Bonding Bonding drama

[Stephanie OC]

Hi I have a 4yr old female that lost her cage mate a few months ago. I just adopted a 1.5 yr old female who is much larger. They had a great initial introduction and frequent daily meetings on neutral ground but I did not put them in the same cage until 5 days later. I completely cleaned the cage (2x5 cc cage) and rearranged. They started off great, but within a couple of hours they started lunging at each other, rumble strutting, teeth chattering, biting, drawing minor amounts of blood. the youngster was not letting the older one eat then seemed to be "hunting" the older one. The older pig has lost a bit of weight since the new pig arrived. Not sure of what to do at this point. I really like the new pig but I don't want to terrorize the older one. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Guinea2002]

If shes losing weight rapidly like large amounts split them now. If shes losing little by little take her out and feed her during feeding times

 

[bpatters]

What you need to do, but can't, is rewind and redo the introductions. If you ever have occasion to do it again, here's the bible on introductions: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html. Guinea pigs are wired to establish dominance over other pigs, and they'll do every time they meet. So when you put them together and separate, repeatedly, you just stress them out and make it less likely that final introductions will go smoothly.

What to do now depends on how your older pig is doing. You need to weigh her daily (same time of day, preferably before breakfast) to make sure she's not losing weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, they're widely available for $15 or less.

When did you finally put them together in the cage? Today, or has it been a while?

If they're calming down and the biting is lessening or has stopped, just leave them alone and let them work it out. If they're truly biting each other, not just nipping, you may have to separate for awhile until they calm down and then try reintroducing them.

 

[Stephanie OC]

Thank you for the link with great info. Prior to getting the pig, I read several sites and they all seem to have different ways to intro. I picked up the new pig on Monday and we put them in the same cage today. They have spent time together in neutral territory every day and that has been going really well. They got in the cage together today, explored a bit then huddled together for over an hour. Then the chattering started and it escalated from there. The younger pig was throwing herself on the older and following her around the cage, more than mounting. There was blood drawn today . The older finally looked exhausted and laid down. She has lost almost 2 ounces since Monday. I took her out and fed her separately.
I will try again tomorrow but I'm afraid to leave them for an extended time. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[bpatters]

You should always do introductions when you've got hours to give to it. The last time I introduced pigs, a bonded pair to a singleton, it was 11 hours before I felt comfortable leaving them to go to bed.

So don't put them back together at all until you can devote a whole day to it. Leave them in the neutral area until they're worn out and ready for a nap. Be sure the cage is thoroughly clean and doesn't smell like either pig.

When you put them back in, let them alone unless there's all-out war. Nipping, chasing, mounting, rumbling -- none of that counts. They have to work out which one is going to boss, and you have to either let them or permanently separate them.

 

[Stephanie OC]

Both pigs got a bath this morning. They huddled together during the bath and then for over an hour in a towel. No drama. Put them in a clean cage where they stayed on opposite sides for most of the day. 1 minor skirmish. A few chases in the last hour but no contact. Now they are both eating - opposite sides of the cage, of course. I think this is progress : )