baby pig question

Question
Hi Lacy,
Thanks again for your answer to my previous question about the 3 week old pig! I just had one more question-I know I should quarantine the new pig, but what would be a safe time or age to introduce him to my 2 other boys? My 2 boys get along so-so since they where introduced, but they sure don't seem extremely bonded. My one pig is definately top pig, and seems to bully my other pig, who is very docile. I have thought of seperating them(having side by side cages) and only introducing the baby to my more docile pig. My husband thinks, just keep them together. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. My pigs, Carmine, Fredo, and baby Vito thank you!

Answer
Oh I love the names you picked out for your pigs!:) I'd say any time is fine to introduce them after the baby has gotten settled in, and is used to your daily routine. As for an exact date, maybe a couple of weeks from now. Keep it short at first, as it could be over-whelming to Vito. Make sure to supervise him and his interactions with the older pigs constantly. You never know when a pig will decide they don't like another one. You also need to watch for fights because a lot of times, they'll bite or scratch each other which can lead to an abcess ( a build up of puss and bacteria that resembles a white head on a human). Most male pigs will not form a bond with each other, unless they grew up together, and even still, they don't always bond. Sometimes it can be resolved through them being neutered, but that's not neccessary. I agree on you seperating them. I really strongly do. If another pig is for any reason, miserable, depressed, not able to eat or drink, or isn't "allowed" to go to another part of the cage because of his or her cagemate, that needs to change. That's wrong. Your guinea pig is an animal, therefore, needs a human to speak up for him or her and to change the conditions in which he or she lives in. Never let bullying continue, as this can lead to the premature death of the more docile pig (depression, not able to eat, a bad fight) or it can just make its' life a living hell. Of course your husband would say to keep them together LOL. They're probably not his number one priority, and he probably gets sick of you talking about them LOL. At least I know that's the case with my boyfriend. I bet though if it was your husband who was getting bullied, he'd want to get the hell out of there right real fast. Putting cages side by side is fine. They can't hurt each other, but they can still be around each other and not get lonely. At first, I'd only introduce the baby to the docile pig. Maybe down the road you could introduce him to the more aggressive one, but I'd wait on that. Personally, I always have a cage for each guinea pig. I don't always keep them seperate from each other, but if one of my pigs gets too bossy with another, or they start to fight, I'll seperate them, and give each one their own cage. I also reccommend that in case one gets sick, or pregnant. It's fairly easy to find an inexpensive cage. I reccommend searching at garage sales, flea markets, pet stores, or for alternative methods of caging. If you're looking for a large inexpensive cage, try looking at http://cavycages.com/howto.htm . They're relatively cheap to make. (Also, try EBAY if you're interested in these cages. They sell "kits", but they're more expensive.)They're made out of "cubes", as in storage cubes that I was able to find at Target, and coroplast, that is available at a signs shop. Just look up "signs" in the phonebook. You should come across some stores like Ad Pro Signs. Then you can use some Closet Maid shelving for a cage lid, although if you have no other animals, it's not really neccessary. Cable ties work well too, if you run out of the "cube" connectors. Also another cheap cage is a baby pool from Wal Mart, with some kind of fence perimeter around it. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. I love to answer them :) Let me know how everything goes :) I wish you and Carmine, Fredo, and Vito the best of luck with peace and tranquility.