Coming of age

[Agashe]

Hello I have a 2 month old named J Rod and a 2 year old named Hazel,they are both boys and as such I’m wondering how in the world do I go to work and not worry about them getting into a fight while I’m gone for 8 hours? J Rod is soon going to be of age and although he’s very timid now I’m worried it may drastically change while I’m at work. Hazel seems to like him well enough and he even popcorned a bit when first introduced but again,that could change. There’s no bullying as far as I can tell other than a bit of rumble strutting and butt sniffing/poop eating(Hazels on benebac for this). Hazels brother passed and so this is my first time bonding a younger with an older. Do you use a cage separator? Do you have people check in if you have roommates? I’m more than sure I have enough room and hidies for them and I have enough food bowls,water and hay troughs. He’s not at that age yet but what happens during those times and how have y’all handled it without worrying yourself to death at work? Haha

Edit:they’ve been together for about 2 weeks now

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do not use any kind of cage separater. Now they are together they must remain together at all times while they have a functioning relationship.
you really must try not to worry though. The odds are they will be absolutely fine with each other. Yes things can get a bit interesting when youve got a teen boar but as one is older, then you don’t have the concerns over two hormonal boys together. As long as he respects his place in the hierarchy and they want to be together, then they will be absolutely fine.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello I have a 2 month old named J Rod and a 2 year old named Hazel,they are both boys and as such I’m wondering how in the world do I go to work and not worry about them getting into a fight while I’m gone for 8 hours? J Rod is soon going to be of age and although he’s very timid now I’m worried it may drastically change while I’m at work. Hazel seems to like him well enough and he even popcorned a bit when first introduced but again,that could change. There’s no bullying as far as I can tell other than a bit of rumble strutting and butt sniffing/poop eating(Hazels on benebac for this). Hazels brother passed and so this is my first time bonding a younger with an older. Do you use a cage separator? Do you have people check in if you have roommates? I’m more than sure I have enough room and hidies for them and I have enough food bowls,water and hay troughs. He’s not at that age yet but what happens during those times and how have y’all handled it without worrying yourself to death at work? Haha

Edit:they’ve been together for about 2 weeks now

Hi!

Please take a deep breath and leave the boys be. The more you interfere, the more you destabilise the relationship as they will have to start rebonding after every stressful separation. Tempers will fray as frustration is going to build up over you preventing them from going through the full bonding process.

Please trust your boys.

 

[Agashe]

Please do not use any kind of cage separater. Now they are together they must remain together at all times while they have a functioning relationship.
you really must try not to worry though. The odds are they will be absolutely fine with each other. Yes things can get a bit interesting when youve got a teen boar but as one is older, then you don’t have the concerns over two hormonal boys together. As long as he respects his place in the hierarchy and they want to be together, then they will be absolutely fine.

Since Hazel is already “alpha” will he remain that way or could it change? I’m hoping that since J Rod is so timid to Hazel now that maybe he’s just a submissive piggie because idk that Hazel will allow another to dominate him but it’s possible I suppose

 

[Agashe]

Hi!

Please take a deep breath and leave the boys be. The more you interfere, the more you destabilise the relationship as they will have to start rebonding after every stressful separation. Tempers will fray as frustration is going to build up over you preventing them from going through the full bonding process.

Please trust your boys.

I do not remove them or separate them but I was asking because 8 hours is a lot of time for animals to be left to their own devices,especially guineas when you don’t know how they fair with eachother. They are good now,I think Hazel is teaching J Rod all the in and outs but I worry something might happen should they be alone and J Rod decides he wants to be big pig,also am i understanding that even just a cage divider is considered a moment of separating? Even though it’s the same cage?

 

[Wiebke]

I do not remove them or separate them but I was asking because 8 hours is a lot of time for animals to be left to their own devices,especially guineas when you don’t know how they fair with eachother. They are good now,I think Hazel is teaching J Rod all the in and outs but I worry something might happen should they be alone and J Rod decides he wants to be big pig,also am i understanding that even just a cage divider is considered a moment of separating? Even though it’s the same cage?

Even a cage divider is a separation. Would you lock your five year old son into a separate room from his older sibling whenever you go out to work? It is the same for a baby piggy of that age who is truly desperate to belong and to have an older piggy to protect him, teach him and be there for him. You have to trust your imaginary son to get through school and to learn to interact with his mates and teachers without you being there all the time.
It is the same for your pets. You cannot stay awake all night; and you cannot be there every moment of the day. You have to allow your pets to lead the kind of life they are wired to live and for which they are equipped beyond your own fears of not being in control.

It is going to absolutely mess your piggies up if you give them an off-on relationship. Piggies are either on or they are off. They don't do in between. Belonging to a group is at the very core of how guinea pigs identify; long before they do individuals. Other piggies are either firstly members of their group, not-members of their group or during an introduction on neutral ground maybe-members of their group.

Please take a deep breath and trust your piggies. If you can't trust them now, how are you going to get them through teenage - something that actually far more piggies successfully do than not - but not without the odd hairy moment?