Is Living alone but playing together a good comprimise?

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Emma Lou

Emma Lou

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I've been trying to pair my two Boars Bertie and Pinky for the past 2-3 weeks since Bertie lost his house mate. I was very worried that Bertie would miss and pine for Alfie when he died but luckly he seem's to have adapted to life without him quite well - still popcorning happily around his cage.

After daily introductions i've now decided that although Bertie and Pinky seem friendly enough in the playpen to a certain extent, the unpredictable teeth chattering, hissing and irritation (which can come on in seconds and out of the blue) makes me too worried to leave them together on a permenant/unsupervised basis e.g in the same cage. So i have now set about making each of their cages as interesting and playful as possible and am planning on keeping them living in seperate cages but coming out for playtime together every evening - as well as lots of mummy cuddles :)

Does anyone else do this? Do you think my little boys will be happy enough with this arrangement?

Bertie lives in a Nero 4 cage and Pinky is currently in a small nero 3 as he is a lot younger and smaller, however i am in the process of putting together a new 4x2 C&C cage together so that Bertie can move into there and Pinky can take over the Nero 4. I want them to have as much room as i can offer them.
 
I would go as far as saying your piggies could live together on a permanent basis. My boys have always rumble strutted around each other, head raising etc. but have lived together for the past 3-4 months without ever hurting each other.

If they draw blood, thats a different matter. Just remember what looks harsh to us is normal in the piggie world.

My boys are in a 2x6, so they have plenty of space, and two of everything etc.

Just a suggestion, but I know overall piggies are happier together, even if they aren't best buds! :))
 
mine arent exactly the best of friends, they rumble and stuff at each other but they are happier together, if i take one out of the cage the other goes mental looking for him! I would put them together in a cage and see how they get on, its better to try and fail than not try at all.
 
I might just give them a chance to live together for a bit. Maybe do a trial on a weekend day so you can have them out for playtime then clean out the cage throughly and put them into it afterwards and keep an eye on them for a couple of hours.

Try to ignore minor rumbles and light teethchattering as they need to decide who is boss and only intervene if it gets more agressive.

My two have been together a few weeks now and still rumble now and then but it has got better through time. Sometimes if they are annoying me as I am trying to watch telly and they are rumbling and squeeking out I fish one out into the play pen for 10 mins and they soon start crying for each other so I put them back together and they behave as have missed each other! BLESS! :))
 
I have two boys that will definately not tolerate each other in a hutch (one just flies for the others face) but when in a run they are very settled with no aggression at all in fact snuggling together they just hate to share their hutches. I would have a go at letting your boys live together depending on their levels of aggression. The situation I have is very unusual, Max the older boar had always lived alone but has run shared before (with another boar who was funny about other boars in confined spaces) and the young male Bernie had not lived with another guinea pig from 6 to 10 weeks of age and seems to have lost some of his social skills when in a smaller space with another piggy but feels very comfortable with Max in a large 6ft run and stay by his side and snuggle him but will fly for him in a 4ft hutch rolleyes but will live in a divided hutch with him where they can always see each other. Max is quite happy run sharing but has never really bothered about hutch mates and is wonderful with other boys outside so it can be done this way.
I would have a go at leaving your boys together at a tmie when you can spend a morning or so (or day if you have it to spare) with them to really watch their behaviour and see if they will get over the dominance issues sort out who is boss and settle into living together.
 
I originally had 2 boars as babies but one sadly left us, i took a rescue boar who was older and its took months to get them to socialise together, they will now happily play in the house and in teh run together and ive just put them into a hutch together, the youngster doesnt seem to want to share the sleeping area at the minute but theyre ok in the hutch aside from occasional chattering etc, hopefully they will settle into the sleeping area ok i dont want one of them to be stuck outside in the cold, would anyone have experience of whether they are likely to settle, they have come a long way as they wanted to kill each other when i first introduced them its took a lot of gentle persuasion to get them this far.
 
Very often guineas don't sleep together. I have a two tier hutch and one sleeps upstairs, and one downstairs. In my single hutches and cages, only my married couple sleep together (bless), but sometimes even Sally chucks Jeremy out. I always provide an extra box, or snuggle area then they have the pick, and no one is ever 'out in the cold' .
 
i think that might be the answer to divide the sleeping area as theyre fine in the main area and i cant bear to think one of them is out in the cold lol
 
Had to revisit here just to say the 2 boys have finally settled into the hutch together with no fighting and they happily share sleeping space, its took a long time but its worth it to see them with a playmate.
 
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