Introducing Albert & Hubert and tips for introducing a new piggie

Albert was adopted in June he was living alone in a small cage in a pet shop & Hubert came to join him in August . Originally the plan was to neuter Albert and let him live with the girls however we decided against that idea and eventually decided to get him a baby brother. They're getting on so well and their introduction went smoothly. bonding piggies can be difficult so we thought it would be good to share a few basic tips we have learnt.

If you're choosing a friend for a piggie its often better to go to a rescue as they usually will allow you to take along your guinea pig to see how they interact. if you're choosing a baby pig go for a small one and try to watch for a shy one, the ones that come up to you like Albert did to me are usually very confident! which is great as they'll be very tame but when mixing with your own piggies they may try to become the boss and dominate them. 

Once you have chosen your new piggie this is the tricky part bonding them together! Sometimes its very easy and they will get along well from the start other times it can be a worry. 

Things you can do to help the bonding process.

Introduce them on neutral territory, a good way is to place a blanket on your floor as it is a wide open space, put some veggies down to distract them and hopefully they will be too busy eating to get upset. We learnt from a rescue to try wiping them with lavender scent as this neutralises any odours from other piggies and helps calm them. It is very normal for their to be rumbling and pushing and some agitated sounds, often this goes on for a long time so be sure to have plenty of time to watch them. If all goes well they'll need to go into a freshly cleaned out cage so it is neutral and expect some more rumbling that is normal. If your unlucky enough to have a fight on your hands its better to be prepared in advance. So my final tip is when introducing have a blanket, gardening gloves or something you can use to separate them without getting bitten! Guinea Pigs sometimes start fighting if the introduction is not going too well, they may be leaping at each other, biting or looking like they're going to hurt each other, chattering teeth etc, this is when you may need something to separate them with. If it comes to that you don't want either piggie getting to stressed so its often best to try again another time and hoe that with a gradual introduction they may bond.