A New Piggy Now I Have 4 Handsome Boys :)

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MycuteBoys

MycuteBoys

Adult Guinea Pig
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New piggy, I'm now mummy to the handsome Alex piggy :) a huge massive thank you to the lovely @MrsSuzy and the staff at the woodgreens beehive centre for their help and support over the last few weeks and for bonding today.
He's a friend of oreo all went well at the beehive and they cuddled all the way home, I have a question if anyone can help me please......when I put them in the clean hutch together then the teeth chattering, chirping, rumble and wheeking started :( Alex keeps pinning oreo down I would not say it's nasty as once he's pinned him down (which oreo does not like) Alex turns and rumbles wiggling his bum at oreo, oreo then raises his head at Alex but Alex just wheeks at him and chases him around, Alex clearly wants to be fiends. Both are eating the hay, pellets and grooming around the other one, I'm just wondering if I should keep them together over night or take oreo out and work on the bonding again tomorrow.
Thank you, Kell.
 
Hi Kell!

It was great meeting you and gorgeous Oreo today and happy to hear the journey went well. I did think they would continue to display that behaviour when on a new territory. Is it continuous? Is it just very occasional teeth chater? Is Oreo chasing him back? It's good that they are eating together so I think Alex is just asserting his dominance in the new home.

I know it's a worry to keep them together overnight. Is there a way to bring them indoors for the night where you can maybe hear if there is intensive squealing or disagreement during the night? With my own pig bonds I always left the house doors all open so I could keep an ear out for a fight. Or maybe could you put a partition so they can still see each other during the night but not being able to touch/ interact?

Hoping more people have some suggestions!
 
Hi Suzy, that's fab help thank you I think it's as you say Alex asserting his dominance I left them for a bit (I could see them from the window, I gave them an hour and they were quite in the bedroom neither have used teeth so that's great, the chasing by Alex only lasts a minute or so then stops and he lays down near oreo and wheeks at him so I think he's just trying to be friendly and Oreo is a bit unsure. I could bring them in as I have the 120 cage but I worry it's not enough room if one wants to get away from the other, I have some chicken wire I could try to block off the stairs with so they can see each other and will have a floor each (so they can hear and smell each other too) :)
 
Congrats on your new piggy :) my two boys had been together all their lives and were lovely with each other on the journey home, but as soon as they hit the clean new hutch they started with this behaviour. They settled down in an hour or so and agreed to sleep in the same bed by the second night
 
As long as it's intermittent it's not a problem. The problem with separating is that it might take things back to square 1 and when you introduce again the whole behaviours will happened again and again.
@degu_rock, what do you think?
 
If you are very worried bring them in the 120cm, with a pile of hay in the middle and some open hideys (one at each end). Establishing dominance takes at least a few days and I think if the boys didn't like each other we would know by now.
 
Thank you very much Suzy (your a super star). It is intermittent so I'm going with leaving them together like you said :) , they clearly got on well from the start and this is just dominance behaviour they have more than one sleeping area, tunnels, two bowls, lots of hay etc so yep I think they will settle down in a few days, I should remember they have been on their own so it's exciting and a worry to them to be paired up :)
Thank you too @Wiebke for your help, I read all the great bonding info on here before visiting Suzy. This is such a helpful forum.
 
afu said:
Congrats on your new piggy :) my two boys had been together all their lives and were lovely with each other on the journey home, but as soon as they hit the clean new hutch they started with this behaviour. They settled down in an hour or so and agreed to sleep in the same bed by the second night
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Hi afu, ive just sneaked out to check them (they are in a large two story hutch) there is no sound from them at all and they are both in the bedroom together :yahoo:, I can see Alex through the doorway he's laying chilled out on the fleece bedding...he's SOOO cute and lovely I really didn't need to worry.

@MrsSuzy they worked hun :clap:well done and lots of thank you's. I still wish I could of had all three but I know they are in great hands with you, the beehive staff and the lovely students you have there. Keep up the fantastic work I can highly recommend this resue centre.
 
