katew
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi
We got a pair of female rescue sows on Friday, so it is early days, but I would love some advice.
They are Poppy and Livy, both over three, not sisters but a bonded pair and very beautiful Abyssinians. It has been a bit of a shock to the system as we have only ever adopted little ones before and are used to having to go very gently. These two are very confident and happy to be handled, which is different but lovely.
Poppy has had major surgery for big ovarian cysts. Blue Cross warned us that she had lost a lot of weight but to be honest she is around the 1000g mark and looks like a perfectly normal guinea pig size to me. We can slightly feel her spine but I am not worried. She has healed well and we will continue to monitor.
Livy however is 1.3 kg and pear shaped. Blue Cross actually scanned her in case she had ovarian cysts or was pregnant. They found out that she was just overweight. Judging by their behaviour we think they are used to being fed on demand. I know it is difficult to put a guinea pig on a diet but we are going to encourage as much grass and hay as possible.
Alberto, our boar, is 6 now (the oldest we have managed). He has always been on the small side but with a big personality. He currently weighs around 850g - he has lost a bit but we are hoping that is due to less grass over the colder months, the loss of his last companion and probably just old age. We are weighing him regularly.
We have had them side by side inside and outside and they have acknowledged each other from a distance. Because there was no obvious hostility, we decided to try lap time on Saturday evening. The girls were amazing - Livy was more adventurous than Poppy, but Poppy may still be recovering - they wandered everywhere. Livy decided to climb up my husband and groom his beard and Poppy nearly fell off the sofa twice. Alberto however sat stock still and looked confused. Eventually they found him and sat one either side - he looked so small sandwiched between them - and then they both groomed his ears. He looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
I have read up on the forum about grooming behaviour and it looks as though they are accepting of him but there are dominance overtones. With his last sow, he was definitely in charge and I am worried that this may be a bit too much for him. We will carry on trying lap time to see if he comes a bit more responsive but basically he wants to be outside eating grass and having a lot of naps in his his favourite houses - he might find it difficult if he is pushed out by the females.
Any thoughts?
We got a pair of female rescue sows on Friday, so it is early days, but I would love some advice.
They are Poppy and Livy, both over three, not sisters but a bonded pair and very beautiful Abyssinians. It has been a bit of a shock to the system as we have only ever adopted little ones before and are used to having to go very gently. These two are very confident and happy to be handled, which is different but lovely.
Poppy has had major surgery for big ovarian cysts. Blue Cross warned us that she had lost a lot of weight but to be honest she is around the 1000g mark and looks like a perfectly normal guinea pig size to me. We can slightly feel her spine but I am not worried. She has healed well and we will continue to monitor.
Livy however is 1.3 kg and pear shaped. Blue Cross actually scanned her in case she had ovarian cysts or was pregnant. They found out that she was just overweight. Judging by their behaviour we think they are used to being fed on demand. I know it is difficult to put a guinea pig on a diet but we are going to encourage as much grass and hay as possible.
Alberto, our boar, is 6 now (the oldest we have managed). He has always been on the small side but with a big personality. He currently weighs around 850g - he has lost a bit but we are hoping that is due to less grass over the colder months, the loss of his last companion and probably just old age. We are weighing him regularly.
We have had them side by side inside and outside and they have acknowledged each other from a distance. Because there was no obvious hostility, we decided to try lap time on Saturday evening. The girls were amazing - Livy was more adventurous than Poppy, but Poppy may still be recovering - they wandered everywhere. Livy decided to climb up my husband and groom his beard and Poppy nearly fell off the sofa twice. Alberto however sat stock still and looked confused. Eventually they found him and sat one either side - he looked so small sandwiched between them - and then they both groomed his ears. He looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
I have read up on the forum about grooming behaviour and it looks as though they are accepting of him but there are dominance overtones. With his last sow, he was definitely in charge and I am worried that this may be a bit too much for him. We will carry on trying lap time to see if he comes a bit more responsive but basically he wants to be outside eating grass and having a lot of naps in his his favourite houses - he might find it difficult if he is pushed out by the females.
Any thoughts?
