Introductions Thinking of adopting a new female pig to bond with my female

[mimipig]

I have had Mimi for almost a year and a half now, and have always intended on getting a 2nd pig to bond with her. I recently came across another solo female pig being rehomed in my area and she is about 6 months older than Mimi. However the new pig is about an hour's drive from me so there won't really be a chance to have a "play date" before hand to see how they get along. Since I've had Mimi she's lived alone, so I'm wondering if this would be a smart move, to introduce another pig to her now and hope they get along? I know its easier to bond them as babies, and I would take every necessary step to introduce them carefully since they're both adults, but any tips and advice are appreciated Thanks!

 

[G.Piggies]

I totally recommend bonding the two! A pig with a friend is 2X happier..it would be a great move. Mimi would be thanking you. As long as the new pig doesn't have any behavioral issues you know of or health issues. If she's a normal,healthy pig then do it. It'll take them some time to get to know each other but the odds of them not becoming BFFS is slim. I always recommend getting a piggy playmate as long as the new pig isn't a pig that will be bad for your Mimi (is sick, badly behaved, etc.)

 

[mimipig]

Thank you G.Piggies! I've also always been worried about the whole dominance aspect - it's sad to think of Mimi as becoming a bully or getting bullied herself...Is this a big issue with 2 females, will one of them always be picked on, or is that more when they are just meeting each other?

 

[papuasqueakers]

Totally recommend it too! I knew my one was depressed so I just went out and adopted my second whom is 2 years older than my first. They get along great, the older one is a little bit more dominant but there have been no issues with fighting.

 

[Kristi26]

I would definitely do it as well. Piggies are happier with friends. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[CavieGuy]

I have had Mimi for almost a year and a half now, and have always intended on getting a 2nd pig to bond with her. I recently came across another solo female pig being rehomed in my area and she is about 6 months older than Mimi. However the new pig is about an hour's drive from me so there won't really be a chance to have a "play date" before hand to see how they get along. Since I've had Mimi she's lived alone, so I'm wondering if this would be a smart move, to introduce another pig to her now and hope they get along? I know its easier to bond them as babies, and I would take every necessary step to introduce them carefully since they're both adults, but any tips and advice are appreciated Thanks!

1. Large neutral area (bigger then cage that they will both be living in)
2. Veggies
3. Time (you must have time to do introductions, plan for 4+ hours, I'm not saying it will take that long but it can or longer)
3. Patience- let them sort out their dominance issues/establish who's boss. Don't be squeamish because you "think" they are fighting, it is normal. If you see blood drawn then that is when its time to throw the towel
4. Completely clean cage (permanent home) that is suitable for 2 piggies (no pet store cages)
5. No houses with only one entrance, don't give them something to fight about.

 

[mimipig]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! Is quarantining the new pig a good idea/for how long? If I end up with the pig I'm looking at, she's being rehomed (not from a shelter). I'm working on expanding Mimi's current cage and will be changing around a lot stuff before putting them both in.

 

[WheekingPiggies]

Yes, it's definitely recommended to quarantine! You'll want to keep her in a separate room for 2 weeks to prevent the spread of any illnesses the new piggy may have. Pet store cages are great for temporary quarantine cages or you can makeshift a cage with grids and a shower curtain.

 

[mimipig]

Okay thank you! She comes with her current cage so it would be easy to just keep her in that in another room for 2 weeks. That will give me time to set up Mimi's cage expansion too. Thanks again!

 

[mimipig]

So since the pig I'm looking at isn't a "sure thing", i.e. someone may be able to pick her up before me, I've been looking around and have found another rescue pig, a baby only a couple months old that's in a humane society not far. Would getting a young pig be as suitable as one the same age as Mimi? If anyone has pros/cons on the subject I'd love to hear!

 

[bpatters]

Age doesn't really matter with females. If you've found one you want, go ahead and get her.

 

[mimipig]

Thanks patters! These are the 2 pigs http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/for/5331865349.html and http://www.wihumane.org/adopt/animal?id=29951718 Yam looks like she could be Mimi's baby, but I was thinking a short haired pig would be nice since Mimi's big hair is already all over everything and not sure how 2 long haired ones would be. It's going to be a tough decision

 

[mimipig]

Somehow both the pigs even though they were from separate places got adopted at the same time tonight So I guess its back to square one. Hard to find females by themselves in my area apart from pet stores!

 

[mimipig]

Today I stopped by the local humane society just to see if they had any females, and it turns out they did have one alone! I held Lulu for a while and she's a very sweet and gentle pig so I ended up adopting her! She's just over a year old but she seems very small. (I'm posting a new thread in the medical section with some questions related to her.)

I'm going to quarantine her, not sure if the whole 3 weeks is needed? She's from the humane society where they had her taken to see a vet and treated with Revolution as they do all their pigs (small dose). They also told me they've had her a few weeks and she's been in good health the whole time. I'm nervous to introduce her to Mimi, hopefully the new cage additions will make her less territorial, I'm going to revamp the cage when they move in together. I also think I'll try to group bath method, Mimi is due for one. Anyone have advice for bathing them together/recommend it? Thanks!

 

[foggycreekcavy]

If she's been at a reputable shelter and has shown no health problems while there, I don't see a need to quarantine.

I also don't see a need to bathe them together. Just try introducing them outside the cage first, in a large neutral area.

 

[mimipig]

I'm currently introducing the pigs. They've been in the pen about 45 minutes. Lulu keeps approaching Mimi and smelling her etc. Mimi keeps raising her nose and hopping away. At first they were both licking each other. There haven't been any fights but Mimi doesn't seem as interested in Lulu as she is in her. How long should I keep them in for before cleaning the new cage and putting them in? I've heard 2-3 hours. Since they aren't fighting at all is a shorter time okay?

update: now they are both pretty much ignoring each other except for occasionally sniffing. Lulu did some popcorning, Mimi keeps putting her nose up and mostly keeping her distance, she has approached her a few times though to smell and lick her.

 

[pinky]

I'm currently introducing the pigs. They've been in the pen about 45 minutes. Lulu keeps approaching Mimi and smelling her etc. Mimi keeps raising her nose and hopping away. At first they were both licking each other. There haven't been any fights but Mimi doesn't seem as interested in Lulu as she is in her. How long should I keep them in for before cleaning the new cage and putting them in? I've heard 2-3 hours. Since they aren't fighting at all is a shorter time okay?

update: now they are both pretty much ignoring each other except for occasionally sniffing. Lulu did some popcorning, Mimi keeps putting her nose up and mostly keeping her distance, she has approached her a few times though to smell and lick her.

Photos, please!

 

[mimipig]

I got some good photos and video, the whole thing went really smoothly! I set them up in the revamped cage and they're getting along fine still. Here are some pictures from during the intro and in their cage loft afterwards, and a video of the most action that happened in their introduction. Most of it was just ignoring each other and eating, or sniffing each other. They seem to really like each other!

photos: http://imgur.com/a/UJo4j


video: https://youtu.be/RFsDuTUrksQ