Losing A Guinea And Gaining A Guinea.

[TheLottiediarys]

Unfortunately everything is happening a once.

Sadly we lost our oldest female, Taini, this time last week,
Which, unfortunately has happened around the same time we've gained two new piggies.

Very suddenly last Sunday, Taini our 7 year old female who was living with a boar called Bear and two females called Lottie and Georgia, became very poorly overnight, i put her in a seperate cage for the night and the next morning she was rushed to the vets, unfortunately she was just too poorly as she had some masses inside her body and had to be put to sleep.

Obviously now the group she was living with is having a hard week,
Suddenly losing there 'leader', as Taini was the dominant piggie, and Bear has lost his partner, they were inseparable.

Now Bears not very happy, this past week the girl and him have been bickering none stop, figuring out the new order between them now the dominant Piggie is gone.

But this has all coensided with Baby our lone piggies new cage Mates arriving.

This has been in the works for weeks now...
Finding the new piggies
Reserving them at the rescue
Bringing them home
And now we're ready to introduce them to Baby on neutral territory
But!.....
Bear is making so much noise with Lottie and Georgia rumbling and chattering and chasing that the new little Piggies are getting scared
And scared piggies trying to bond isn't a good mix.

So I've had to rethink this bonding session.....
Everyone's in a massive c c cage, with there areas sectioned off so they can see and smell but not get to.
With the now trio of Bear, Lottie and Georgia in one area,
Baby in her area and the two new girls in there area
Everyone can see and smell and bump noses with each other
But they can't physically get at each other
It's never simple with these guys

Bear keeps biting the cage bars between him and the new girls, I think he's trying to get their attention but they're too scared because of all the loud dominance he's displaying to Lottie and Georgia, I think they might think it's aimed at them? I'm not sure, but it's not the best welcome is it.

And Baby's getting scared because theyre reacting fearfully, but she just wants to go meet her new friends....

I think from now I will take them to a different room to meet in a neural area.
Is that the right thing to do?

Anyway, I just thought I'd get my thoughts down somewhere while I try to figure it all out
Any advice is welcome

 

[Flutterby]

I am so sorry for your loss *hugs*

 

[Wiebke]

Unfortunately everything is happening a once.

Sadly we lost our oldest female, Taini, this time last week,
Which, unfortunately has happened around the same time we've gained two new piggies.

Very suddenly last Sunday, Taini our 7 year old female who was living with a boar called Bear and two females called Lottie and Georgia, became very poorly overnight, i put her in a seperate cage for the night and the next morning she was rushed to the vets, unfortunately she was just too poorly as she had some masses inside her body and had to be put to sleep.

Obviously now the group she was living with is having a hard week,
Suddenly losing there 'leader', as Taini was the dominant piggie, and Bear has lost his partner, they were inseparable.

Now Bears not very happy, this past week the girl and him have been bickering none stop, figuring out the new order between them now the dominant Piggie is gone.

But this has all coensided with Baby our lone piggies new cage Mates arriving.

This has been in the works for weeks now...
Finding the new piggies
Reserving them at the rescue
Bringing them home
And now we're ready to introduce them to Baby on neutral territory
But!.....
Bear is making so much noise with Lottie and Georgia rumbling and chattering and chasing that the new little Piggies are getting scared
And scared piggies trying to bond isn't a good mix.

So I've had to rethink this bonding session.....
Everyone's in a massive c c cage, with there areas sectioned off so they can see and smell but not get to.
With the now trio of Bear, Lottie and Georgia in one area,
Baby in her area and the two new girls in there area
Everyone can see and smell and bump noses with each other
But they can't physically get at each other
It's never simple with these guys

Bear keeps biting the cage bars between him and the new girls, I think he's trying to get their attention but they're too scared because of all the loud dominance he's displaying to Lottie and Georgia, I think they might think it's aimed at them? I'm not sure, but it's not the best welcome is it.

And Baby's getting scared because theyre reacting fearfully, but she just wants to go meet her new friends....

I think from now I will take them to a different room to meet in a neural area.
Is that the right thing to do?

Anyway, I just thought I'd get my thoughts down somewhere while I try to figure it all out
Any advice is welcome

I am very sorry for your loss! You are welcome to post a tribute to Taini in our Rainbow Bridge section if or whenever you wish to.

If you can, give them another day or two in the split run to settle down. Peg a blanket or something over the top to give them a feeling of protection. I have done this with my own skittish new arrivals before group bonding.

Here is a picture of how I stared off my bonding with Maelog's successor Pioden just days after Maelog had to be pts unexpectedly. I fully understand the mix of emotions you are currently dealing with. Give yourself time to process it all once your piggies are settled, one way or other.


The death of a leader inevitably requires a new hierarchy sort-out, but as sad as Bear is, at least it all keeps him from pining and he is obviously happy to do all the usual boar stuff.

Here are our bonding tips. Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

 

[TheLottiediarys]

Thank you for the support everyone in this difficult time,
I think it'd be lovely to give Taini a tribute I'll have to put something together later

I know for cats it's helpful to feed them at the same time on both sides of a seperate so they get used to smelling each other at a postive experience....

This is what I've been doing with the new girls so they associated the other guineas with good things!
Hopefully this will help them

 

[Tiamolly123]

I'm so sorry you've lost Taini she'll always be in you're heart.
Sleep tight little one.
Go popcorn over the rainbow bridge