Bonding time?

exia

exia

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hello,

I really want to do right this time. I've read Wiebkes excellent guides multiple times.

Djingis Kahn moved in two weeks ago and is a very feisty young man. Its a bit hard for me to know if he's still a bit stressed or its just his personality to be literally everywhere. He is a very vocal little piggy that loves to run. He acts likes a teenager (or maybe I just forgot how 2-year olds acts?).

Kongo and Djingis has been living as neighbours with full interaction for about 1,5 week.
Djingis really seeks Kongos attention. He rumble the divider and talks very high pitched (he is very high pitched overall). He bites the bars until Kongo comes over. He does wash himself occasionally in front of Kongo though.

Kongo is a very big four years old. He could easily hurt Djingis by just moving around. Djingis is very small compared to Kongo (but the scale tells 1300g... I dont know where he hides it?).
Kongo seems to enjoy when they eat together near the divider and to sit and talk for a bit, just like he did with his last neighbour. He washes himself pretty often in front of Djingis, but he also likes to lie down very close to the divider. I dont know if thats a sign of "I want to be close" or domination?

I see very good signs from Kongo (whom I know very well), but I'm a bit unsure about the wild baby. Should I give him some more time to settle in this new environment or should I just try to bond them in a couple of days?
 
If he is not hiding and terrified, so has otherwise settled then I would put them on neutral territory this weekend and see how it goes. There really is no other way of knowing whether they want to be together until you try it!
 
Piggies&buns said:
If he is not hiding and terrified, so has otherwise settled then I would put them on neutral territory this weekend and see how it goes. There really is no other way of knowing whether they want to be together until you try it!
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This was Djingis first night at home. I had to build a roof because he was trying to jump out. He was so excited and stressed. He acts a bit more calm now, but he is still very... Like my spanish-speaking father in law said: "loco. Loco cujo!".

He does not trust me/the human-family yet. He does takes treats from my hand and comes pretty close during floortime, but is a bit shy and very easily scared by sudden moves or sounds. He does communicate alot with us humans but yelling at us for food. That he knows.
He's actually not what I'm used to at all, even though I've had very vocal and easily excited boys before. He acts like a very messy little brother and loves to drag things around in his cage and fix what the slave has destroyed while cleaning.

He is definitely more Kongo-focused than human-oriented right now.
 
A slight digression- I’m curious about the name Djingis Khan.
Is he named after the group & song from Germany in Eurovision 1979 ?
 
Theres a song? Wow! I need to listen to that.
After many names we just realized he is like the Djingis Kahn. In a week from moving in he had started several blood baths on us humans when we tried to cut his nails. He did not approve! He's also very brave. He runs away on adventures during floor-time.
 
exia said:
Theres a song? Wow! I need to listen to that.
After many names we just realized he is like the Djingis Kahn. In a week from moving in he had started several blood baths on us humans when we tried to cut his nails. He did not approve! He's also very brave. He runs away on adventures during floor-time.
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In English he would be called Genghis Khan. ;)

The German group Dschinghis Khan sang a song 'Genghis Khan'. It was their first hit and the Englisch version (there is also a German one) featured at Eurovision 1979. Very disco era - if you would like to watch it. I can remember it... Nothing like music to show up your age! :yikes:
 
Tomorrow is the big day. Wrote it in Kongos calendar. He did put a tantrum about "share food", but Djingis' got very excited! My last night shift tonight, so boys better behave because slave might have a bit of a brainfrog tomorrow 😅

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Kongo thinks laptime is snuggle time. Djingis thinks I'm his personal treadmill. Why snuggle when you can jump around?
 
Yes, I was going to say, an emergency fight stopping something, maybe a small cushion? Apparently if you pick a piggy up while he is still fight-minded he might bite thinking he is being attacked by an enemy 😤. Once he is oriented and calm he should be touchable with fingers 🩹
 
All the best! I hope that Kongo will be able to cope with Djingis's exuberance. Ideally you have a divider on standby without needing to get your hands within in range of a riled-up piggy ready to defence bite.

