SophieK
New Born Pup
Hi all,
This is my first post on here so please bear with me! I was wondering if anyone has any advice.
Background
I have had two guinea pigs (Pippa and Pearl) for around 3.5 years now, both happy, bonded and comfortable. They were purchased together from a rescue, where we were informed they were both around 6 months old. Unfortunately, we lost Pippa on Halloween (31 Oct) after a year-long battle with heart disease. If her age was given to us correctly years ago, she was just under 4 years old.
Since Halloween, Pearl has been on her own and we have been giving her lots of attention (3+ hours per day of strokes, laptime, floor time). If we have had to leave the house, we have been putting the radio on. However, we understood that no human interaction, no matter how great, can replace the companionship of another piggy. After a long winded decision-making process, we have basically fostered another piggy (Lemonie) who we know already as she is my auntie's pig. Lemonie has been living with two other pigs previously and we see her around once a week (visiting my auntie), but she has always been bullied a little by her companions.
Both Lemonie and Pearl were the submissive piggies in their previous groups. Both have a laid back, shy but curious temperment.
What we have done so far
After deciding that Lemonie was a better option than us adopting a brand new piggy (we know her temperment suited Pearl's, we didn't have to quarantine for as long, she can still have contact with previous owners, she can return easily to her previous herd if it doesn't work out etc), we took her on. We kept Pearl in her usual cage, and Lemonie was placed into a new C&C cage in the same room (but seperately) to Pearl. They could see and smell one another, but the cages were not side-by-side.
After a few days of scent swapping, we built Pearl a C&C cage as a temporary measure. This cage was attached to Lemonie's but with a divider of C&C mesh, so they could see/smell/interact with one another but not too heavily.
We did then try to introduce them by sitting them on our laps, but there was a lot of teeth chattering so we assumed this was due to them trying to protect their owners, so we popped them back quickly to avoid making the wrong decision.
On Friday, we thought it was time for them to meet. I had conducted a lot of research online, and some said it would be suitable to remove the divider. Since both Lemonie and Pearl were in new cages, we thought that this might work. We removed the divider and experienced heavy teeth chattering again, but tried not to intervene. Unfortunately after a short while this escalated to them 'tornado-ing' so we quickly seperated and put the divider back. No blood was drawn, but this was an intense disagreement that I had read about online. Pearl then refused to go near the divider for the next 24 hours, so it was clear that she was afraid of Lemonie being on the other side of the divider. After 24 hours, this eased off.
Current situation
Approximately 48 hours after Friday's situation and after much more research, we realised that a fully neutral space was required and we also decided to try a 'bonding bath'. Yesterday (Sun 26 Nov) we bathed both piggies together and the results were insane! Both piggies cuddled up to one another and even groomed one another during the process. They had some vegetables together whilst being dried, and after the event was over they continued to sit together and sniff one another.
Following this, we placed them into the fully neutral space that we had created (new room in the house, new enclosure, new fleece, 2 water bottles, large pile of hay, no hideys). The situation since has been miles apart from Friday, but we aren't quite there yet!
Pearl has been sitting facing the corner of the cage (looking through the C&C) pretty much since she went in. At first, she would bolt as soon as Lemonie went near her, even if Lemonie was just trying to sniff her bum). It did appear that Lemonie was teeth chattering and trying to nip her bum, but these were definitely just nips and the teeth chattering wasn't intense like Friday. Fortunately, all of these actions have now died down and Pearl is no longer running away from Lemonie. Lemonie is (mostly) no longer teeth chattering and has now moved to rumbling a little occasionally and has tried to mount Pearl a couple of times. Based on my research, these are less aggressive ways of showing dominance than chattering so I'm really pleased at this.
