SpinningNickel
Junior Guinea Pig
Morning all!
So, I now have a C&C cage (albeit not kitted out with toys etc. yet -- pictures below for your viewing pleasure)!
Machu is going boar dating in two weeks and claws crossed will be coming home with a new cagemate. I want to have this cage completely ready by then. My question is this: is it better to pop them both straight in there at once, have Machu in there now on his own, etc...?
Basically, my thinking was that as keen as I am to dive in, if I put Machu in there now, he might claim it as "his" territory before the new piggy arrives and not want to share. On the other hand, if they both go in the new cage together when I get them home, it's neutral ground for both of them. Or am I thinking of this all wrong? Does "neutral ground" mean "free to be claimed" and thus open season if neither of them are familiar with their surroundings? A touch nervous about pairing my baby with a new boar and just want it to be as easy as possible! :...
PICS!
The whole thing is closed-top (cat-proof).
The cage is under my stairs (and fits PERFECTLY!), and underneath is storage space for all their stuff. Fleece liner with a cotton mattress protector absorbing layer in the bottom, and the mezzanine will be covered by newspaper and possible a towel underneath a layer of hay. The top area is for feeding and forage. There are doors at the front for easy cleaning and access, which are held closed by one of those velcro cable management ties.
The ramp was a bit of a nightmare! It's made of two medium (28 x 17cm) chew stick bridges cable tied together. I found they were quite weak where they were fastened together and I wasn't confident of them taking the regular weight of two boars, so I bought something like this, used for floor edging, and made two supports either side, which have been cable-tied underneath the ramp. The brick has been living in my garden forever, so it's been Trigene-d and steel-wooled half to death and used under the ramp, to wear down their little claws and provide a more gradual incline for the ramp itself. Currently toying with ideas to make a wooden, chewable 'banister' of sorts for safety, too. (Don't really want a tunnel as I want the whole thing to be exposed for chewing. Ideas welcome!)
Top-opening doors above the mezz for access and cleaning, which are bulldog clipped closed when not in use.
So, I now have a C&C cage (albeit not kitted out with toys etc. yet -- pictures below for your viewing pleasure)!
Machu is going boar dating in two weeks and claws crossed will be coming home with a new cagemate. I want to have this cage completely ready by then. My question is this: is it better to pop them both straight in there at once, have Machu in there now on his own, etc...?
Basically, my thinking was that as keen as I am to dive in, if I put Machu in there now, he might claim it as "his" territory before the new piggy arrives and not want to share. On the other hand, if they both go in the new cage together when I get them home, it's neutral ground for both of them. Or am I thinking of this all wrong? Does "neutral ground" mean "free to be claimed" and thus open season if neither of them are familiar with their surroundings? A touch nervous about pairing my baby with a new boar and just want it to be as easy as possible! :...
PICS!
The whole thing is closed-top (cat-proof).
The cage is under my stairs (and fits PERFECTLY!), and underneath is storage space for all their stuff. Fleece liner with a cotton mattress protector absorbing layer in the bottom, and the mezzanine will be covered by newspaper and possible a towel underneath a layer of hay. The top area is for feeding and forage. There are doors at the front for easy cleaning and access, which are held closed by one of those velcro cable management ties.
The ramp was a bit of a nightmare! It's made of two medium (28 x 17cm) chew stick bridges cable tied together. I found they were quite weak where they were fastened together and I wasn't confident of them taking the regular weight of two boars, so I bought something like this, used for floor edging, and made two supports either side, which have been cable-tied underneath the ramp. The brick has been living in my garden forever, so it's been Trigene-d and steel-wooled half to death and used under the ramp, to wear down their little claws and provide a more gradual incline for the ramp itself. Currently toying with ideas to make a wooden, chewable 'banister' of sorts for safety, too. (Don't really want a tunnel as I want the whole thing to be exposed for chewing. Ideas welcome!)
Top-opening doors above the mezz for access and cleaning, which are bulldog clipped closed when not in use.
