Bonding Problems: Please help!!

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:54 am


So I had 3 bonded pigs (females) living happily in two connected Midwests, and for some crazy reason, I decided to introduce a 4th pig yesterday. Now I am regretting it. The new pig is three years old and healthy, very sweet and tame, and she was living all by herself in a too-small cage; so I thought I could rescue her and give her friends.

I introduced them all yesterday in a large neutral-smelling playpen. They were doing great for a long time, and then they started fighting. No blood drawn, but I don’t like the looks of it. I put them back in their freshly deep cleaned Midwest pens where the other pigs have been living, and they have been periodically fighting again. My pigs (mostly the alpha pig Sugar) have been the aggressors.) I have had to drop a dish towel on them a couple of times.

I don’t know what to do! Should I take the new pig out? Should I try reintroducing them again later? Should I give them all a buddy bath? I can’t deal with this much longer and I am concerned about the poor new pig. ☹️

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:04 am


Well, I would never have put them in the pen if they were squabbling. They need to stay in the neutral area until they're getting along peaceably. And when you're introducing a group that's been together to a new pig, it can take a LONG time before they're ready to go in the pen. The last time I did it, it took 11 hours.

Second, unless you've figured a way to make those Midwest pens wide open, they're not suitable for new cagemates. They need a lot of room to run without hindrances such as doors and ramps. And the more pigs there are, the more room they need. Two Midwests are just NOT large enough for three pigs.

If I wanted to keep all four, I'd definitely separate the new one for a few days, change and enlarge the cage arrangements, do a very long reintroduction in a neutral area, and give them a buddy bath before you put them back in the cage. And after the bath, put a teeny tiny drop of vanilla on each nose and butt. That may get them over the initial meeting.

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:52 am


☹️ Well, I don’t know what to do, then. I can’t just run out and spend tons of money on a new cage set up. Not to mention that all my fleeces liners are sized for a Midwest. That’s tons of money down the drain right there (though maybe I could sell it all on Craigslist or something). I could look at getting another Midwest to connect to those, but there may not be room, and it sounds like that might not solve the problem.

They were in the neutral area for several hours, actually. They were doing fine for the first few hours, and then for some reason it went south. Then they seemed like they had calmed down, so I put them back because it was late at night. But as mentioned, it has not gotten any better.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:20 am


Could you try taking down the dividing panel between the cages?

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CuteGuineas

Post   » Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:25 am


Hmm, maybe... You mean take off the end panel of both pens and try to put it all together? I could look at doing that. The issues is what to do about the floor of the pens in that case, though. I have a coroplast bottom in one and the original canvas bottom in the other.

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