bruceandwillis
Junior Guinea Pig
My baby Willis lost his partner back in March. About three months ago, I got him a new friend, an adorable long haired abby mix I named Pooh Bear (estimated age at the time was 5-6 months). They got along wonderfully at the beginning.
Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, severe humping and fighting began, with Pooh Bear being the instigator. I monitored it for awhile, but the number of booboos on Willis’ rump kept escalating, so I separated them for safety reasons. They share a 2x4 which I cut in half with grids, each occupying one side of the cage. I noticed a lot of grid chewing and upset piggy noises throughout this time.
Just today, I decided I would take action to bring them back together. I cleaned the entire cage from top to bottom. I threw away old toys, houses, water bottles, ANYTHING that could have each other’s scents on it, and put them back together on neutral territory. The fighting and aggressive humping continues to ensue. I step out of the room for an hour or so, and when I come back, I discover this sight:
Willis, helpless to escape Pooh Bear’s bullying, jumped into his hay rack to escape his tormentor. Right now, I’m too shocked for words. I have them separated again, this time Willis is hanging out in a large play pen until I figure out exactly what to do with these butt heads.
I can’t let them live in 2x2 portions of their current cage. That’s no better than a pet store cage. At the same time, I can’t separate them into two different cages. Then I’d have to get them each new cage mates so they aren’t lonely, making my guinea pig count 4 to 6. For one, my family would kill me, and two so will my finances. I also can’t surrender/give away any of them. That’s out of the question.
What’s the best thing to do at this point? I’m at a loss. Please help this poor guinea pig owner
Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, severe humping and fighting began, with Pooh Bear being the instigator. I monitored it for awhile, but the number of booboos on Willis’ rump kept escalating, so I separated them for safety reasons. They share a 2x4 which I cut in half with grids, each occupying one side of the cage. I noticed a lot of grid chewing and upset piggy noises throughout this time.
Just today, I decided I would take action to bring them back together. I cleaned the entire cage from top to bottom. I threw away old toys, houses, water bottles, ANYTHING that could have each other’s scents on it, and put them back together on neutral territory. The fighting and aggressive humping continues to ensue. I step out of the room for an hour or so, and when I come back, I discover this sight:
Willis, helpless to escape Pooh Bear’s bullying, jumped into his hay rack to escape his tormentor. Right now, I’m too shocked for words. I have them separated again, this time Willis is hanging out in a large play pen until I figure out exactly what to do with these butt heads.
I can’t let them live in 2x2 portions of their current cage. That’s no better than a pet store cage. At the same time, I can’t separate them into two different cages. Then I’d have to get them each new cage mates so they aren’t lonely, making my guinea pig count 4 to 6. For one, my family would kill me, and two so will my finances. I also can’t surrender/give away any of them. That’s out of the question.
What’s the best thing to do at this point? I’m at a loss. Please help this poor guinea pig owner
