Introduce two piggies to each other and then to another bonded pair, or introduce two singles and pair at once?
I just lost one of my two female piggies and adopted another female today. We had already discussed adding another piggie or two to our pair but now that we lost one of the original ones, I’m not sure how to expand our herd. There’s a local person who has 6 female guinea pigs that all need to be rehomed. I contacted her for more information and said I would only be able to take a couple of them but I’m not sure what the best option is for a smooth introduction.
I figure my two options are to introduce the two to each other that I already have (they’re quarantined from each other currently) and then add another one or two piggies at a later date or get another one or two that have already been together and introduce all of them together at the same time.
I’ve been reading a lot on introducing piggies and am not sure if it would be better to get all the introduction/dominance/creating their hierarchy done all at once or in stages. If I do it in stages, am I looking at potentially creating problems by having the hierarchy shaken up a second time? Are there any potential problems with doing it at once and having two that are adopted together and used to each other being added to two piggies that aren’t already a bonded pair? What about just getting one more and introducing all three together? (I feel like since I have the time, space, money, and desire for four and there is someone who has six that need homes that it would be nice to take two from her since she has so many to rehome.)
The piggie I’ve had is about 6 months and the one I adopted today is 3 years old. The ones available are 1-2 years old.
I figure my two options are to introduce the two to each other that I already have (they’re quarantined from each other currently) and then add another one or two piggies at a later date or get another one or two that have already been together and introduce all of them together at the same time.
I’ve been reading a lot on introducing piggies and am not sure if it would be better to get all the introduction/dominance/creating their hierarchy done all at once or in stages. If I do it in stages, am I looking at potentially creating problems by having the hierarchy shaken up a second time? Are there any potential problems with doing it at once and having two that are adopted together and used to each other being added to two piggies that aren’t already a bonded pair? What about just getting one more and introducing all three together? (I feel like since I have the time, space, money, and desire for four and there is someone who has six that need homes that it would be nice to take two from her since she has so many to rehome.)
The piggie I’ve had is about 6 months and the one I adopted today is 3 years old. The ones available are 1-2 years old.
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- And got the T-shirt
All at once, in a very large neutral area, at a time when you've got hours to give to it. Don't hurry it, and be prepared to watch for a few hours even after they're back in the thoroughly cleaned cage. See https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html for introductions.
- RavenShade
- Thanks for the Memories
You can always keep the Dustpan of Doom handy for any big squabbles. But other than that I agree with the above. Make sure everything is clean and neutral. Give them lots of treats.
Update: I got two female piggies (from separate homes). One had recently been vet checked and the other has lived alone and was clearly very well taken care of so I felt comfortable introducing them after a few days to settle in. I introduced them today and once it seemed they were going to do fine, I expanded one of the cages to make a very large c&c cage. It’s an L shaped cage that’s 2x5 on one side with an additional 2x2 attached (so equivalent to 2x7). They’ve had some chattering and squabbling but nothing that seems out of the ordinary. I think they will be very happy soon once they’ve all settled into their new hierarchy. :-)