A new friend for Newt, but feeling very nervous.

[Fantastic Beasts]

I went to pick up a new cage mate for our little Newt today. Newt is 9 weeks and our rescue told me Dougal is around 5 months. I had Newt in his carrier and Dougal was placed in with him. I was advised to completely clean the cage ( which I did) and everything in there is fresh: hay, bedding and some veggies. The lady at the rescue told me to put them into their cage and let them sort it out! We have been sitting in with them and seen a bit of chasing, heard some rumble strutting and Newt has taken to hiding in his pigloo. He has ventured out a few times for hay and to explore but we are worried that this is all far too quick and Newt might get hurt.
I feel so overwhelmed with it all. Newt (whose daddy died on Sunday) has been so vocal and popcorning loads the past two days, I’m worried this could set him back. We have a 4X2 C and C Cage, 3 hideys, two water bottles and two bowls. I know it could take a couple of weeks or so for them to get used to each other I suppose I’m just looking for some reassurance.
thanks.

 

[Wiebke]

I went to pick up a new cage mate for our little Newt today. Newt is 9 weeks and our rescue told me Dougal is around 5 months. I had Newt in his carrier and Dougal was placed in with him. I was advised to completely clean the cage ( which I did) and everything in there is fresh: hay, bedding and some veggies. The lady at the rescue told me to put them into their cage and let them sort it out! We have been sitting in with them and seen a bit of chasing, heard some rumble strutting and Newt has taken to hiding in his pigloo. He has ventured out a few times for hay and to explore but we are worried that this is all far too quick and Newt might get hurt.
I feel so overwhelmed with it all. Newt (whose daddy died on Sunday) has been so vocal and popcorning loads the past two days, I’m worried this could set him back. We have a 4X2 C and C Cage, 3 hideys, two water bottles and two bowls. I know it could take a couple of weeks or so for them to get used to each other I suppose I’m just looking for some reassurance.
thanks.

Hi!

Please always introduce your boys on neutral ground and only move them to their neutralised and cleaned cage when they have bonded. Rather give them an overnight in the bonding pen. Always remove any hideys with just one exit during the first two weeks of a bonding; being locked into a hut or thrown out is normal dominance behaviour but with two exits, there is less drama/fodder for a confrontation or to go into bullying by not allowing the other piggy out.

Here are our bonding tips which cover the whole period from the bonding preparations to the end of the dominance phase ca. 2 weeks after the introduction. Please take the time to read the guide. You will find it very informative and it will help you to understand better what is going on: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

You also have to take into account that a bonding is not done in just half an hour - that is only the time when acceptance happens. Your boys need to then work out a hierarchy in the bonding area, confirm it again in the cage and then hammer out the shape of their relationship over the following weeks.

Newt has basically lost his friend and has immediately after taken his territory over by a more dominant new boar; why should he be popcorning? He is still missing his old friend and has now to deal with a stranger throwing their weight around. Please allow him the time to work through it all, just the same as you have to work through your own human grieving process. The dominance phase of the bonding process is never the nicest time, but it is an essential part in creating a working social group.

I know that you would like to have a happy little boy again with just the snap of your fingers because you are still devastated; but please give him time to digest and settle into his new life - exactly the way you can't hurry on your own grieving and Dougal can't replace what you have lost as he is a different personality.

Newt will popcorn again in his own time, but guinea pigs are complex personalities, too. You can't just replace one broken toy with anew one and have your baby smile again. A good piggy bond is so much more!

Give both yourself and your piggy boys time, please.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hope the bonding all works out well for little Newt

 

[Fantastic Beasts]

Hi!

Please always introduce your boys on neutral ground and only move them to their neutralised and cleaned cage when they have bonded. Rather give them an overnight in the bonding pen. Always remove any hideys with just one exit during the first two weeks of a bonding; being locked into a hut or thrown out is normal dominance behaviour but with two exits, there is less drama/fodder for a confrontation or to go into bullying by not allowing the other piggy out.

Here are our bonding tips which cover the whole period from the bonding preparations to the end of the dominance phase ca. 2 weeks after the introduction. Please take the time to read the guide. You will find it very informative and it will help you to understand better what is going on: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

You also have to take into account that a bonding is not done in just half an hour - that is only the time when acceptance happens. Your boys need to then work out a hierarchy in the bonding area, confirm it again in the cage and then hammer out the shape of their relationship over the following weeks.

Newt has basically lost his friend and has immediately after taken his territory over by a more dominant new boar; why should he be popcorning? He is still missing his old friend and has now to deal with a stranger throwing their weight around. Please allow him the time to work through it all, just the same as you have to work through your own human grieving process. The dominance phase of the bonding process is never the nicest time, but it is an essential part in creating a working social group.

I know that you would like to have a happy little boy again with just the snap of your fingers because you are still devastated; but please give him time to digest and settle into his new life - exactly the way you can't hurry on your own grieving and Dougal can't replace what you have lost as he is a different personality.

Newt will popcorn again in his own time, but guinea pigs are complex personalities, too. You can't just replace one broken toy with anew one and have your baby smile again. A good piggy bond is so much more!

Give both yourself and your piggy boys time, please.

Thank you for this Wiebke. I feel so bad that I put them straight into the cleaned cage rather than in a pen. I wish I had been advised of this at the rescue. They were in the carrier together for a couple of hours due to the journey and then me having to clean out the cage for them but I know that's not the same as having space to work things out. Now that they have been in the cage, should I just keep them in there? I will remove the pigloo as there is only one exit there even though it seems to be Newt's preferred sleeping spot. Newt has taken himself into there quite a bit to hide away from Dougal but he keeps coming out again and going to the tunnel where Dougal is sitting. They have been next to one another quite a bit too, but Dougal has also chased Newt and mounted him rather a lot. It is horrible to hear Newt's squealing, but I do understand it is part of the process. I wanted him to have a new friend and really hope this works out but, as you rightly say, we are all grieving and finding this quite tough. Thank you again for your advice and support. I really appreciate it.

 

[Merab]

Bonding can be very stressful for the humans.
Please don’t worry about not doing the bonding according to best practice.
I didn’t either the first time which was before I found the forum.
The squealing is a normal part of sorting out dominance but it’s not easy to hear.

Hope all works out well for you