Adopted Boys living together

Fred&George

Fred&George

Junior Guinea Pig
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Jul 11, 2018
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Hello! I adopted my piggies on Monday from the Rspca in Pets at Home, I left them alone to settle and apart from popping out to eat and drink, they pretty much stayed together in the bedroom on the upper level of the hutch under the hay. Tonight we got them in the run for the first time and handled them and when I put them back in the lower level so they could see the rest of their home. The first (I think he's the dominant one) ran up the ramp, found his food and went back to the bedroom to his fresh hay. The other one went so far up the ramp, stopped, turned around and went back to investigate the twig tunnel and some more hay I put in there. I thought he'd join the other later but he hasn't! Is this normal? I'm thinking I need a second food bowl and water bottle for the lower level!
 
some piggies are less keen to use a ramp than others. Two boys really need two of everything anyway, so water bottles and food upstairs and downstairs is a good idea. One of mine wasn't keen when I first put the ramp in, but when he saw the other two zooming up and down, he soon joined in and got the hang of it.
 
OK thank you, I didn't think it was a question of getting the hang of the ramp as he was nearly at the top before he decided to go back down. I'll definitely put another bowl and bottle in then, and I'll go and put more hay in the twig tunnel since he might be using it as a bed! Thanks 😊
 
Fred&George said:
Hello! I adopted my piggies on Monday from the Rspca in Pets at Home, I left them alone to settle and apart from popping out to eat and drink, they pretty much stayed together in the bedroom on the upper level of the hutch under the hay. Tonight we got them in the run for the first time and handled them and when I put them back in the lower level so they could see the rest of their home. The first (I think he's the dominant one) ran up the ramp, found his food and went back to the bedroom to his fresh hay. The other one went so far up the ramp, stopped, turned around and went back to investigate the twig tunnel and some more hay I put in there. I thought he'd join the other later but he hasn't! Is this normal? I'm thinking I need a second food bowl and water bottle for the lower level!
Click to expand...

Boars should have everything in twos anyway. But please give them time to settle into their new surroundings.
You can find settling in and lots more helpful tips and useful information for new owners via this link here: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Please be aware that you need to protect your piggies in the current prolonged heatwave adequately. Guinea pigs struggle with temperature jumps and extremes of temperatures. Hutches and lawns can easily and definitely have become death traps for far too many hapless piggies suffering from heat stroke over the last weekend and will again once temperatures rise again. :(
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
 
The cream one is Freddie, he's the biggest and I think the dominant of the two, and the black and tan one is Georgie - I'll get to the pet shop in the morning and buy him a bowl and bottle of his own - I did ask pets at home if one of each was enough for two piggies and they said it was fine! I'll rely on advice from here in future! Thanks 😊
 

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Sorry, another question, if the boys sleep separately, do they think they're alone and have been separated? Or do they each know the other is there? And when they go back together, is there a risk that they'll fight? I'm asking because they are adopted, apparently they had been kept in a small box in the garden and not tended to, so they only had each other - seems a shame that they're separate now that they have lots of room! Thanks in advance x
 
Welcome to the forum!

I have a two tier hutch with 5 piggies and very often they are not all together. They like to have "time out" upstairs. Most of the time Betsy and Dennis are up there and occasionally I find Christian and Meg too. Velvet :yikes:DA BOSS:yikes: hardly ever goes up the ramp. Btw it's not recommended that you have 2 boys in with girls I am just VERY FORTUNATE it has worked in my case.
 
OK thank you, from what I've read, it's quite hard to introduce new piggies in with boys anyway so I'll probably stick with these two until one of them needs a new companion because the other has sadly passed away... These two are only about a year old so it should be a few years before that happens! 🤞
 
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