Hi again, and thank you in advance for everyone's help! You're all so wonderful and we are having a difficult time in our piggy family at the moment so are needing your help more than ever.
Today I attempted to re-bond my lovely Harriet (5.5yo entire sow) with mother/daughter pair Cornflake (5.5yo entire possibly cystic ovaries, has specialist vet appointment next week) and Maple (5yo spayed sow). Previously they have lived together as part of a larger group for 4 years with no issues. Harriet was actually present at Maple's birth! They were separated 9 months ago when it became more practical for looking after a poorly piggy who has recently passed, which now leaves Harriet alone. They have all lived with just a divider for this whole time so have never been out of sight of each other. Cornflake is the dominant pig over Maple.
I had thought that Maple would be an issue just because she is very bossy if she gets the chance, but Harriet is a submissive pig so I hoped it would work out. Cornflake surprised me - she was quite chattery and so was Harriet, and there was some chinning, but all seemed to settle over a couple of hours. I think that they would be ok together. But Maple unfortunately let herself down today! She alternated between sleeping and looking very relaxed, but then when near to Harriet, would chase her and kick her out of hides. She did pull out a big tuft of hair at one point when Harriet didn't move quickly enough. Now I know that this can be normal dominance behaviour but Harriet did seem quite stressed by it and was avoiding going anywhere near her. Maple is a very bossy girl, although not aggressive, but I'm worried that putting them in together would mean that Harriet wasn't able to rest properly.
They had 3 hours together in neutral territory. Cornflake and Maple had a nice nap but Harriet was just sat at the other end of the bonding pen, doing some eating but mostly just looking bemused! So I've popped them back either side of the divider for now. It was a really difficult decision but I was just worried about Harriet being stressed. Her breathing isn't the best anyway due to ongoing respiratory issues which are normally well managed, but I really don't want her to be chased all day long as that may worsen things. It's risky to wait and see whether she loses weight and becomes depressed because I feel that she's in quite a delicate balance with her health already.
It's all just really sad. Harriet's previous friend Gloria was such a wonderful companion for her. Despite being the most dominant guinea pig with others, Gloria had a real soft spot for quiet little Harriet. They used to sit cuddled up together in hides and would seek each other out for company. I'm just worried that Harriet will be alone now and that breaks my heart. I had thought that they'd just go back in together easily but obviously things have changed now without Gloria to lead the herd, and Maple is unfortunately enjoying her position of dominance over Harriet a little too much.
I have read all the bonding guides and they have been so helpful. I was just hoping for a bit of input on my specific situation. Have I been too soft and called it off too soon when it might have worked out, or have I done the right thing in stopping a potential bullying situation of a vulnerable piggy?
Obviously it will boil down to individual personalities but if I were to look at doing some rescue dating to find Harriet a new friend, would there be a particular age of sow that I might expect to have more luck with? A baby who is unlikely to bully her, or perhaps an elderly lady who just wants somebody to snuggle?
Thank you for reading the ramblings of a very stressed guinea pig parent.
Today I attempted to re-bond my lovely Harriet (5.5yo entire sow) with mother/daughter pair Cornflake (5.5yo entire possibly cystic ovaries, has specialist vet appointment next week) and Maple (5yo spayed sow). Previously they have lived together as part of a larger group for 4 years with no issues. Harriet was actually present at Maple's birth! They were separated 9 months ago when it became more practical for looking after a poorly piggy who has recently passed, which now leaves Harriet alone. They have all lived with just a divider for this whole time so have never been out of sight of each other. Cornflake is the dominant pig over Maple.
I had thought that Maple would be an issue just because she is very bossy if she gets the chance, but Harriet is a submissive pig so I hoped it would work out. Cornflake surprised me - she was quite chattery and so was Harriet, and there was some chinning, but all seemed to settle over a couple of hours. I think that they would be ok together. But Maple unfortunately let herself down today! She alternated between sleeping and looking very relaxed, but then when near to Harriet, would chase her and kick her out of hides. She did pull out a big tuft of hair at one point when Harriet didn't move quickly enough. Now I know that this can be normal dominance behaviour but Harriet did seem quite stressed by it and was avoiding going anywhere near her. Maple is a very bossy girl, although not aggressive, but I'm worried that putting them in together would mean that Harriet wasn't able to rest properly.
They had 3 hours together in neutral territory. Cornflake and Maple had a nice nap but Harriet was just sat at the other end of the bonding pen, doing some eating but mostly just looking bemused! So I've popped them back either side of the divider for now. It was a really difficult decision but I was just worried about Harriet being stressed. Her breathing isn't the best anyway due to ongoing respiratory issues which are normally well managed, but I really don't want her to be chased all day long as that may worsen things. It's risky to wait and see whether she loses weight and becomes depressed because I feel that she's in quite a delicate balance with her health already.
It's all just really sad. Harriet's previous friend Gloria was such a wonderful companion for her. Despite being the most dominant guinea pig with others, Gloria had a real soft spot for quiet little Harriet. They used to sit cuddled up together in hides and would seek each other out for company. I'm just worried that Harriet will be alone now and that breaks my heart. I had thought that they'd just go back in together easily but obviously things have changed now without Gloria to lead the herd, and Maple is unfortunately enjoying her position of dominance over Harriet a little too much.
I have read all the bonding guides and they have been so helpful. I was just hoping for a bit of input on my specific situation. Have I been too soft and called it off too soon when it might have worked out, or have I done the right thing in stopping a potential bullying situation of a vulnerable piggy?
Obviously it will boil down to individual personalities but if I were to look at doing some rescue dating to find Harriet a new friend, would there be a particular age of sow that I might expect to have more luck with? A baby who is unlikely to bully her, or perhaps an elderly lady who just wants somebody to snuggle?
Thank you for reading the ramblings of a very stressed guinea pig parent.
