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Ginnypig

Ginnypig

Junior Guinea Pig
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I dont know where to go with this now. Have 3 piggies all girls. Had Ginny first and 4 months later we got Luna. Left it 2 weeks and introduced them. Ginny was a bit bitey at first but after asserting her dominance (took about a week of meeting during floor time) the pair generally get on well (although Luna needs reminding of her place sometimes) and they moved in together within a month of Luna arriving. Problem I have is we decided to adopt another little one Willow and things are not working out at all. Ginny is generally uninterested in her and apart from the odd nip if she gets too close there are no problems. Luna however is continuously chasing her, biting her, forcing her into corners and terrorising her. We have been told by people on here that it is vecause as second piggy she feels threatened of her position as second in command but we gave tried floor time and a neutral territory time and Luna continues to be aggressive. She is normally the docile one and is so out of character but Willow is still living separately which is not a long term thing as the cage is only suitable while she is small and she is lonely and sad. She has withdrawn, and when having floor time she hides or tries to climb in the big cage. I feel so sad for her. What can i do?
 
Possibly get her a friend? Dating @ a rescue?

How long at a time have they been left together?
 
Unfortunately sometimes a bonding just won't work, it depends on how different personalities work! Do you have a back-up plan for Willow? A friend of her own maybe!
 
The behaviour from my experience doesn't sound great, and it will only lead to one ultimate fight. your new girl is getting bullied. There is dominance and bullying in my mind.

Have to agree, willow is best served by doing some piggy dating and bonding her. I had 3 girls that were great together but it's not always the case.

I've had good experiences in bonding.
Good luck
 
Problem ive got jn getting another piggy is that the cage we have is only really ideal for 2-3 pigs. The one Willow is in at the moment is what we had first and use it as the introduction cage. We was hoping she would be in the bigger cage by now. Getting another means we would have to buy an even bigger cage which we cant afford or have the room for and we may even end up with the same problem again. So difficult. Any other thoughts? X
 
The Furry Godmother said:
Possibly get her a friend? Dating @ a rescue?

How long at a time have they been left together?
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We have tried them a few times in different neutral places for about half an hour each time. They also see each other every evening for floor time which is about 1 hour.
 
Unfortunately guinea pigs are like humans with their own likes and dislikes. You wont be able to make her get on with the others. If you tried to find Willow a friend at a rescue it would be more likely to work out long term, and if they did fall out then you would most likely have the option of returning the piggy to the rescue.
 
Ginnypig said:
We have tried them a few times in different neutral places for about half an hour each time. They also see each other every evening for floor time which is about 1 hour.
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Ah then, yes as mentioned, I believe you need to go down the route of finding her a friend of her own as a rescue as I can't see these guys getting on!. :)
 
With regards space for cages, you can stack most 120cm cages on top of each other (though the brand sold by The Range are flimsy and not stable enough for stacking IMO, and of course the Ferplast Casita has a domed top so you cant stack that.
I have my cage stacked and swap them over at clean out time.
 
Hi thanks all. Its buying another cage thats the problem. We havent long had the big one and cant afford another. my other half thinks we should rehome Willow as she is isnt settling with us either. She doesnt want to be held or cuddled and has started to pull out her fur. Would she be better off with a new family? X
 
Goth Mummy said:
Unfortunately guinea pigs are like humans with their own likes and dislikes. You wont be able to make her get on with the others. If you tried to find Willow a friend at a rescue it would be more likely to work out long term, and if they did fall out then you would most likely have the option of returning the piggy to the rescue.
Click to expand...

If we did go down this route where would we find a suitable rescue centre? We are near Colchester. X
 
Firstly, if your going to rehome her, then for her wellbeing really it should be through bonding with someone else's pig, or a rescue.

If she's pulling her fur out, something may be going on there medically, especially if she's been stressed. So before rehoming you'd need to make sure that is healthy. Personally is have her seen by a cavvy savvy vet.
 
The Furry Godmother said:
Firstly, if your going to rehome her, then for her wellbeing really it should be through bonding with someone else's pig, or a rescue.

If she's pulling her fur out, something may be going on there medically, especially if she's been stressed. So before rehoming you'd need to make sure that is healthy. Personally is have her seen by a cavvy savvy vet.[/QUO

I think it is because she is stressed and unhappy. I try to give her treats and cuddle and stroke her but she just tries to jump off. She is only happy during floor time but even then she just pees everywhere. Our other two use a litter tray.

Our local vets dont deal with piggies but will look into gettjng her checked somewhere.

Where is there a rescue nr colchester that we can either find a piggy or rehome ours? Thanks x
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@Ginnypig I'm sorry for your troubles.
You could look on free-ads sites for a secondhand cage if money is the problem. I recently picked up one from a "junk" shop for £5. Also, look on Little Pet Warehouse website, they sell a brilliant strong 120cm cage that is around £40 so about half the price of a Ferplast.

If you were looking to rehome her, I would suggest using our recommended rescue locator (on this forum) to find a nearby rescue. I don't live in Essex now so I don't know them personally (I was born at Colchester General though - I used to live in Jaywick).

Regarding her being twitchy and pulling out her hair - well, it could be stress or mites or lice or a number of other things that I would not like to guess at so I would really recommend that you take her to a vet to be checked.
Good luck - let us know how you get on x
 
I think it is because she is stressed and unhappy. I try to give her treats and cuddle and stroke her but she just tries to jump off. She is only happy during floor time but even then she just pees everywhere. Our other two use a litter tray.

I will talk to my other half cause he brings in the money mainly. Its difficult cause he diesnt really like her as she is not as easy as our other two and wees everywhere. He wants to rehome her but i feel sad. She is a cutey :-)
 
Still, it's not normal for a guinea pig to be pulling their hair out. So before you make any decisions, please have her checked over by a vet.

P.S. Nearly all pigs will be everywhere, that's just what they do. Also, she may have not have much handling or anything before hand - as well as the fact she is on her own.
 
I agree best to get her checked out. If she has mange mites it could be making her irritable.

I think Blackberry patch may be your nearest rescue. A lady who comes to clinic lives in Essex and rehomes from there.
 
We have decided to purchase a double c&c cage so can house older two together and get willow a friend for the other one. They will both have a 4x2 c&c cage soon hopefully. J contacted Blackberry Patch but they cant help at the moment. We will buy another baby once the cage is here and fingers crossed they will get on. Couldnt bear to rehome her especially as it wasnt her fault. Hopefully this will work. Thankgod for a credit card lol x
 
Aww bless her, I hope Willow settles in. I had similar with Bumble when I introduced Jemima. Jemima was 6 weeks and Bumble was under piggy of 3, it was tense for nearly a full day but Jemima soon managed to put Bumble back in her place lol and poor Bumble has always remained the under pig
 
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