getting new piggies....

[MrBassMan26]

i currently have two 1-1/2 year old females. i am trying to get two more females. how do you introduce new cavies to a new home and new cavies?

[OSUCavies]

My first question is, do you have adequate housing for four females?

Also, are you looking to adopt or purchase from a breeder/petstore?


It is very important to make sure that you quarantine the new pigs for at least 2 weeks before introducing. Especially if they come from an inexperienced owner or petstore which means they could have a URI or mites
Also, for four pigs (which is what I have), I have a 2x6 CC cage and sometimes even wonder if that is too small.

May I ask what you are planning to keep them in?
If you are referring to a petstore cage, there aren't any acceptable for even one pig, let alone 4. Sorry if you already know this information, but just checking

As far as introducing, the best thing to do is put them in an open and new space (rather than the cage where the new piggies can smell the present piggies and have territory issues). It is also important to only separate if the pigs are fighting to the point where there is blood drawn. There will most likely be fighting, mounting, rumblestrutting, etc...just so that the dominant piggy can let the others know who is boss. That is why it is so important for four piggies to have space. I know my guinea pigs get along, but tend to mount each other and sometimes it's nice for the other pigs to have somewhere in the cage to run and hide from the annoying pig. SPACE is most important. But after the 2 week quarantine, put all piggies on the floor, maybe try to feed them all at once or hand-feed veggies and let them get to know each other. Do not freak out when they fight or bite (I had a hard time with this). It is normal, but if it gets to the point where blood is drawn or there is a huge ball of fur and no one is giving up, then separate.

[Ly&Pigs]

Read www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm. It has advice on how to introduce pigs. Cage size requirements can be found on this sites homepage. www.guineapigcages.com

[MrBassMan26]

I have a 4' x 8' (32 sq ft) coroplast pen, all open area, and am planning to add a second level to this. I REFUSE to buy from a pet store. I found 3 piggies on Craigslist as there are no adoption places in my area. I thought about dividing the current area in half so all the piggies could get used to each other, without actually coming in direct contact. I don't really have room for another pen in the room where i keep the piggies and my rabbit, which by the way, gets along real good with my current piggies, but i still gie the rabbit and piggies separate floor time. Thanks for your input!!

[OSUCavies]

Craigslist is a great place to look for animals that need homes.

I wish I had more room so I could take in more piggies! But of course I just have to draw the line somewhere or else I'll have 40 piggies before I turn 30. Hah!

I would LOVE to see this huge pen of yours. Sounds HUGE!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Good for you for adopting. No one should buy their pets from pet stores.

[MrBassMan26]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

Good for you for adopting. No one should buy their pets from pet stores.

I agree with you, but if that was the case, what happens to the piggies that don't get sold? Do they end up in a rescue or worse off than the pet store? When I think about it, it kinda sounds like a "catch 22".

[MrBassMan26]

Originally Posted by OSUCavies

I would LOVE to see this huge pen of yours. Sounds HUGE!

I'll get some pics up. Should I just post them in this discussion, or is that inappropriate and should maybe post to a different forum?

[rabbitsncavyluv]

We've had that argument over and over. Do a search or read the kitchen threads. The pet store doesn't profit and they don't order anymore from their pet mill/breeders.