Colby has landed!

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garfieldette

garfieldette

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Today is Operation Colby. Since I got up this morning everything has been about getting everything ready for him.

Well, we have been and collected him. I built a 3 x 2 grid corral which is in the bathroom for them to meet in.

I put two open ended houses in and a bowl of dry food and fresh vedge.

I put Colby in first, then the girls one by one, finishing with the dominant girl Lara.

At first he his round the back of one of the houses, with the girls inside then he started sniffing through the window. It took him 10 minutes to get his nerve up then he started a little rubbling session and sashed into the open.

There has been a bit of him chasing them around, mainly Melody who is squeeling loudly.

Him and Lara had a bit of a raised heads session but otherwise they now seem totally unimpressed with him and are trying to avoid him to get to the food bowl.

Is this normal? Do I take it this is success so far and how long do I leave them in this neutral zone before trying to transfer them all into the main 4x3?


Beki
PS: Colby is soo photogenic, he even stands still when you are trying to take his picture!
 
Sounds normal to me, I'd say it's successful. I put mine in there cage after 30minutes. :)...

Boy/ Girls pairings are brilliant!
 
argh, teetch chattering and lunging

aargh, just went back to them (OH was watching) and Lara the dominant girl is puffed up, teeth chattering at him.

While I was watching she has lunged at him twice and he is running away scared.

Not sure I can take this. Do I carry on unless blood is drawn, she looks like she means business, teeth out, chattering loudly

Help
 
Leave it for now and try distraction with some veg or grass again.

It's so hard to not intefere but have a tea towel handy to chuck over then if they go for each other but other than that hang fire for now.
 
Little Piggles said:
Hope things have settled down. How are they getting along now?
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We are in a stand-off position.

Lara and the girls are in one house, Colby is in the other. Ocasionally he tries a foray to the other house but Lara sees him off. She does seem to be softening a tad, its more annoyance than actually looking like she is going to bite him.

My nerves are in tatters.
 
I know its horrible! When I put Orson in with the 6 girls 2 of them hated him to start. They saw him off alot!

Can you leave them where they are overnight?

I did that with another 2 of mine as it didn't work in the cage to begin.
 
Lisajazz said:
I know its horrible! When I put Orson in with the 6 girls 2 of them hated him to start. They saw him off alot!

Can you leave them where they are overnight?

I did that with another 2 of mine as it didn't work in the cage to begin.
Click to expand...

All is quiet at the moment but that's becuase they have all gone to sleep in the sperate houses. Oh, spoke too soon its just kicked off again. He is trying to approach Lara again and she is squeeking at him. Oh, its stoped again!

I can leave them where they are for tonight but only till I need a shower in the morning.

Its quarter past 8 now, I need to make some kind of decision so I have time to do whichever before bedtime. Options are:

  • leave them where they are overnight (but then have a problem in the morning)
  • try to put them in the big 4x3 and have a couple of hours on close watch before bedtime
  • put the girls back in the big cage and rig up this 3x2 next to it for Colby (but his cage will mean I cannot get to the curtains or their food storage so can only keep that upfor a few days)

They are all out together eating hay at the moment. He is OK as long as he doesn't get too close to Lara.

Can I have some opinions please on what to do now.
 
Well I wouldn't seperate now as you have started and will have to go back to the start again if you seperate. Personally I would see that as a last resort if whatever you do now isn't working.

Them making alot of noise and seeing him off is okay. As long as it's not violent then 2 days or so and it should be all quiet.

is the 4 x 3 theirs already? (the girls?)

How many awill be in there including Colby

What kind of hideys will they have?
 
I wouldn't leave them where they are tonight. When you want to get in the bathroom in the morning you'll have to put them in togther anyway and then you'll be going out.

If you think things have settled enough, I would try them in the C & C together now, so that you've got a bit of time tonight to watch them and if it doesn't work to still set Colby up on his own. I don't have any experience of bonding male/ females but I'd rather make a decision tonight than leave it til the morning.

Good luck with whatever you decide. :)


Just to add that when bonding my girls, I used upside down wine boxes so I could cut doors/ windows on all sides so absolutely no chance of anyone getting penned in. x
 
Thank you for your comments and advice, I really appreciate it. I have only bonded once before and that went so easily, although I knew there could be issues I really hadn't prepared for this and the nervous tension it causes.

After discussion with OH (who is now doing lots of 'I told you so' which I have pointed out is not helpful) I have decided to leave them in the 3x2 in the bathroom for tonight.

I have managed to move it over a bit so we can get to the loo and, with care, the shower in the morning. Luckily I have booked tomorrow off on leave so if they are still quiet in the morning I will then try them in the 4x3 when I then have all day to closely observe them.

