What to do if bonding is unsuccessful?

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Maeve_93

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Hi there,

I recently got my GP Lulu a new cage mate, after we sadly lost our other piggy a couple of weeks ago. I acquired Penny from a great rescue, where I was able to take Lulu for a 'piggy play date'. They seemed to get on fine in neutral territory, so we brought Penny home. At first it seemed as though Lulu was showing Penny who was boss (given Lulu has always been the dominant pig) . However, there has been some change recently - it seems as though Penny would like the title of top pig now. She's been chasing Lulu around the cage, rumbling/humping etc. Lulu may sometimes squeak and chase Penny back, but doesn't appear to be too bothered. Although I understand this is all normal behaviour, I wondered how long it's likely to last for? It's been going on for about a week or so already - do I need to look at separating them if this behaviour continues? Or is it possible that Lulu has already accepted she is no longer the dominant pig? There hasn't been aggressive fighting or anything like that. And they're pretty good together when Penny isn't chasing her about the cage!

The piggies are in a 4x2 c&c cage, I don't have the floor space to extend outwards (nor would I want to split the cage in half, as it seems far too small). Is it possible to extend upwards and have a two tier cage? Or do the piggies need to physically still be able to see each other, rather than just smell one another? If I extend upwards, I would of course look at getting them buddied up with another piggy each. I really don't want to give Penny up, she's a lovely little pig - and maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself for no reason here - but I'm worried they might not be as compatible as we'd hoped for!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,
Chloe
 
If they’ve only been together a week then they are only about half way through their bonding - the full process takes around two weeks. Provided they can sort things out between them and are both happy, then you don’t need to do anything. Some chasing and dominance and is normal throughout life though.

If the bonding was to fail then they need to be side by side (with full sight, sound, smell for full interaction), with each piggy in a 4x2 cage (a minimum of a 3x2 - you cannot split a 4x2 in half as each half will not come near welfare minimum sizing). You can’t put single piggies in a two tier cage while they are alone but once they both have new friends they could go into a two tier cage.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Bonds In Trouble
 
Welcome to the forum.
piggies&buns posted just as I was going to and said the same thing. I've deleted what I'd written as she puts it so much better.
Good luck.
 
Thanks so much piggies&buns for your response, and for linking me to this guide. It's super useful to help understand better what's going on.
I will see how things progress in the next week.

If no luck, then I will re-look at the situation to ensure both piggies get the proper care they need.

Thanks!
Chloe
 
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