Gethenian
Junior Guinea Pig
[EDIT: All my photos seem to have gotten on here twice. I can't figure out why or how to fix it. Sorry!]
Greetings all!
I've read the stickies here about introducing piggies and googled a lot more besides that, but I would really love to explain my specific situation and ask you folks if you might be so kind as to advise me how to proceed here.
I got my first piggy, Kindle, about three and a half months ago as a therapy animal, having done my research and intending to get her a companion as soon as possible -- the only reason I didn't come home with two is that Kindle was the very last one and as soon as I picked her up she bonded with me and vice versa. I usually gag at the kind of stories that include the phrase "sent to me" in reference to a pet, but if ever one was... it's that kind of good experience having her. She's been immensely helpful in my recovery process.
But, although I would be happy keeping our relationship "monogamous" so to speak, I do work and she is alone for most of the very long day, in the attic, away from even the after-work bustlings of the household. So I've never changed my mind about wanting her to have a piggy friend and although it's taken longer than I wanted it to, this past weekend I finally found another piggy I had that same bonding experience with.
So here is how things presently stand in the Crow's Nest in the Castle House here in Washington DC:
Kindle was "4 or 5 months old" when I got her, making her maybe 8 months now at most. Her intended companion, Nook, is 4 weeks old, and I'm quite sure that as a child I had hamsters that could have JUST outweighed her. Kindle is well over twice her size. She may be pushing thrice.
Kindle has her own 4'x2' (I don't know what that is in metric, sorry) enclosure that I built from heavy-duty stainless steel wire shelving. Nook is in quarantine, housed in a plastic and wire pet shop cage that is not ultimately the right size for a piggy, but Nook is a long way from being large enough to notice.
I have Nook's cage situated close to, but not touching, Kindle's home. The plastic walls of Nook's home and the height difference what with the wheels and everything make it very difficult for them to see each other, but I know they can smell each other and very easily hear each other.
Once Nook's quarantine period is over, I have some concerns about how best to SAFELY introduce two such unmatched opponents, so to speak, and I also worry that their different personalities may clash... Also, I wonder if Kindle is really as happy as I thought she was, seeing how different her behavior is from Nook's.
Kindle is every ounce a mama's girl. If she is not in her cage, she is around my neck, in my hair, or in my clothing. She is quite a nice critter and happy to be held by other people as long as I PERSONALLY move her from my hands to theirs and stay with them the ENTIRE time. And I CANNOT put her in any enclosed space that is not her own cage if that means she can't see me or be with me. A couple weeks ago, I had to quickly run outside to help my brother bring in groceries, so rather than run her up two flights of stairs, I wrapped her in my very-me-smelling jacket and tucked her into a nice deep cardboard box in a quiet room...
She FREAKED. OUT. When I got back, some 5 or 10 minutes later, the poor darling was scrabbling about, drenched in her own urine, utterly terrified. I gave her a lot of pampering and cuddling and I felt awful, but how was I to know that would be so traumatic to her?
She is every bit the codependent child with separation anxiety.
Which I thought was sort of... charming, in a weird way. I thought guinea pigs were supposed to be difficult to tame sometimes but Kin and I really do have a very strong bond. The thing is, Kindle is very shy otherwise. She is always hiding in her cage, she doesn't like to explore different things I put in there, she doesn't like when I change things, and when I clean her cage, I just have to take her out and put her on the bed, and she will burrow under the quilt and hide there until I'm done. If I do it at night, she'll go to sleep with my stuffed werewolf. Very calm, very easy, very unadventurous.
And now... I have Nook.
I am beginning to suspect that Nook may have been Edmund Hillary in a former life.
Nook wants to explore. Everything. Everywhere. She is INTENSELY curious in the terrifying way that only very young children can be when they still exist in a universe without the concept of common sense or danger. She is the opposite of shy. She doesn't mind being stuffed into various boxes and carted around. She has her shy moments around us large loud human animals but once she feels secure with her present company, she wants to climb everyone, nibble every different color and texture of everything, have a good time, then take a nap in her furry crinkle tube.
I know that sounds like "oh she's just being a baby" but what's really weighing on me is how Kindle never showed ANY of that, and I'm worried that she's unhappy or uncomfortable somehow. But moreover I'm worried that she's going through a teen goth phase and introducing Nook will be like throwing the happiest toddler in the world at the most angsty, self-absorbed ball of neuroses and expecting that to turn out well.
Am I anthropomorphizing the situation WAY out of hand or are there legitimate concerns here?
Oh, and of course, for your troubles, there should be some photos attached to this post...
The brown faced piggy with a candle flame up her nose is Kindle. The black and white OMG BAAAABYYYYYY is Nook. The gypsy goober with ALL OF THE COLORS is me. And the other cute small thing in one of the photos is my daughter, who Kindle adores and does not fear one bit. 