My concern with doing it tonight is that I do not have much time left now to make sure they are OK before going to bed. Its the hayloft I am worried about as Lara tends to rule her domain from up there and there is only one ramp and exit so if Colby corners her up there she may attack. I want to be around when they may meet up there so I can intervene.

Its gone queit now, I think they have all worn themselves out for now. Lets hope its still like that in the morning.

Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it.


Beki
 
Hey Beki

I was worried too and got up at 4am thinking I heard massive squeaking. It really is stressful! When I got there everyone was okay and innocent looking and I think I dreamt the squeaking.

Expect a very light nights sleep with the odd going in to check on them.

I expect it to be okay after all this time but totally get why you would leave them in the bathroom for tonight. Then you have a full day to bond in the cage.

x
 
Ah, as you have tomorrow off it makes sense to leave things for tonight. If you are still concerned about the hayloft in the morning, you could block it off while they settle in the C & C. The hayloft has caused a few scuffles here when Minx moved in for the same reasons you mentioned.

Good luck for tonight. x
 
Lisajazz said:
is the 4 x 3 theirs already? (the girls?)

How many awill be in there including Colby

What kind of hideys will they have?
Click to expand...

Hi Lisa

my 3 girls have been in the 4x3 for just under a month now, so it will be the 3 of them plus Colby in there.

They have boxes with doors cut in both ends plus a wooden house with two doorways plus cozies.
 
I remember my 2nd bonding with the boys I left them on the bathroom for floor for 24hrs I was terrified to put them in the cage and didn't get much sleep!

Ah... the stress of bonding touch wood after that bonding my bondings have been fine, there hasn't been that many to go wrong :)).

I must laugh at your other half being very helpful I told you so, typical man! :))
 
Yes also wondering.

The cage size is okay for 4, may benefit from a small upstairs at some point when they are all friends, our snug area is so popular.

Hope all is well this morning and bonding in the cage works out today. If there is no blood so far your chances are good!
 
Update:

Well, every time we got up in the night we found the girls in the houses with him left to stand outside. He has such expressive eyes, you can feel him asking 'why don't they like me?'. I feel so sorry for him.

But, the upside is this morning there is no blood or injuries so thats a plus side.

After having a stern conversation with Lara I have hesitantly moved them into the 4x3. He is brave (or stupid) as the first thing he did was start rumbling and doing his wiggle dance round Lara. I hovered with towel ready but she just headbutted him off. She snatched food off him this morning so I will have to watch to make sure he is getting enough. There are two food bowls and two water bottles so he should be able to get to one of them.

After an hour of watching I felt able to go and finally have a shower.

At the moment they are back to how it was last night, girls are in the houses with him left on his own sitting outside.

Is this normal? Will they just ignore him or will it get better? I feel sorry for him at the moment. Three girls and no action for him:-)


Beki
 
I think it will, is there another house / cover you can put in for him?

They will accept him in the end - it took a good few days for my girls to warm to him and a week or two to fully accept. I didn't seem him getting any action for aaaaages. And now they will sit together not not before.

Sounds like it has worked to me.
 
Thanks Lisa

The day has been relatively quiet with them mostly sitting in seperate houses. I went out and got some more wine boxes and made two extra houses for them so they now have one each which is where they are, one in each house.

I have just sat and hand fed them all parsley. He eventually came and took some off me. Trouble is after that he started his little dance and upset them all while they were trying to eat but he got the point quite quickly and they have all settled back down to sleep seperately again.

I have seen him approach Lara from behind and sniff at her and she has allowed him so I think she is softening. Its Melody he seems most interested in, he chases her around a lot with her screaming around the cage trying to get away. She looks exhausted and has taken to sleeping curled up in a corner so she can see him coming.

All in all, a much better outcome than I thought last night. I just hope that over the coming days they warm to him and he can fit in with the group.


Beki
 
She must be in / coming into season. It is like they are annoyed to begin with but season after season they all warm to each other. Doesn't take long.
 
It sounds like it's been a much more positive day. Well done for sticking it out; it must have been nerve-wracking. :{ My girls love their wine boxes. Thay still have one each and refuse to share- they seem to have become the favourite place to sleep and they sulk if I take them out. rolleyes

Looking forward to seeing some pics when things are settled for you. x
 
Reading this post brings back many memories of when I introduced Sancho to Floris, she is also a very feisty little lady. I felt so sorry for him, because she wouldn't let him get anywhere near him, but he soon learned to stand up for himself and since then she has fully accepted him into her life. Quite frankly, I think she'd be lost without him now, he's such a wee sweetheart. From the things you have said, it all sounds very similar to what we went through here. It's all a bit strange at first, I'd never seen the relationship between male and female guineas, it can be quite dynamic at times (esp. when the girls are in heat)! Look forward to seeing pics of them all together. :)
 
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