Lemonie has also been able to groom Pearl. The majority of their interactions seem to be Lemonie licking Pearl's behind and grooming her hair (not pulling it out), or licking her eyes/ears. This is clear to me that Pearl has settled more, as she is not only allowing Lemonie in her personal space but is allowing her to lick her. Lemonie seems very relaxed and almost 'bonded' with Pearl as she is trying to groom her, eat hay with her, sleep next to her and is squeaking at her sometimes too. However, my worry and stumbling block now is Pearl. Whilst she is accepting Lemonie to do all of the above, she doesn't seem interested in sniffing Lemonie's bum or grooming her back. I have read that a piggy sitting in the corner and not moving is due to them showing that they are happy being the submissive pig, and it's clear that Lemonie is asserting the dominance in the relationship, but is this enough for them to move in together in their proper enclosure? I worry that when we introduce hideys that their relationship may go backwards if Pearl isn't ready, so I'm scared to do anything too soon but at the same time they both seem relaxed.
I feel this is a difficult situation as they have both definitely relaxed since entering the enclosure (read online that this is a good sign), Lemonie seems to have asserted dominance in a less agressive way (it appears the bonding bath helped tremendously), and both seem okay. Our worry is just that Pearl isn't showing Lemonie any attention (good or bad attention!) and we don't want to ruin the point we're at with bonding by moving them into a cage if they aren't ready. We aren't sure if Pearl showing a lack of interest is just actually her way of saying 'I'm submissive and easy going', or whether she's showing fear, or still greiving for Pippa.
Things to note
- Lemonie is approximately 2.5 - 3 years old
- Pearl is approximately 4 years old
- Both were submissive in past herds and have a similar temperment
- We expected Pearl to be the dominant piggy due to it being her 'home' first and her being the slightly larger, older piggy, but this hasn't been the case (this isn't an issue, but just wanted to state in case anyone asks)
- Both are eating and drinking
- We have slept on the sofa overnight to keep an eye on them in their neutral enclosure just in case (after Friday's incident), but both were fine and eating most of the night!
- We have tried leaving them be (even leaving the room and keeping an eye on them via a camera), interacting with them, offering vegetables, placing them together etc, but nothing seems to spark Pearl's interest
Any advice would be really appreciated!
This is my first post on here so please bear with me! I was wondering if anyone has any advice.
Background
I have had two guinea pigs (Pippa and Pearl) for around 3.5 years now, both happy, bonded and comfortable. They were purchased together from a rescue, where we were informed they were both around 6 months old. Unfortunately, we lost Pippa on Halloween (31 Oct) after a year-long battle with heart disease. If her age was given to us correctly years ago, she was just under 4 years old.
Since Halloween, Pearl has been on her own and we have been giving her lots of attention (3+ hours per day of strokes, laptime, floor time). If we have had to leave the house, we have been putting the radio on. However, we understood that no human interaction, no matter how great, can replace the companionship of another piggy. After a long winded decision-making process, we have basically fostered another piggy (Lemonie) who we know already as she is my auntie's pig. Lemonie has been living with two other pigs previously and we see her around once a week (visiting my auntie), but she has always been bullied a little by her companions.
Both Lemonie and Pearl were the submissive piggies in their previous groups. Both have a laid back, shy but curious temperment.
What we have done so far
After deciding that Lemonie was a better option than us adopting a brand new piggy (we know her temperment suited Pearl's, we didn't have to quarantine for as long, she can still have contact with previous owners, she can return easily to her previous herd if it doesn't work out etc), we took her on. We kept Pearl in her usual cage, and Lemonie was placed into a new C&C cage in the same room (but seperately) to Pearl. They could see and smell one another, but the cages were not side-by-side.
After a few days of scent swapping, we built Pearl a C&C cage as a temporary measure. This cage was attached to Lemonie's but with a divider of C&C mesh, so they could see/smell/interact with one another but not too heavily.
We did then try to introduce them by sitting them on our laps, but there was a lot of teeth chattering so we assumed this was due to them trying to protect their owners, so we popped them back quickly to avoid making the wrong decision.
On Friday, we thought it was time for them to meet. I had conducted a lot of research online, and some said it would be suitable to remove the divider. Since both Lemonie and Pearl were in new cages, we thought that this might work. We removed the divider and experienced heavy teeth chattering again, but tried not to intervene. Unfortunately after a short while this escalated to them 'tornado-ing' so we quickly seperated and put the divider back. No blood was drawn, but this was an intense disagreement that I had read about online. Pearl then refused to go near the divider for the next 24 hours, so it was clear that she was afraid of Lemonie being on the other side of the divider. After 24 hours, this eased off.
