What Wilbur Did Next...

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Wilbur&Otis

Wilbur&Otis

Junior Guinea Pig
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After losing his cage mate Otis a couple of weeks ago Wilbur (he's 3 and a half) has been very subdued and sad. He's eating okay now & has maintained his weight but he looks fed up and has been teeth chattering at me quite often when i talk to him. He has always been the shyest of my 2 boys & only tolerates cuddles for a few minutes before nibbling to go back home. We were hoping to take him boar dating to find a new friend but with a really badly timed holiday coming up in 2 weeks, the earliest we could get him a date is too close to when we go away so i wouldn't be around to check that they bond okay. I really want to get Wilbs settled with a new friend before we go so have spent this week comparing options - I visited a family with a littler of baby piggies earlier this week & am picking one up in a couple of hours as they're 6 weeks old today. (So excited!)

We've been busy building a new home for them to move into... (thats not Wilbur it's a stuffed toy version!)

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And here's the real Wilbur with absolutely no idea that his life is about to change dramatically....

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So I have a couple of Qs if anyone can advise...

Do you think i should put them straight into this new setup together - is the space big enough for bonding or would you still put them on a bigger floor area for the first intro? It's 180 x 80cm and neutral territory - I've not let Wilbur near the new home yet. :)

Also I've popped a shoebox with a small entrance in for the baby to escape to if Wilbur gets a bit overbearing and will make sure there is 2 of everything in there & lots of food. Is there anything else you'd recommend?

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Lastly - the ramps. I'll play this by ear a little when i see how they get on with them but would you be worried about the baby on the ramp? They flip up so i can limit the pigs to the ground floor if needed. I'm hoping to buy a fleecy ramp tunnel in the next couple of weeks to make it more fun & easier for the baby but not sure how he'll get on until then.

Thanks! An excited Nat & a clueless Wilbur x x
 
It looks great.

We've bonded three pairs of boars, the only pair that really had longer in neutral territory were our 2 and half year old and his adopted mate Jericho who is two, they met for about 30 minutes at the rescue, the cage was cleaned out and they were put in, the others were more or less put straight into a cleaned cage when they got home.
 
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The setup looks amazing in my opinion! ^_^ I always let mine meet in the hallway with a large bowl of veg and just keep a close eye on them usually.

I do have one thing I'd like to point out. Sometimes a stubborn piggie would be more than happy to flip that cardboard box up to get at the other piggie. I'd advice maybe using something a bit more unmoveable for the baby. =)

One of my boars absolutely loves to play walk around with boxes on his back like a turtle so I worry a baby might be easy to get to in there for your boar if he really wanted to get at him.
 
That looks superb :) Absolutely superb. They're going to love it.

I's say the ramps are likely to be fine and are nice and shallow, but if you are concerned you can fix tunnels to them. It IS possible that one or both won't 'get' what a ramp is or that it leads to something nice, but most pigs overcome that with a little encouragement.

When I got my first pair basically it was a case of one lone adult rehome who had lived in a very tiny hutch on her own, and one baby bought to be her companion. he first time they met was in their new cage, which as mentioned was a very similar design to yours, and it went perfectly.

However I should wait on other advice in case my experience is not typical :)
 
So we collected the mini-pig yesterday and decided to put both pigs straight into the new accommodation together as it's probably the biggest, safest place in our home for them to meet.

It started so politely...

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Then not so much...

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Lots of chasing / humping / squeaking. Wilbur came to life and has been rumbling around the place - happy to have some pig to boss around again. There's been constant chatter between them as they explored the new cage.

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The mini-pig is so quick & brave he's been popcorning all over the place, squeaking his head off & had no problem with the ramps - it's wilbur that seems nervous of them. (He inches down one rung at a time)

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Mini-pig is currently racing laps around the cage (half running half jumping) whilst Wilbur is relaxing, rumbling occasionally :) They are super cute - if mini-pig wheeks loudly Wilbur runs over to see what's wrong.

So now he just needs a name! I like the white uno-brow marking on his forehead and the fact he is so speedy! If anyone has any ideas for what to name the little guy? :)
 
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Aw that's fantastic, and super-cute photos :) Happy piggy pair. Oooh names, I'm not sure but perhaps a name will spring to mind as you get to know mini-pig :)
 
Julesie said:
The setup looks amazing in my opinion! ^_^ I always let mine meet in the hallway with a large bowl of veg and just keep a close eye on them usually.

I do have one thing I'd like to point out. Sometimes a stubborn piggie would be more than happy to flip that cardboard box up to get at the other piggie. I'd advice maybe using something a bit more unmoveable for the baby. =)

One of my boars absolutely loves to play walk around with boxes on his back like a turtle so I worry a baby might be easy to get to in there for your boar if he really wanted to get at him.
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You were so right about the box - i wasn't sure what to put in there instead so i left it to see how they'd get on. Half an hour later there was a commotion and i went to investigate... Wilbur was somehow inside the box trying to squeeze back out the doorway :) I put a heavy dish of pellets on the roof after that which seemed to help.
 
Wilbur&Otis said:
You were so right about the box - i wasn't sure what to put in there instead so i left it to see how they'd get on. Half an hour later there was a commotion and i went to investigate... Wilbur was somehow inside the box trying to squeeze back out the doorway :) I put a heavy dish of pellets on the roof after that which seemed to help.
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I thought I would be. Stubborn piggies can be so bad :))
Thats good =)
 
I don't know, but Tiny is quite cute on its own! Domino is good too :)

For some reason Barnaby came to mind because it goes with Wilbur but I think it's a bit big for such a small pig!

Too cute though, makes me miss having baby pigs around x
 
I'm sat the other side of the room on the computer & keep hearing 'bom bom bom bom bom bom bom....' [PAUSE] 'bom bom bom bom bom bom bom'

Minipig is certainly making the most of the space :)


Thanks for the name ideas - really cute! We're waiting for a day or 2 until we settle on a name that really feels right as we get to know him. Here he is getting weighed yesterday...

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Rofl laughing, I keep saying "arr arr" out loud and the dog looked at me like I was on something! I think I woke him up.

Your piggies are gorgeous and it's lovely how mini pig has settled in the way he has! Look forward to seeing more pics and videos :D I liked your vid on youtube btw :)
 
1 week in...

Wilbur has decided that despite all the lovely cosies and snuggly beds in the cage his preferred residence is Minipigs shoebox. So stubborn - he can barely fit but is determined to squish in there. The box keeps jerking around as he tries to get comfy.

Luckily for Minipig I have plenty of shoes :)

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Thanks, i'm pleased there's squeaking in the house again. Miss Otis badly but it's nice to see Wilbur a bit less lost now he has company again. Although he does seem to be a bit of a meanie to Minipig - theres an awful lot of rumbling, bum licking (gross boys!) & chasing still going on.
 
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