Behavior Introducing new Piggy

[beckielynn]

So on a trip to the pet store for some Timothy hay, bedding and other assorted goodies, my hubby spied a young small piggy. Well, I picked her up and made sure, as sure as I could, that it was a girl. He was in love. So we got her. We bring her home, put some new goodies in with Iggy and the new baby, Fiona. Fiona squeals when Iggy comes near. Iggy is bigger, I think Fiona was just weaned, she is very small, and Iggy is a cage wrecker. There is no fighting, just some noise and squeaks. Is that normal? I would think it is. Also, what kind of piggy did I get, lol. She looks like a teddy bear and an Absianian had a one night fling, poofy and wild fur, red and black too. I will post some pics shortly.

 

[Hhbean]

Hi and welcome! We would love to see pictures, we have a pigture addition around here :crazy:! You will need to watch for illnesses with your pet store piggy and we recommend a 3 week quarantine before introducing to your other piggies so they don't catch anything. It sounds like they are all together, so please keep an eye on your older piggy also. Good luck and if you have any questions just ask.

 

[beckielynn]

Thanks, the older one was adopted, a pet store purchase 2 weeks ago for an 8 yr old who neglected her, so they gave her to me. I had a wonderful woman meet me today and gave me a huge cage, an Igloo and a gift card to the pet store we were at. I had purchased piggys there in the past and they come from one breeder, who is local, I trust them. By her size Iggy is only maybe 4 to 6 months. I am going to get some pics, they are still in the small cage, changing everything tomorrow, gotta clean the new one.

 

[beckielynn]

The black and white one is Iggy and the small red and black one is Fiona. Iggy is diggin the igloo.

 

[bpatters]

Well, quarantine is to protect your older pig and your pocketbook, but it's too late for that now. The proper way to do introductions is at Guinea Pigs Social Life -- the Introductions section is about halfway down. If Iggy is biting Fiona, then separate them until you can do the introductions with a neutral territory and a clean cage.

 

[beckielynn]

She's not biting, she sniffs and licks and scuttles off. The little one just freaks, she wasn't alone in her area at the store, so I don't know. It's like they are playing tag, one chases the other then one popcorns and they do it again.

 

[Hhbean]

They are adorable! Thanks for the pictures! Sounds like they may be doing good together, but if they do draw blood or one of them keeps the other from eating you would then need to separate them. You will need to weigh them everyday before they eat to get an accurate wieght.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Very cute! Do you know what size the cage is that they gave you? Most pet store type cages wind up being too small, so you will probably want to make a C&C Cage, like the ones pictured on this site. They are very easy to make, and your pigs will love the space!

Since you are somewhat new to pigs, I recommend reading up as much as you can on this site and also the Care Guide at Guinea Lynx. Looking at your photos, I can see that the pellet you are feeding is not the best, but don't despair! You will soon learn the best diet, cage size, etc., the more you read here.

 

[beckielynn]

It's not just a pellet. It has other things in it and there is a bowl of fresh veggies and fruit and some timothy. Iggy likes to move and knock everything over. I have a larger cage I am putting them in tomorrow andwe are looking into getting a C&C cage very soon. I have had piggies before, Callie came to me expecting, I kept her and one baby until Callie passed, the baby went to live with one of her siblings. No one is stopping anyone from eating as of yet. They are right by the bed, so I will be keeping an eye on them most of the night.

 

[Thumper27]

It's not just a pellet. It has other things in it and there is a bowl of fresh veggies and fruit and some timothy. Iggy likes to move and knock everything over. I have a larger cage I am putting them in tomorrow andwe are looking into getting a C&C cage very soon. I have had piggies before, Callie came to me expecting, I kept her and one baby until Callie passed, the baby went to live with one of her siblings. No one is stopping anyone from eating as of yet. They are right by the bed, so I will be keeping an eye on them most of the night.

The other things in the food is what Foggycreekcavy is talking about, they should only have plain pellets, Oxbow and KM's Hayloft come highly recomended. Nuts are completely not allowed, as they can get choked on them. I understand you've had piggies in the past, and we're glad you have you hear. If you need anything, let us know! And congrats on the piggies.

 

[beckielynn]

I will look up Oxbow, I don't think there is nuts in it, they pick the pellets out mostly. I decided I didn't wanna wait till tomorrow to get the new cage set up. It was filthy, caked on, stained looking stuff, I assume it was pee and wood chip residue. I had to use a knife and scrape for an hour to get it off. But, it's finally clean. It was soosoosoo much bigger than the other one. Both piggies have their own house, the small house is too small for Iggy to fit in, so Fiona has her own lil place. They are getting along fine now, yay! Thanks so much for the info every body!

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I have had piggies before, Callie came to me expecting,


​Oh, sorry! I guess I was thinking of someone else.

 

[beckielynn]

It's ok! I am going to look into the other foods tho. They don't care for the extra bits in the food, and when the bowl is only those, Iggy knocks the bowl over then forages for pellets. She loves to rearrange!