New third pig: Will they be more friendly to her eventually?

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:34 pm


I have two female pigs that I got from a shelter about 7 months ago. One is 2.5 years old, and the other is 1.5. I recently got a third female pig who very young; probably a couple of months old, if that? She was being kept by herself in a very tiny enclosure, and I felt bad for her.

So last night, I introduced her to my two pigs. I introduced them on neutral territory, in a big temporary pen with some new cardboard hideys and hay, water, veggies, etc. The new pig is about half the size of my other two, so I was standing by ready to throw a towel in case things started getting ugly. To my surprise, the two big pigs were almost afraid of the new small pig at first, but the new pig was very friendly, and she kept popcorning all over - I think she was happy to be with other pigs again. After several hours, they all seemed okay together, so I put them all in the regular pen (two connected Midwests) where I have been keeping my other pigs. I had wiped it down with vinegar and washed their bottles and fleeces first to try to get rid of their scent.

Unfortunately, now that they are back in their regular pen, my two old pigs not being so nice to the poor new little pig. I don’t think they are full-on fighting, but sometimes they will nose her away or chase her away from where they are. Is there anything I can do to improve the situation? Or do I just wait and hope it will get better in a few days?

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:14 pm


I would wait it out. They maybe just sorting out the pecking order! As long as no blood is drawn. Weigh regularly, if they push her away too much you may try feeding her alone in case she is not allowed anywhere near the food.

You have 3 of everything in their pen? Enough room for 3 pigs? The heat will be on in a few months when new piggy gets her hormones. That is what happened with mine, introductions went well then new piggy got hormones and I found the older piggy being picked on.

So for now I would just watch, weigh and be sure new pig is getting food! Hoping all goes well! Hoping older pigs maternal hormones will kick in too! Maybe this might help if you haven't read it yet? https://www.guinealynx.info/links.html#social

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PooksiedAnimals
Supporting my GL Habit

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 8:35 am


I've had introductions just between two pigs take weeks for it to settle down. I focused on the fact that each day wasn't *quite* as bad as the day before (and after a few days I was no longer worried they'd kill each other overnight <sigh>).

Why can't you just get along?!?

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:17 am


With the two MidWest Habitat's joined, there's still a divider between the two, right? I wonder if they'd do better in a large C&C.

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 1:45 pm


Right, the two pens are just connected by a ramp. Would like to work toward getting a larger one eventually but I have no idea where we would put it, with the way our little house is laid out. Their current set-up fits perfectly on an 8 foot table, but there is no room for anything bigger. They are okay for now; they have room to run and like to run across the ramp too. :)

Since starting this thread, unfortunately I now have bigger fish to fry. I was thinking of starting a new thread on it but will just continue below:

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:06 pm


Ok, please don’t judge and call me a bad owner, but this is what happened:

The little pig we brought home turned out to be a boy. (I guess that’s why he was so persistently “friendly” toward my pigs and joyfully popcorning despite my current two not being thrilled by his presence. He was excited to be around the ladies!)

I should have double-checked his sex before putting him with the females, but it did not occur to me that the pet store could be wrong. (My other two are from a shelter and are definitely female.) Anyway, I had “her” out and was decided to check “her” parts just for peace of mind, and lo and behold, he was definitely a boy.

I separated him from them and hope to find him a good home. But in the meantime, I am worried: 1) What are the chances that one or both of my pigs got pregnant in the 24 hours he was with them? 2) They can only get pregnant when in heat, right? I don’t know whether they were in heat, but I am hoping not since they did were not overly keen on his presence and I did not observe him successfully mounting them. (I think he tried; I thought at the time that “she” was just being friendly, but they moved away from him and they are quite a bit bigger than him, so it would not have been an easy feat for him unless they had been willing). My pigs are too old for a safe pregnancy, I think. :(

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 5:53 pm


You're right that the sows can only get pregnant when they're in heat, which is every 14-16 days. So they've got a 1 in 14 or 1 in 16 chance of being pregnant.

Just start weighing them regularly if you don't already, and keep a record of the weights. At about 4-5 weeks, the weight will start increasing steadily at a regular rate.

rjespicer

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:44 pm


We had the exact same situation.

Fortunately it looks like we were lucky as the last time they were together was 11 weeks ago and there have been no weight increases and no pregnancies.

After we got the little boy neutered and waited 6 weeks with him separated and then introduced him to the girls again he behaved the way you describe. Full of energy and popcorning all over the place with the girls butting him and chasing him off if he got too attentive.

However after a week or so it all calmed down and they are all happy together

So no need to rehome him. Just keep him separate, get him snipped, keep him separate for 6 weeks then reintroduce them.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:55 pm


Sound advice.

rjespicer

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:15 pm


However I should add that there is a risk associated with neutering so it is worth minimizing that risk by finding a vet with a good record and reputation for neutering Guinea Pigs.

We were lucky with the place we found and our little boy was back to his usual self in no time and, touch wood, has shown no sign of any issues.

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:30 pm


Thanks everyone for the advice. I have had other people tell me that they must definitely be pregnant, but it is a relief that it is also quite possible that they are not. We will be weighing them frequently and keeping our fingers crossed!

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Feb 03, 2020 1:03 am


Our little boy was in with our 3 girls for about 4 days before we realized he had "extra equipment". We then separated him by putting in a fence between them but he managed to climb that.

The missus also put him in with them a second time for about an hour stating that it was ok as she was watching them.

Just keep weighing them on a regular basis. Hopefully you should be fine.

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