Charlie & Lola fighting :(

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ChelleJM

ChelleJM

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2 weeks ago Lola had 3 babies - we'd only had her a month so was obviously already pregnant when we got her!
We ended up dividing the cage up as Lola kept snapping at Charlie and thought she was just being an overly protective mummy.
Charlie & Lola could still see each other and we been trying them together during their time on the floor but Lola was still being nippy towards Charlie :(

Today we tried again but it was even worse. They had the free run of the kitchen/dining room but still they ended up fighting :(
It was worse than nips this time, they were chattering their teeth,their fur was up on end and they were both biting each other.
I really dont see us being able to reintroduce them now.

The babies are just over 2weeks old now. We think we have 2 boys and a girl but we're going to the vets on Thurs to be 100% so we can take the little boys out when they're 3weeks.
The plan was to keep any girls with mum and Charlie and house the boys together but I have no idea what to do now :(

Obviously the boys will still be housed together and Lola will stay with her daughter but what to do with Charlie?
Should we persevere trying to get Lola to make friends with her again, keep her on her own (not what I want, she seems lonely :( ) or find her a new friend?

What would you suggest?
Thanks x>>
 
I'm not really sure.
Charlie and Lola were on the floor but the babies were in a pen so she could still see them.
Lola was snappy with Charlie when preg which we out down to hormones but it's worse now. I just don't think they're 'friends'.

So we originally got 2 guineas which has now turned into 5, maybe 6 if we need to get Charlie a compainion!

My brother has said he would like the 2 boys but to be honest I'm not 100% about how much attention they would get. He works during the day and in the evening's he goes out and he frequently stays over at his GF's house so although he would make sure they're fed I don't think they'd get the attention they need and are used to!

Hubby jokingly said it's my fault for choosing a pregnant pig, if I had have chosen another one we wouldnt be in this situation! :(
 
Is it possible to set up the cages so that Lola and her daughter can be seen/sniffed/contacted through the wire by Charlie? That way you can see how Charlie does on her own without removing sight and smell of other piggies so that she doesn't get too lonely. You may find that they have a perfectly good relationship provided they are each in their own space and just able to see/sniff each other.

If they are biting at each other and drawing blood, especially on the face, then I wouldn't reintroduce them into the same space.

I hope this helps, I'm just going by my own experience.
 
Thanks for that :)
Initially is was just Lola launching at Charlie with her mouth open so we waited to see whether they would sort things out. But, it ended up with a big scrap, hair on end, teeth chattering and squealing, dont think there was any blood drawn but it looked so awful I didnt wait to find out as they were getting worse rather than better so used a dustpan to separate them :(

The guinea pigs are all kept indoors,We have put charlie in a cage next to lola and the babies so she can still see/hear and smell them but I dont know if this is a long-term solution.
Would she be more happy actually living with another companion or is simply seeing/smelling/hearing other piggies sufficient?
I've never had problems with piggies falling out before so have no idea, then again I've never had a guinea pig thats surprised us with babies either!
 
Whether Charlie is happy long term depends on Charlie. You'll have to wait until the babies are big enough to move around and watch Charlie over the next few weeks with great attention.

If she's forever talking to Lola and daughter, hanging around by the bars, generally trying to be with them and so on then she's lonely and you might try putting her back with them. Once the daughter is big enough to cope so I'm talking nearly two months away here! As Lola was initially lunging at Charlie it could be simply a spat to do with babies being present and Lola will be ok with a normal relationship again once her daughter is completely independent.

If Charlie's perfectly happy on her own then give it a bit longer and perhaps try to introduce her to another girl of her own if you think she wants that.

Piggies are pack animals, but some piggies are more 'loners' than others. Most piggies will show through their body language what they feel, you just have to watch out for it.

I hope the cage moving has calmed everyone down so Lola can get on with raising her babies now! And I hope Charlie is feeling ok. Best of luck in the future, Sarah

PS Piggies bond through sharing food, eating together. You can encourage the bonding between Charlie and Lola by putting treats in that span both cages so they have to eat one end each type of thing. I don't know the cage set up, but I've used hay in one cage that had to be pulled through by the piggie in the other to help with keeping relationships strong.
 
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