Greetings all!
I've read the stickies here about introducing piggies and googled a lot more besides that, but I would really love to explain my specific situation and ask you folks if you might be so kind as to advise me how to proceed here.
I got my first piggy, Kindle, about three and a half months ago as a therapy animal, having done my research and intending to get her a companion as soon as possible -- the only reason I didn't come home with two is that Kindle was the very last one and as soon as I picked her up she bonded with me and vice versa. I usually gag at the kind of stories that include the phrase "sent to me" in reference to a pet, but if ever one was... it's that kind of good experience having her. She's been immensely helpful in my recovery process.
But, although I would be happy keeping our relationship "monogamous" so to speak, I do work and she is alone for most of the very long day, in the attic, away from even the after-work bustlings of the household. So I've never changed my mind about wanting her to have a piggy friend and although it's taken longer than I wanted it to, this past weekend I finally found another piggy I had that same bonding experience with.
So here is how things presently stand in the Crow's Nest in the Castle House here in Washington DC:
Kindle was "4 or 5 months old" when I got her, making her maybe 8 months now at most. Her intended companion, Nook, is 4 weeks old, and I'm quite sure that as a child I had hamsters that could have JUST outweighed her. Kindle is well over twice her size. She may be pushing thrice.
Kindle has her own 4'x2' (I don't know what that is in metric, sorry) enclosure that I built from heavy-duty stainless steel wire shelving. Nook is in quarantine, housed in a plastic and wire pet shop cage that is not ultimately the right size for a piggy, but Nook is a long way from being large enough to notice.
I have Nook's cage situated close to, but not touching, Kindle's home. The plastic walls of Nook's home and the height difference what with the wheels and everything make it very difficult for them to see each other, but I know they can smell each other and very easily hear each other.Once Nook's quarantine period is over, I have some concerns about how best to SAFELY introduce two such unmatched opponents, so to speak, and I also worry that their different personalities may clash... Also, I wonder if Kindle is really as happy as I thought she was, seeing how different her behavior is from Nook's.
Kindle is every ounce a mama's girl. If she is not in her cage, she is around my neck, in my hair, or in my clothing. She is quite a nice critter and happy to be held by other people as long as I PERSONALLY move her from my hands to theirs and stay with them the ENTIRE time. And I CANNOT put her in any enclosed space that is not her own cage if that means she can't see me or be with me. A couple weeks ago, I had to quickly run outside to help my brother bring in groceries, so rather than run her up two flights of stairs, I wrapped her in my very-me-smelling jacket and tucked her into a nice deep cardboard box in a quiet room...
She FREAKED. OUT. When I got back, some 5 or 10 minutes later, the poor darling was scrabbling about, drenched in her own urine, utterly terrified. I gave her a lot of pampering and cuddling and I felt awful, but how was I to know that would be so traumatic to her?
She is every bit the codependent child with separation anxiety.
Which I thought was sort of... charming, in a weird way. I thought guinea pigs were supposed to be difficult to tame sometimes but Kin and I really do have a very strong bond. The thing is, Kindle is very shy otherwise. She is always hiding in her cage, she doesn't like to explore different things I put in there, she doesn't like when I change things, and when I clean her cage, I just have to take her out and put her on the bed, and she will burrow under the quilt and hide there until I'm done. If I do it at night, she'll go to sleep with my stuffed werewolf. Very calm, very easy, very unadventurous.
And now... I have Nook.
I am beginning to suspect that Nook may have been Edmund Hillary in a former life.
Nook wants to explore. Everything. Everywhere. She is INTENSELY curious in the terrifying way that only very young children can be when they still exist in a universe without the concept of common sense or danger. She is the opposite of shy. She doesn't mind being stuffed into various boxes and carted around. She has her shy moments around us large loud human animals but once she feels secure with her present company, she wants to climb everyone, nibble every different color and texture of everything, have a good time, then take a nap in her furry crinkle tube.
I know that sounds like "oh she's just being a baby" but what's really weighing on me is how Kindle never showed ANY of that, and I'm worried that she's unhappy or uncomfortable somehow. But moreover I'm worried that she's going through a teen goth phase and introducing Nook will be like throwing the happiest toddler in the world at the most angsty, self-absorbed ball of neuroses and expecting that to turn out well.
Am I anthropomorphizing the situation WAY out of hand or are there legitimate concerns here?
Oh, and of course, for your troubles, there should be some photos attached to this post...
The brown faced piggy with a candle flame up her nose is Kindle. The black and white OMG BAAAABYYYYYY is Nook. The gypsy goober with ALL OF THE COLORS is me. And the other cute small thing in one of the photos is my daughter, who Kindle adores and does not fear one bit. 
!
