Hayley_Bayley_Haybale
New Born Pup
Hey everyone, I've read through the really helpful bonding guide and see that the recommendation is to keep piggies in a divided cage for a while before bonding in a neutral space but I have a few questions about this...
- how long should this be for?
- does it matter that the divided cage is where two guineapigs are already living? Or should the divided cage also be a neutral space?
- if I divide the existing cage in half I'll be at the lower limit of space suitable for a female pair, is that ok for a while?
Context is that I have just adopted a female from a really terrible situation (living in a hamster cage measuring 40 x 30 cm, never been provided with hay). She's around 18 months old but weighs only 610g. I'd like to bond her with my existing pair of adult females and I'm aware that this isn't guaranteed to work short/long term. If it doesn't work I have space to extend the existing cage so that she can live separately but have interaction through the bars. Of my existing pair, one is clearly the dominant female and the other is submissive and only rarely argues back. They get on but aren't the type of piggies who snuggle up together.
The new female has been quarantined in a separate room and has been to the vet for a checkup, sex confirmation, faecal sample analysis etc and she's amazingly healthy despite being underweight.
Any advice on bonding would be gratefully received!
- how long should this be for?
- does it matter that the divided cage is where two guineapigs are already living? Or should the divided cage also be a neutral space?
- if I divide the existing cage in half I'll be at the lower limit of space suitable for a female pair, is that ok for a while?
Context is that I have just adopted a female from a really terrible situation (living in a hamster cage measuring 40 x 30 cm, never been provided with hay). She's around 18 months old but weighs only 610g. I'd like to bond her with my existing pair of adult females and I'm aware that this isn't guaranteed to work short/long term. If it doesn't work I have space to extend the existing cage so that she can live separately but have interaction through the bars. Of my existing pair, one is clearly the dominant female and the other is submissive and only rarely argues back. They get on but aren't the type of piggies who snuggle up together.
The new female has been quarantined in a separate room and has been to the vet for a checkup, sex confirmation, faecal sample analysis etc and she's amazingly healthy despite being underweight.
Any advice on bonding would be gratefully received!