Current situation
Approximately 48 hours after Friday's situation and after much more research, we realised that a fully neutral space was required and we also decided to try a 'bonding bath'. Yesterday (Sun 26 Nov) we bathed both piggies together and the results were insane! Both piggies cuddled up to one another and even groomed one another during the process. They had some vegetables together whilst being dried, and after the event was over they continued to sit together and sniff one another.
Following this, we placed them into the fully neutral space that we had created (new room in the house, new enclosure, new fleece, 2 water bottles, large pile of hay, no hideys). The situation since has been miles apart from Friday, but we aren't quite there yet!
Pearl has been sitting facing the corner of the cage (looking through the C&C) pretty much since she went in. At first, she would bolt as soon as Lemonie went near her, even if Lemonie was just trying to sniff her bum). It did appear that Lemonie was teeth chattering and trying to nip her bum, but these were definitely just nips and the teeth chattering wasn't intense like Friday. Fortunately, all of these actions have now died down and Pearl is no longer running away from Lemonie. Lemonie is (mostly) no longer teeth chattering and has now moved to rumbling a little occasionally and has tried to mount Pearl a couple of times. Based on my research, these are less aggressive ways of showing dominance than chattering so I'm really pleased at this.
Lemonie has also been able to groom Pearl. The majority of their interactions seem to be Lemonie licking Pearl's behind and grooming her hair (not pulling it out), or licking her eyes/ears. This is clear to me that Pearl has settled more, as she is not only allowing Lemonie in her personal space but is allowing her to lick her. Lemonie seems very relaxed and almost 'bonded' with Pearl as she is trying to groom her, eat hay with her, sleep next to her and is squeaking at her sometimes too. However, my worry and stumbling block now is Pearl. Whilst she is accepting Lemonie to do all of the above, she doesn't seem interested in sniffing Lemonie's bum or grooming her back. I have read that a piggy sitting in the corner and not moving is due to them showing that they are happy being the submissive pig, and it's clear that Lemonie is asserting the dominance in the relationship, but is this enough for them to move in together in their proper enclosure? I worry that when we introduce hideys that their relationship may go backwards if Pearl isn't ready, so I'm scared to do anything too soon but at the same time they both seem relaxed.
I feel this is a difficult situation as they have both definitely relaxed since entering the enclosure (read online that this is a good sign), Lemonie seems to have asserted dominance in a less agressive way (it appears the bonding bath helped tremendously), and both seem okay. Our worry is just that Pearl isn't showing Lemonie any attention (good or bad attention!) and we don't want to ruin the point we're at with bonding by moving them into a cage if they aren't ready. We aren't sure if Pearl showing a lack of interest is just actually her way of saying 'I'm submissive and easy going', or whether she's showing fear, or still greiving for Pippa.
Things to note
- Lemonie is approximately 2.5 - 3 years old
- Pearl is approximately 4 years old
- Both were submissive in past herds and have a similar temperment
- We expected Pearl to be the dominant piggy due to it being her 'home' first and her being the slightly larger, older piggy, but this hasn't been the case (this isn't an issue, but just wanted to state in case anyone asks)
- Both are eating and drinking
- We have slept on the sofa overnight to keep an eye on them in their neutral enclosure just in case (after Friday's incident), but both were fine and eating most of the night!
- We have tried leaving them be (even leaving the room and keeping an eye on them via a camera), interacting with them, offering vegetables, placing them together etc, but nothing seems to spark Pearl's interest
Any advice would be really appreciated!
Pearl improved even more overnight to the point where she has been eating hay/veggies with Lemonie, sleeping with her and moving around a lot more - no more staring out the corner of the cage! She has also put Lemonie in her place a couple of times which is nice for us to see after Lemonie has been asserting her dominance so well.