue. I went to do a soft introduction today as their cages have been next to each other for about a week, and they have been interacting and getting used to each other from the safety of their own cages. Immediately, the alpha of my herd and the new guinea pig started fighting and trying to attack each other very aggressively. I threw a blanket on them and stopped the introduction right there. This new guinea pig is about 3 months old, so I am not sure why this occurred. I expected her to be passive, and I have never had a fight break out between my guinea pig before to this caliber. Is this fixable? Will they ever get along at this rate? They didn't even bat an eye before going straight into attack mode. I want to know how to address this because I don't want the solution to be that they have to live separately if it's not necessary.
What do I do if my guinea pig started fighting immediately during an introduction?
- Thread starter TMan4563
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Did you introduce on neutral territory?
How old are they all?
If they have taken such an instant dislike to each other, then sadly, they probably will need to be kept apart permanently. There is nothing you can do to fix character compatibility problems unfortunately
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
How old are they all?
If they have taken such an instant dislike to each other, then sadly, they probably will need to be kept apart permanently. There is nothing you can do to fix character compatibility problems unfortunately
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
I introduced on semi-neutral territory. My apartment is smaller and there are few areas that they have not traveled through before. The adult piggies are 1.5-2.5 years old. The baby is about 3-4 months. Is it worth a shot to try again on truly neutral territory? Also, I only introduced the alpha and the baby without the other 3 because I had read somewhere that it can help to introduce the alpha fist before introducing the rest of the herd. Should I introduce them all at once if I try again? I am just afraid that one of the piggies will get hurt as the fighting started pretty immediately and I have never seen it that aggressive before.
They are all female I assume?
They need to meet somewhere which does not form part of their normal territory.
Bonding goes through the whole herd in order, so you need all five of them in the pen at the same time but physically putting in the top sow first is fine. However, if the top sow doesnt accept a newbie, then its not likely to work.
You can try again if you wish but it doesn’t sound like things are going to be good between them. ensure the bonding pen is neutral and that there are no hides in there but be very prepared to step in again. Unfortunately such an instant fight doesn’t look good for their chances
They need to meet somewhere which does not form part of their normal territory.
Bonding goes through the whole herd in order, so you need all five of them in the pen at the same time but physically putting in the top sow first is fine. However, if the top sow doesnt accept a newbie, then its not likely to work.
You can try again if you wish but it doesn’t sound like things are going to be good between them. ensure the bonding pen is neutral and that there are no hides in there but be very prepared to step in again. Unfortunately such an instant fight doesn’t look good for their chances
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