Great news that Alex is home and the bonding went well. Hopefully the dominance will settle down once they have established who's boss.
 
He is Helen and he's happy for me to open the hutch and stroke him he does not run off which is great he's only been here a few hours. He's got a thick fuzzy coat he was part of a huge rescue, the beehive center is amazing I love the way they house the rabbits and guinea pig they live in a street of brightly coloured houses each with there own gardens, I picked up some great tips to make my boys run time fun after the winter. :)
 
I forgot to ask a few questions my daughters were wondering Suzy
1) Is Alex the name woodgreen staff gave him?
2) what is his favourite veg?
And I forgot the other one lol.
 
Yes, Alex was the name given by staff at the main site when he and all the others arrived. You are more than welcome to change it :)

He is keen on his cucumbers and carrots. He doesn't like courgettes, bananas or parsnips. He will like cabbage :)
 
Hi Suzy and members, sorry my battery went on my iPad last night so I thought I would head to bed and reply again this morning :)
I've been out to take some photos of them this morning for you Suzy, they have been happy eating their veggies out of the same dish and I've not seen any chasing at all today, marcus (hubby) checked on them both when he got home from work this at 6am and he said both were fine and neither had any war wounds which is great. They have compleatly trashed their nice clean tidy hutch but that's boys for you ha ha, I'm just off now to sort out their hutches and bring Alex and oreo in for a run around the kitchen and utility room :) as to wet to be out in their run outside.
*sorry about the poops i was rushing this morning so didn't get chance to de-poop before dashing out, so fed and fussed them until I could get home to clean them out :)
image.webp image.webp image.webp
 
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MrsSuzy said:
Yes, Alex was the name given by staff at the main site when he and all the others arrived. You are more than welcome to change it :)

He is keen on his cucumbers and carrots. He doesn't like courgettes, bananas or parsnips. He will like cabbage :)
Click to expand...
Perfect my boys have lots of different piggy safe veg and herbs, my other three don't like banana and courgette either or peppers of any colour.
Were not sure about changing his name but we did say we would change it if he came to you with that name so it would be like a fresh start for him.
 
Good morning :)

Those are excellent news! Even with promising, positive signs, the first night is always nerve wrecking! Well done boys!

It is a happy new start for him. I think he is very happy to have found a fab home so won't mind a new name as well :)

Can I save these photos to show my manager and also maybe share with our comms team? They might do a little post of Facebook to celebrate Alex finding his fab home and friend.
 
Congratulations on the gorgeous Alex & happy to hear the equally gorgeous Oreo has a friend. Seems like your forum moniker is no longer apt!
 
MrsSuzy said:
Good morning :)

Those are excellent news! Even with promising, positive signs, the first night is always nerve wrecking! Well done boys!

It is a happy new start for him. I think he is very happy to have found a fab home so won't mind a new name as well :)

Can I save these photos to show my manager and also maybe share with our comms team? They might do a little post of Facebook to celebrate Alex finding his fab home and friend.
Click to expand...
I'm more than happy for you to share any of the photos I post with your team and your lovely students :) I will keep posting more so share which ever ones you want too suzy :) if you want any sending just ask it's not a problem at all.....here's some more taken today.
They are getting on fantastic, they have really settled down today.
I don't take my boys out of the hutch when I clean it out, I clean the level they are not using and then when they go to investigate what I've been upto, I clean the other level, oreo knows this routine and likes to sit and watch me at the top of the stairs, I so wish I had my iPad to hand as I could of taken the brilliant photo of them both sat side by side at the top of the stairs watching me clean out the bedroom they made me chuckle :) ive added vet bed fleece to their bedrooms for warmth and for comfort it has a towel on top (the fibres do come off still) and then a big fleece blanket on top of that to snuggle up in (as oreo has in the Alex photos below he's under the blanket near Alex's bottom :) ) then I have Aubiose in the litter trays and in the upstairs hallways as planned. I hope they like it :)
 

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