Housing Multiple Pigs

[aNiMaLsAmArItAn]

Hello fellow animal lovers!

I have decided to get another guinea pig (or two!) to be housed with the sweetie I have now, Shady. Shady is almost four years old now, and the
pig(s) I want to adopt now are only about two months. Is it ok to gradually introduce the two parties over a span of maybe a week or two, and if they don't fight, house them together? Of course, I would have to work on my parents if it was two buddies...

[Ly&Pigs]

Is it ok to gradually introduce the two parties over a span of maybe a week or two, and if they don't fight, house them together?

It's never a good idea to introduce slowly like this because of dominance issues. Also putting them together and taking them apart repeatedly causes a lot of stress. Pigs under a lot of stress can develop mites or illnesses. You want to do introductions one time in a neutral area. Usually if they are going to fight they will do it within a very short time of being together.

[fourboys4now]

Good luck if you do adopt the other 2 piggies. I have 2 boys that are at least 2 years old, but I suspect one is older than that. About 2 weeks ago I adopted another boy who was almost 5 weeks old.

I was kind of nervous with introductions with the baby being so little. I introduced them during floor time with parsley for all to eat. I was so impressed that my older boys took to the baby right away. Immediately they seemed to mother him. If he got out of their sight and cried they would run to his side. If one of my dogs barked they would hide him behind them.

Hope your introductions go as smoothly.

[JanJam]

You will have to keep the new pigs housed separately for 3 weeks before introducing them. Keeping them apart means in different rooms and you should change your clothing when cleaning/handling, so they have no chance of coming into contact with any illnesses from each other.

When they are introduced it should be in another neutral area which none of the piggies have come into contact with before. I've heard they will need to stay in this area for 48 hours. You need to watch them carefully but don't intervene unless blood is going to be drawn. Don't try to separate them yourself, throw a towel over the fighting piggies which confuses them and stops the fight.

Make sure too you're not adopting a mix of genders or if you are that they have been neutered, so you don't end up with an accidental litter of pups.