This is not because we think that the bonding may necessarily fail but it is helpful to have to your ducks lined up and within reach, irrespective of the gender of the piggies involved. If things escalate they will do so very quickly.

It takes experience (and usually some misjudgments) to learn to spot the often rather subtle signs whether piggies are fine to go up to the line but not cross it or whether they are going to do so - usually to defend themselves if they are feeling that they are being pushed beyond the line. Instinctive defence bites to any perceived sudden movement can do serious damage, wether it is your hand or the other piggy.
 
I have garden gloves ready for tomorrow! And I'm very 50/50 about this. Kongo is a bit socially awkward around other pigs.

Betsy said:
Chocolate and wine to steady the nerves!
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Must haves! Male-slave will be responsible for stopping any fights. This is a wiener-thing, and I'm not the big wiener-leader around these guys 😂
 
I've never been attacked by a piggy 🤞but I have heard that they can hold on like bull dogs in certain circumstances so I'm not sure if garden gloves will be enough protection. I've seen them chew through wood easily 😟
 
Truffolo said:
I've never been attacked by a piggy 🤞but I have heard that they can hold on like bull dogs in certain circumstances so I'm not sure if garden gloves will be enough protection. I've seen them chew through wood easily 😟
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I have ski gloves! Is that strong enough? (No, I dont ski. I'm terrible at it. Dont know how to stop those things! Sweden in december is just very cold!)
 
My hands are cold all winter so ski gloves are excellent. I hope they offer protection 🩹 Anyway, I'm sure things will be OK. I hope the boys can live together, but if not, they will still get lots of love and companionship from their family 🏡
 
Truffolo said:
My hands are cold all winter so ski gloves are excellent. I hope they offer protection 🩹 Anyway, I'm sure things will be OK. I hope the boys can live together, but if not, they will still get lots of love and companionship from their family 🏡
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I really hope so to! I dont know if Kongo ever had a cage-mate? We failed to bond him x2, so I hope third time is a charm... ☺️
 
For you that doesn't hang out in the thread "Survivors group therapy":

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Its still a bit frosty between the boys, Kongo acts a bit out of character which I guess is pretty normal hence the process is stressing and everythings new? I guess he needs some time to adapt to all this new. We suspect Kongo was a loner in his old home, and this is the third time we try to bond him. He always had his neighbours and he's used to not share, so I guess this is a bit strange and he needs to get used to that white little nose suddenly sniffs his bumm when he is taking his precious naps.
Djingis is hilarious from a human perspective, and seems very happy to be close. He jumps Kongos roof, rumbles, popcorns and runs.

They we're in the bonding pen for almost 27 hours before going home. Its two very strong personalities, so of course there's been some scruffle between them. Nothing severe, though. Some nips but no bites, no attacking, no chasing. They eat together but Kongo is a bit tense if Djingis comes to close. He tells him off quite hard sometimes, but Djingis is shameless and does not have any sense for personal boundaries.

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About 1,5-2hours in to the bonding they fell asleep, Djingis with closed eyes

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Got some grass in the pen. They worked together to get in to the bucket. Djingis jumped on it, Kongo pushed it.

I really hope this will work out and they build a strong bond. I would be so happy for Kongo after all these years, even though I know he has been happy with having neighbours and his own territory too.
 
Truffolo said:
I've never been attacked by a piggy 🤞but I have heard that they can hold on like bull dogs in certain circumstances so I'm not sure if garden gloves will be enough protection. I've seen them chew through wood easily 😟
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I haven't ever luckily.If I haven't got oven gloves then I've got a tea towel to chuck over the aggressive piggy to use that to take them out of the enclosure.I've never had to do that though.Even when my late poppy wouldn't bond with my 2 newbies at the time.I never had to throw a tea towel over her etc.
 
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