When and how to introduce new piggies

[star]

Hi. 

I adopted two 5 year old guinea pigs from the humane society a few months ago. They're a bonded pair. One of them (Mop) was not well when we brought them home, and despite several vet visits, he ultimately passed away just yesterday, leaving the other cavy - Agent Nibbles - all on his lonesome. 

I'm trying to decide whether to introduce a new friend for him? I know they aren't supposed to be kept by themselves, and have heard about pigs sort of giving up on life once their bonded cagemate has passed, and I certainly don't want that to happen.

I figure I'll wait a few days and see how Nibs does on his own, and if he's eating okay. If not, I'd like to introduce a new cavy.

What I've read is that it's best to introduce a young male cavy to an older male cavy, for minimum quarrelling. 

But I guess I could just use some advice as far as how to integrate them? I don't really have room to buy a second cage to set it up just for a couple weeks of 'quarantining,' but I guess if it comes to that I'll try and do what I can.

Any general advice? Has someone gone through this before, and what worked, or what didn't work? 

Thanks.

[shay]

hi, you should always introduce them on neutral grounds. Or you can even bath them together so they smell the same. however if you are using a play pen or something make sure nothing has the scent of one of the piggies. Do not use any huts they can get territorial over them. I recommend using lots of hay and some veggies as distractions. & i do recommend that you have a quarantine period with their cages side by side so they can get to know each other through the bars. hope I helped a little!
Good luck!

[jolovespiggies]

I am getting a friend for my little Merley soon and I am going to extend the pen in the living room, place a divide in there and let them see each other but no actual meeting. When I feel it may be OK, I will introduce them properly under strict supervision of course and hope that they become firm friends.

Hugs
Jo xx

[Bean]

This is a great page on their social needs and has lots of information on how to introduce them.

It's true that guinea pigs are social animals and will generally do much better with company. However, it's important to be realistic about the process of giving them new friends, especially when two boys are involved. Most male:female (with a neutered male of course!) and female:female pairings can work with a bit of time, space and patience, but male:male pairings can be more problematic and some boys just don't get on. They can still provide companionship living side by side, but you need to be prepared for that possibility (in terms of space) rather than needing it to work. Two males will also need more space that the average pairing to increase their chances of harmony.

Of course some males always get along (as it sounds Agent Nibbles and Mop did), and many are introduced without any issues, but it's best to go into the whole thing prepared for what you'll do if they don't.

The best bet would to be to find a rescue or shelter who are experienced at pairing pigs up and will be able to look at the personalities involved and make an educated guess at a good personality match for Agent Nibbles, and then oversee the bonding process for you. Some pigs only need to take one look at each other to know they won't get along, so if that happens, it's much better the rescue can deal with that rather than you bringing different pigs home and bonding with them and having to deal with the stress of fallouts.

My current pig situation is that we adopted two brothers a few years ago, but when they hit the teenage years, the tension between them just didn't go away. We had them neutered and got them both wives and they're all super happy. So we now have twice as many pigs as we intended to have - I wouldn't change that for anything as they're all ace, but they do take up a lot more space and time than we'd bargained on when we took on two!

I hope Agent Nibbles copes okay on his own so you can take your time to think the options over and decide on something that works for all of you.

[3piggles]

My only suggestion is to introduce them at the rescue, if it's possible, rather than bringing a piggy home, and finding it doesn't work. I had a temp cage I used in the back of the car. I filled it with hay, added a couple of water bottles, and had it ready for all the pigs to use on the way home. I carried my piggy(s) in their carrier, and didn't put them in the cage until they seemed to settle on a new friend. Then they all went into the cage together, for the ride home. So far, it's worked. Morty was so excited to ride home in the cage with his new lady friends. So if possible, do a meet and greet with your piggy at the rescue, find matches with a lot of potential, and then you shouldn't have to do the neutral area, buddy bath or anything. I haven't done the neutral area routine for quite a while, and my pigs have gotten along quite well, at least for a while. I had one pig who eventually started bothering her sister so much that her sister tossed her out of the cage. She had to have a cage of her own, but that was after they'd been together for quite a while.

Good luck finding the perfect mate