Scooter Pie
Teenage Guinea Pig
- Joined
- May 26, 2020
- Messages
- 591
- Reaction score
- 901
- Points
- 495
- Location
- Bethlehem PA, Northeastern USA
Hi everyone!
I'm new around here and joined to get advice and support as I attempt to bond a new girl with my bonded female pair.
Buttercup (almost 4, 1275g) and Kona (around 1.5, 875g) have been living together since May. Buttercup had lost her cage mate on April 1 - they were sisters and I had them for a little over a year. We adopted Kona who had also lost her cage mate and was very depressed. Lost 200g and self-barbered herself pretty significantly. Bonding was relatively easy, aside from Kona then barbering Buttercup...but thankfully that stopped and they both have beautiful coats again.
I have been determined to have at least 3 pigs. Losing a pig suddenly, leaving someone alone, is something I dont want anyone to go through again!
Close to 3 weeks ago, we brought Cinnamon home as a foster-to-adopt. Not sure it's going to work.
We had the pigs totally separate for a week, in the same room but not able to see each other. Then we started some meetings between the bars. Cinnamon would yawn and chatter her teeth at either pig each time.
We did some lap meetings which went really well - no aggressive displays at all.
Then we moved to a meeting in a neutral floor time pen with Buttercup and Kona together and Cinnamon on her own side. C again yawned and teeth chattered. Then Kona and Buttercup had a little dominance facing off of their own which I didnt expect.
After Cinnamon had been with us two weeks, just this past Thursday the 6th, we tried our first real meeting. Neutral large floor time pen with a big pile of lettuce and hay. They ate together without seeming to notice each other. This moment is my avatar pic!
Once the lettuce was gone, things picked up. First, Cinnamon turned her attention to Kona. Yawned at her, raised chin and chattered. Kona was kind of like "whatever" and walked away and Cinnamon didnt go after her.
Then Buttercup and Cinnamon faced each other. Both with chins raised and both chattering louder and louder till Buttercup lunged at Cinnamon. They walked around the pen again and a few seconds later, faced off and lunged at each other again.
Happened the same way a third time, and Buttercup had a tuft of fur in her mouth so we ended it. No injuries but...very discouraging. The whole time this was going on, Kona just ate hay like nothing was happening.
I should note, Cinnamon is around 1000g and more of a round pig like Buttercup. We dont know her age. 1-2 years is what the shelter estimated.
So...we then built a small extension on Cinnamon's cage which is side by side with Buttercup and Kona's. She seemed eager to be close to them. That was Friday, and they would half the time peacefully nibble hay near each other, but Cinnamon would also yawn and teeth chatter at them sometimes.
Friday there was one moment where Buttercup and Kona started chin raised chattering and a lunge at each other. This never happened since they've moved in together.
Saturday morning Cinnamon and Kona chattered/teeth chattered at each other through the bars, but that was it. The rest of the day they just nicely ate hay together near each other (I put lots of fresh hay on both of their sides and they can share some through the bars.
I'm attaching a pic of their setups with the area they can be side by side.
Anyway, it's 11:30 pm Saturday night here. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are planning on trying another floor time meeting. It will have been 2 days in between their first meeting, with those days with the side by side meeting area.
Any advice before we try again will be appreciated!
Cinnamon is technically a foster but we plan to keep her one way or another. She is extremely shy and very skittish - not the kind of piggie that most want to adopt.
I'm new around here and joined to get advice and support as I attempt to bond a new girl with my bonded female pair.
Buttercup (almost 4, 1275g) and Kona (around 1.5, 875g) have been living together since May. Buttercup had lost her cage mate on April 1 - they were sisters and I had them for a little over a year. We adopted Kona who had also lost her cage mate and was very depressed. Lost 200g and self-barbered herself pretty significantly. Bonding was relatively easy, aside from Kona then barbering Buttercup...but thankfully that stopped and they both have beautiful coats again.
I have been determined to have at least 3 pigs. Losing a pig suddenly, leaving someone alone, is something I dont want anyone to go through again!
Close to 3 weeks ago, we brought Cinnamon home as a foster-to-adopt. Not sure it's going to work.
We had the pigs totally separate for a week, in the same room but not able to see each other. Then we started some meetings between the bars. Cinnamon would yawn and chatter her teeth at either pig each time.
We did some lap meetings which went really well - no aggressive displays at all.
Then we moved to a meeting in a neutral floor time pen with Buttercup and Kona together and Cinnamon on her own side. C again yawned and teeth chattered. Then Kona and Buttercup had a little dominance facing off of their own which I didnt expect.
After Cinnamon had been with us two weeks, just this past Thursday the 6th, we tried our first real meeting. Neutral large floor time pen with a big pile of lettuce and hay. They ate together without seeming to notice each other. This moment is my avatar pic!
Once the lettuce was gone, things picked up. First, Cinnamon turned her attention to Kona. Yawned at her, raised chin and chattered. Kona was kind of like "whatever" and walked away and Cinnamon didnt go after her.
Then Buttercup and Cinnamon faced each other. Both with chins raised and both chattering louder and louder till Buttercup lunged at Cinnamon. They walked around the pen again and a few seconds later, faced off and lunged at each other again.
Happened the same way a third time, and Buttercup had a tuft of fur in her mouth so we ended it. No injuries but...very discouraging. The whole time this was going on, Kona just ate hay like nothing was happening.
I should note, Cinnamon is around 1000g and more of a round pig like Buttercup. We dont know her age. 1-2 years is what the shelter estimated.
So...we then built a small extension on Cinnamon's cage which is side by side with Buttercup and Kona's. She seemed eager to be close to them. That was Friday, and they would half the time peacefully nibble hay near each other, but Cinnamon would also yawn and teeth chatter at them sometimes.
Friday there was one moment where Buttercup and Kona started chin raised chattering and a lunge at each other. This never happened since they've moved in together.
Saturday morning Cinnamon and Kona chattered/teeth chattered at each other through the bars, but that was it. The rest of the day they just nicely ate hay together near each other (I put lots of fresh hay on both of their sides and they can share some through the bars.
I'm attaching a pic of their setups with the area they can be side by side.
Anyway, it's 11:30 pm Saturday night here. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are planning on trying another floor time meeting. It will have been 2 days in between their first meeting, with those days with the side by side meeting area.
Any advice before we try again will be appreciated!
Cinnamon is technically a foster but we plan to keep her one way or another. She is extremely shy and very skittish - not the kind of piggie that most want to adopt.