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Bonding Help - will a fourth sow help fix the dynamics?

MamaGuinea

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Hi everyone, seeking some piggie wisdom here. We are new owners of 3 sows. I bought two of them a month ago from a previous owner, they are a bonded pair of 2-year-olds (previously lived in a tiny cage, poor little guys). At the same time, we also bought a baby sow (now 3 months old) at Petsmart. Now they are all in a 2x6 C&C cage that we created, and we love having them!

The only thing is, I notice that the baby is being a bit left out by the other two. One of the older sows chatters her teeth at her quite a bit, basically whenever the baby comes near to her. The other older sow is friendly, but they still do not allow her to sleep with them or to share their houses, and they don't really play with her.

The baby (Honey) is totally adorable. She loves running around, "bubbling" and popcorning around the cage, but she's mostly by herself. So I've been thinking of getting (yet another) piggie - a second baby sow to keep Honey company, and to bond with her. I feel like it is better to do this sooner rather than later, so they can grow up together. But I'm also wary of getting in too deep with too many new piggies all at once. I'm worried that four new piggies in a month could be rather overwhelming! Any advice?
 

bpatters

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You've got no guarantee that a new pig will bond with the baby. Or with the other two.

Bonding, IMO, is highly overrated as a goal for guinea pigs. If you've got peace in the cage, that should be sufficient. You really can't do anything about "bonding." They either will or they won't.
 

MamaGuinea

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What does it mean to have peace in the cage? One of the older sows does "rattle" at the baby quite a bit, usually whenever the baby approaches her or tries to go into a hideout where the older one is resting. She has never bit the baby though, and she doesn't chase her around either.

Also, would the baby be okay if she is left out by the other piggies? Is it okay for her to sleep alone instead of together with the other two?
 

Snugglybutt

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My cage is a good example of peace. My pigs are by no means "bonded". They don't share beds or general space with one another. They keep their distance and chatter at each other occassionaly but they don't lunge and fight. They remind me of roommates that don't like each other.
 

MamaGuinea

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Too funny. Are they boys or girls? That kind of behavior reminds me of boys (human ones too!).
 

bpatters

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The baby is fine by herself.

I've never had "bonded" pigs. They didn't fight, but they didn't sleep together, and didn't snuggle unless we were in the car on the way to the vet. If one of them isn't attacking the other, or pestering her to the point she can't eat, things are good.
 

Snugglybutt

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Yes they're boys! As long as they aren't fighting, I'm happy :) I wish they did like each other more and did cute stuff like snuggling and sleeping together though!
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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My original two boars, Pooper and Sly, were more like roommates who tolerated each other. I rarely got photos of them together, until Pooper fell ill during the summer of 2016. During the time he was ill, Sly was always near him somewhere, almost as if it was some sort of support.

The two boars I have now, Punkin and Scooter, I've never seen two more bonded pigs. I got them as 3 week old baby boys from the same litter, and they've always been inseparable. They'll snuggle next to each other, mount each other grumbling all the while, and prance around the pen like little bucking broncos together. Truly a joy to watch.
 

sallyvh

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It does sound like they all get along. Rumbling is very normal. I have a group of 4 girls who have lived together for years and the leader walks around rumbling at the others every day.

I do find with trios there tends to be an odd pig out. I don't think it's all that much of a problem, but it seems to happen fairly often.

If you are prepared for another girl, especially a baby, things would likely work. There's never any guarantee that they will get along, but adding a baby sow to a group usually goes over very easily.
 
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