Introductions: Not sure if this is normal behavior

[3piggymomma]

My two big girls are a bonded mother/daughter pair. For the introduction, I placed them in Jazmyn's quarantine cage (which was the floor time pen), and they seemed to get along very well. They walked around sniffing eachother and following eachother, and Jazmyn even popcorned a few times (I had never seen her popcorn before). Then I put them all together in their cage, and it seems like everything changed. Jazmyn first hid in the corner behind the hay box and wouldn't move. The big girls sniffed her and she squealed and screamed like crazy. She eventually moved to the middle of the cage and they have been chasing eachother around, which I think is normal. The big girls are very vocal, and I believe I heard Lexi's teeth chattering a few times. The hair on both of their necks is standing up and they were snapping at eachother (both big girls).. they have never had trouble getting along before, and I'm wondering if this is a normal reaction to having a new pig "invade" their space. I even saw Bella with what I thought was a little bit of Jazzy's hair in her mouth, which alarmed me. They just seem to like to sniff her and chase her, but they are getting nasty with eachother, and I was just wondering if this is normal - maybe jealousy behavior. They are so loud, I have never heard them this vocal - and I think the noise they are making is the "alarm" or "stay away" noise.

[distancel]

Did you clean the girls' cage thoroughly before putting all three of them in there? You need to clean it with vinegar (or maybe there are substitutes I'm not sure, I use vinegar, it neutralises smells and cleans things without being poisonous to the guinea pigs) and make sure it is totally clean of smells, and also moving the items in the cage around can help a lot too so the piggies will see it as a 'new' area. Otherwise, the other two girls will see the cage as strictly their territory, and the new piggie as an intruder.

I found that when I introduced my two girls to each other, they would get along fine in a neutral space, but no matter how much I cleaned Buffy's indoor hutch, she still saw it as hers and would not accept Avril being added to it with her. I ended up making them a new C&C cage which they have been very happy in. I know this is not an option for everyone though. What sort of cage do you have?

[3piggymomma]

I have a C&C but didn't clean it before putting the three girls in it. I did rearrange their things though and added another hidey.

[Dichotomy83]

As long as they are not drawing blood they'll likely work out their new pecking order with the added piggy.

What size is your cage and how many sows share it?

[3piggymomma]

It's a 2x4 with 3 girls

[Dichotomy83]

Originally Posted by 3piggymomma

It's a 2x4 with 3 girls

If you have space available, I would strongly recommend adding on to the cage, making it 2x5. That seemingly "little bit" of extra space can really make the difference! Also, when my little guy was new, we put an extra hidey in the cage that my other boar couldnt fit into (he was too big), giving my new guy space to take a break if needed.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

That is normal dominance behavior but a 2 by 4 is a bit cramped for three pigs who are not already bonded.

[MadandSoapy]

Wow - sounds scary! I'm sure they'll work it out though. The thorough cleaning suggestions sounds like a good one.