A baby for my bereaved 2 year old?

If you guys wouldn't mind letting me know your opinion...I think it's going well! They have been in the bonding pen an hour now.

Now that it's been an hour, I put two identical wooden bridges in, if they want to hide and take a nap. Is that ok?


Both are VERY chatty. Id say they are 50/50 checking each other out, and eating hay. Kona has "gone after" Peggy, and she has run away every time. No throwing in the towel.

After about 40 minutes I saw Kona grooming Peggy.

My heart isn't pounding like crazy anymore...
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Seems like it’s going really well 😍
Yup I think they are bonded. Close to 4 hours now and they are exploring, eating, like, ok, we can do this 🐷💖🐷

She is so CHATTY! Omg! Kona chuts a lot...always seems to be talking to herself as she goes about her business. This one does it even more!

She looks really healthy too. Going to town on the hay, pooping and drinking from the water bottle.

Now to see what baby/young piggies are all about! Kona might have been under 1 when we got her, but aside from her weight, she was fully grown.
 
Hmmm. I took the two wooden bridges out. Kona keeps getting in Peggy's face when she's under one of them. Seems like she wants to curl up and go to sleep. Just face to face squeaky chatting, till one of them ends up running out.

I know I'm not supposed to separate them. Noone's hurt anyone. It's just that they have been chatting at each other almost non stop, till they both get quiet and settle down for a while.

Peggy seems pretty annoyed by Kona!

Ive had a hard 2 weeks. I'm so tired, everything's magnified. They can't have their whole relationship sorted out in 6 hours.

For tonight I have cozy cushions for them to snuggle on and towels surrounding the whole bonding pen, but no tunnels.

Thanks to all reading this and offering advice!

Kona needs a friend (she has seemed fine the past 11 days on her own though).

I just want the best for them od course. I also feel bad for Peggy being taken away from her mom and sister just today!

🤞🏼💕😴😴😴😴😴😴
 
That's wonderful that they are getting on so well. You could cover part of the pen with a blanket or towel so they feel like they have a safe place to go if they get a bit nervous. Please post pictures once they get a bit more settled.
 
That's wonderful that they are getting on so well. You could cover part of the pen with a blanket or towel so they feel like they have a safe place to go if they get a bit nervous. Please post pictures once they get a bit more settled.
Now I'm not so sure if it's normal bonding or if it's not going well. They seem to want to stick together, but then just squeak and squeak till one of them snips at the other (mostly Kona doing this to Peggy) and they continue to chase each other. Chattering non stop.

Am I doing this right?
 
Here's how I have it for tonight. 2 water bottles, big pile of hay, and blankets around fhe edges/over the ends.

I do have one sleeping bag in there, Kona is inside it right now and peaceful so I dont want to move her. Peggy is outside it, next to her.

Not that I'm going to intervene much, but I will be sleeping on the couch nearby for tonight.image.webp
 
It’s been several hours since you posted. How have things been?

They have to go through their process of establishing a relationship. That takes around two weeks so you will see lots of dominance
 
🤞 Hope it’s still going well x
Went up to bed after 2 and I was tossing and turning all night....now it's 5:30am and still dark. I just peeked in on them and they are relaxing in a snuggly corner together 😍 and quiet, just chilling.

Next question. Is it ok to do a full deep cleaning of Kona's cage and move them in? With all newly designed hiding places?
 
Now I'm not so sure if it's normal bonding or if it's not going well. They seem to want to stick together, but then just squeak and squeak till one of them snips at the other (mostly Kona doing this to Peggy) and they continue to chase each other. Chattering non stop.

Am I doing this right?
I've never bonded piggies, so I can't really advise you. Hopefully it all works out and they figure out who is the boss and that they like each other. Someone with more experience with bonding will hopefully pop on here and be able to advise you. The picture you posted of them is really cute! Best of luck!
 
I think they like each other, but I don't know that it's a no-brainer that Kona as the adult is going to be dominant.

They've been doing the thing where they lock eyes and make that distinct rhythmic sound, till one of them "snips" at the other near the cheek. No fur in the mouth or anything, just a little snapping sound. Both have done it, Kona a little more than Peggy. Then they run away and go about their business.

But this photo 😍9ECF6282-FA97-46D9-A777-2D5606A7CB3F.webp
 
Ok! Kona and Peggy have started their life together in a newly designed 2x4 C&C. They seem to be totally fine. Here they are, eating hay in close proximity without any chattering or snipping. We had some of that earlier, but nothing scary.

Peggy seems really healthy! 12 weeks old today and 586g.

It's hard to imagine going from our situation 2 weeks ago (Buttercup's last full day 💔) to this. It's a lot to process 😭🥰

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Got good news from my local shelter this morning! A sigle female, 3-4 month old female is available. Born from a "we bought 3 babies at Pet Smart and one ended up being a boy" situation.

At this age, would you guys recommend trying her with Kona and if she's ok with her, not separate?

Fingers firmly crossed....nervous but hopeful. There is a very good chance here.

If she works out, this will be my 6th piggie, and first name ever given, first time knowing birthday, parents, siblings, etc.

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Yes, please give it a try. The youngster is still sub-teenage and looking for adult guidance.

Please be aware that guinea pigs don't do play time; ever single meeting is a full on bonding session. However, I would separate during travelling after just a short meet at the rescue in case one of the piggies panic during the journey.

Otherwise you bond and sit it out unless the bonding goes haywire. You can give them a night in the divided bonding pen if you have one to get used to each other and get their bearings a bit; Peggy is old enough for that if you have any apprehensions but once you have committed to the bonding proper, you need to see it through.

Here is our illustrated bonding guide, which takes you through every single stage from the run up until the post-intro dominance phase with respect paid to the attendant behaviours and dynamics of every phase and special chapters on baby bondings and sow bonding. You can also find several videos that feature sub-teenagers during bonding.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Ultimately, it is down to whether Kona and Peggy gel and want to be together. That is the par you can never predict.

All the best!
 
Yes, please give it a try. The youngster is still sub-teenage and looking for adult guidance.

Please be aware that guinea pigs don't do play time; ever single meeting is a full on bonding session. However, I would separate during travelling after just a short meet at the rescue in case one of the piggies panic during the journey.

Otherwise you bond and sit it out unless the bonding goes haywire. You can give them a night in the divided bonding pen if you have one to get used to each other and get their bearings a bit; Peggy is old enough for that if you have any apprehensions but once you have committed to the bonding proper, you need to see it through.

Here is our illustrated bonding guide, which takes you through every single stage from the run up until the post-intro dominance phase with respect paid to the attendant behaviours and dynamics of every phase and special chapters on baby bondings and sow bonding. You can also find several videos that feature sub-teenagers during bonding.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Ultimately, it is down to whether Kona and Peggy gel and want to be together. That is the par you can never predict.

All the best!
Thank you! We're at 48 hours now and I think it's going to be just fine 😍
 
Oh my goodness! They are just TOO cute! Ahhh! I am in love!

I am so happy the bonding is going well. They definitely have to figure out on their own the dominance stuff. So happy they are settling in together nicely! This is exciting!:love::love::love:
 
Awww this thread makes me so happy! I hope my piggy bonds well when I get her a companion!
 
So glad it’s all stayed happy, what a lovely bond they have now x
 
So glad it’s all stayed happy, what a lovely bond they have now x
Yeah they are a pair! So now I have two big furry pigs and two little smooth pigs. I'm so glad she found us.

By the way, I was reading on the "what's my breed" board and saw your Bill and Ted were lethals 💕 One of my original two had dental issues and always thought one day if I had more room and more $$ Id love to rescue a lethal 🥺🥰
 
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