Pearl and Zip
Teenage Guinea Pig
Codey is nipping at Zip and chasing her. Poor Zip can’t rest without being chased! Please give advice! Should we separate them and give Codey back?
We seperated them. Codey is in a cat carrier for now. I’m sorry this may seem cruel because it’s so small, but her cage before with her previous owners was barely bigger. View attachment 97091View attachment 97092
Zip really doesn’t like it. She is very stressed and cannot even rest for a few seconds. I don’t think the nips are painless. Codey pulls out hair when she nips, and Zip is experiencing hair loss and irritated skin because of this.If they are sows, have you considered that one one of them may be in season? the first season in a new bond can be on the dramatic side. Please do not separate; the shared excess of emotion is going to bond them together more tightly. Nipping is mild pain-free dominance and NOT fighting!
Sow Behaviour
When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)
We did a proper bonding. They have a 2 x 4 c and c cage. I did read the guides.Did you do a proper bonding, or did you just pop them in together? You really need to introduce piggies on neutral territory. They will chase and nip and rumble and hump, so I don't know how serious this has been. Are they both female? Have a look in the forums tab at the top of the page, and read the bonding guides. That should help you to decide if it's hopeless. What type of cage do they have? Is it big enough to split and give them a bit more space each. That way they can also get to know each other before a formal introduction. I hope it works out x
No blood, but Zip has been itching and losing hair where Codey nips her. Codey pulls out her hair when she nips her. Her ears are red and irritated too because of the nipping. Zip really can’t lie down without being chased and she doesn’t like it at all. I don’t think we should reintroduce them.Unless there has been blood drawn, there is no need to seperate. Now they have been separated you will need to go back through the bonding stages and introduce them on neutral surroundings
I'm sorry that your finding yourself in this situation, and we are only here to advice you. If you believe that separation is the best thing for your pigs then we are in no position to tell you what to do. However, please promptly change the accommodation of Codey, and just because you deem this to be around the same size she was on before, does not make this right. Do you have spare grids from making a c&c? Or even make a make shift run with materials around the house, until you can get additional grids for a c&c for Codey. Or temporarly divide your 2x4 into two 2x2's this would give the pigs their own space until you can provide them with larger ones of their own. And this option would be much better for Codey.No blood, but Zip has been itching and losing hair where Codey nips her. Codey pulls out her hair when she nips her. Her ears are red and irritated too because of the nipping. Zip really can’t lie down without being chased and she doesn’t like it at all. I don’t think we should reintroduce them.
Zip really doesn’t like it. She is very stressed and cannot even rest for a few seconds. I don’t think the nips are painless. Codey pulls out hair when she nips, and Zip is experiencing hair loss and irritated skin because of this.
The carrier is only temporary.I'm sorry that your finding yourself in this situation, and we are only here to advice you. If you believe that separation is the best thing for your pigs then we are in no position to tell you what to do. However, please promptly change the accommodation of Codey, and just because you deem this to be around the same size she was on before, does not make this right. Do you have spare grids from making a c&c? Or even make a make shift run with materials around the house, until you can get additional grids for a c&c for Codey. Or temporarly divide your 2x4 into two 2x2's this would give the pigs their own space until you can provide them with larger ones of their own. And this option would be much better for Codey.
Even if you use a piece of thick cardboard and zip tie it to the grids, or something sturdy that can be secured to the grids, it'll do as a temporary dividerThe carrier is only temporary.
I want to divide the 2 x 4 for a better temporary option, but how do I do it? I don’t have extra grids or cages.
I can zip tie it to the grids, but the pigs will still manage to push up the cardboard and walk under it.Even if you use a piece of thick cardboard and zip tie it to the grids, or something sturdy that can be secured to the grids, it'll do as a temporary divider
“It” would be cardboard, sorryI can zip tie it to the grids, but the pigs will still manage to push up the cardboard and walk under it.
No we don’t have extra grids.Have you a base on the cage? You could borrow a couple of grids from the base.