finished enclosure, Now to work on social skills.

[superka]

Just finished my GP enclosure. its 2x4 like you guys recommended. I'm now considering getting her a friend. I just wanna make sure they get along before purchasing. any suggestions of introducing new guinea pigs. maybe helping my piggy regain some social skills. My main concern right now is as much as I like caramilk and she seems sweet as pie. facts are fact, and she was living in a bush for who knows how long all alone. its akin to locking a normal person in with a hermit that was living in the bush... pic below of the piggy in her new enclosure!

 

[Siikibam]

I don’t think you’ll have the option to ‘try before you buy’ if you get a friend from a pet shop. You just have to have a plan b in case things don’t work out. I know rescues are few and far between in Canada, but that would be the way to go - especially if they offer bonding.

In summary, you won’t know until you try. If pet shop is your only option then have a plan b in case they don’t get on - side by side living. The other thing you’d need to do is ensure that any piggies you try with her are sows.

I don’t know if you took this photo before you finished, but the cage needs some kind of bedding on the base. So you can use the bedding in the small tray and put it everywhere. I would also put in big piles of hay as that’s the most important part of their diet. When you get her a friend, you will need to switch to hides with two exits.

I’m glad you were able to give her more space

 

[superka]

I don’t think you’ll have the option to ‘try before you buy’ if you get a friend from a pet shop. You just have to have a plan b in case things don’t work out. I know rescues are few and far between in Canada, but that would be the way to go - especially if they offer bonding.

In summary, you won’t know until you try. If pet shop is your only option then have a plan b in case they don’t get on - side by side living. The other thing you’d need to do is ensure that any piggies you try with her are sows.

I don’t know if you took this photo before you finished, but the cage needs some kind of bedding on the base. So you can use the bedding in the small tray and put it everywhere. I would also put in big piles of hay as that’s the most important part of their diet. When you get her a friend, you will need to switch to hides with two exits.

I’m glad you were able to give her more space

yeah i had juuust finished constructing it was putting things in when i took that picture for my gf. currently my hay supplies and bedding are running low. i already put in an order yesterday it comes tomorrow morning. its just scraps at the bottom of the box atm. i do plan on finding a rescue or even someone trying to give away a guinea pig that will allow me to test out the relationship between the two piggies.. the hides with two exits is a great suggestion i didn't even think about. that but makes perfect sense. thanks for the tip!

 

[Piggies&buns]

When you have two piggies, having two of everything is essential - so they dont have to share anything if they dont want to.
As Siikibam has said , you will definitely need to replace those hides with ones which have two exits for newly bonded piggies- the hides you have have the potential to cause problems.

Do you normally put bedding at the bottom of the cage? (not just in the tray, it needs to be everywhere).

This is the bonding guide - it explains how to introduce two piggies to each other. If they accept each other, they have to stay in the neutral territory bonding pen for several hours to go through the early stages of forming a relationship. If successful after several hours in the bonding pen, then you can clean out the cage they are to live in so it doesnt smell of the original piggy, and then transfer both piggies to it together. You dont separate them after a successful introduction as it interrupts everything. It then takes two weeks for them to fully for a relationship.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[superka]

I'm using a fleece for the cage as the tray is the bottom of her first cage. it already has the scent of her waste. she almost exclusively uses it to go to the bathroom. i use shaving in there as its easier to clean. the hides are an easy fix... replace them with cardboard ones.