Mikatelyn's Piggies

Mikatelyn

Mikatelyn

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 4, 2020
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Location
USA
So we attempted to get some holiday photos this year. The models were absolute divas though, demanding to be fed throughout the entire process 😆

Bandit's holiday photo shoot:
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Bunker's first photo shoot:
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Yes, I think so! It took a few days, but both are acting more normal now after their failed bonding attempt. Bandit is not yet back to full swagger, but a lot of his normal behaviors are starting to come back, like waiting at the front of his pen for food at the expected feeding times and he's not scuttling from hide to hide in his pen as much anymore.
 
I think membership is automatic. I am on the GPU naughty list FOREVER!. As they didn't actually have a full on fight (am I remembering correctly?) maybe further down the line you can try to bond them again?
Any moderator please correct me if I am mistaken.
 
@fluffysal You are correct, they did not have a full blown fight, but the hostility was getting worse rather than better. I watched some of Saskia's (LA guinea pig rescue) bonding videos to try to train myself on how to interpret piggy interactions beforehand, and in one of them the submissive piggy was getting less submissive and more aggressive over time, and she stopped the process saying she thought a full blown fight would start. I also saw somewhere (I think Scotty from LA guinea pig rescue's video) that with adult boars the odds of successful bonding was 1 in 5, and they can hold grudges forever. What really sealed the deal in my mind was how Bandit acted afterwards, just so scared and withdrawn for a couple of days after. So my plan was just to have them live side by side rather than try again. It's quite possible it traumatized the humans more than the piggies, but that bonding attempt was pretty stressful for the entire household that day!
 
I was thinking in the longer term taking consideration of factors that would have been stressful for both boys at the time such as relocation for Bunker and bereavement for Bandit.
 
Another Bandit photo shoot attempt, also known as Bandit eating the Parsley tree17028505700052.webp17028505769053.webp

While Bunker is trying to figure out what's going on with all the munching noises next door17028505336891.webp

"Hey! You got some munchies for me too?"17028505244100.webp
 
Breaking news: I decided to retry bonding and I am cautiously optimistic that they are going to make it!

So the backstory:
Bandit's cagemate and twin brother, Bolt, was put to sleep on 12/2/23 for cancer near his airway. I got Bunker. They lived side by side for a week, then I tried introducing in a neutral space. Bunker wiped the floor with Bandit, I separated, Bandit acted like a PTSD victim for a few days, and eventually everything normalized with them living side by side. In retrospect, I think Bunker was withdrawing from marijuana, because he was REALLY chill the first 3 days, and his poops smelled like weed. Bunker was a rescue that I got from a family that found him in a park.

BUT THEN Bandit got increasingly agitated over the past month and kept trying to get over onto Bunker's side, always chewing on the bars or trying to dig underneath the grate. So I put down a clear plastic divide over the grate. He now would try to bite the plastic, so I put down a cardboard divide over it. He just would not stop trying to rip the cardboard off. Even his favorite treats would only distract him for a few minutes then he'd get right back to trying to break down the wall. He was a piggy obsessed. So finally after a month of that I decided to take down one of the dividing grates. (I know, I did not follow protocol, but I went with my gut on what the piggy wanted). The first hour they'd cycle through humping/chasing for a couple of minutes, then stopping/getting distracted by exploring the side of the cage where the other piggy has been living, then going back to it. Then the cycles would get longer and longer apart, then finally they started to plop down next to each other for naps!

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Here is Bandit (left) and Bunker (right), flipped from their normal sides. I guess they think the hay really is greener on the other side.

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Here is Bandit (left) and Bunker (right, under the bendy bridge) taking a nap next to each other.

I'm not positive because they both hump each other, but I think Bandit is top piggy now because he's rumblestrutting more, and humps Bunker more than the other way around.

They've been together about 5 hours now. Last time they lasted maybe 15 minutes before I felt the situation was getting too aggressive and separated.
Fingers crossed that they work out!
 
I don't know how I missed your thread in the beginning! I've done a quick catch up, what lovely boys. I hope they stay together, it's sounding very positive. I keep telling my single boys what a lovely big cage they could have if they would only be nice together.
 
Well all seems ok this morning! 20 hours together and counting! A little bit of humping here and there, nothing that lasts more than a few seconds at a time.

Here's the two of them using their combined powers of cuteness to obtain breakfast this morning
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Bunker assuaging any fears that I have mistakenly sexed him by showing off his family jewels
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I even caught the two of them apparently having a meeting of the brains on how best to tear down the rest of the wall that's been separating them 😂
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Quick update: the boys are still getting along! I get the distinct impression that Bandit THINKS he's top piggy, but actually Bunker calls the shots. Bunker will tolerate Bandit crawling on top of his head fairly patiently, but if Bandit tries to do it too often Bunker will kind of stare Bandit down and Bandit will run away. Is it possible that Bunker is top piggy and he just knowingly LETS Bandit think that Bandit is dominant to keep the peace?
Anyways, they are now very cute together and often sleep next to each other.

ALSO: I decided to redesign the Piggy Palace to be closer to the kitchen counter and have a second story. They get really excited when they hear vegetable chopping noises, so I have given them their very own Chopping Board Viewing Tower!
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Here they are from the view of the counter with the grate up for interaction.
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On the way back down...
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"Oh hello! Do you have treats for me?"
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I got a new rescue piggy! Introducing Blaze!
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A brief recap of the piggy emotional rollercoaster over here (detailed on another thread). Last week Bunker suddenly went downhill with a 7mm bladder stone and survived the surgery to remove it, only to pass away 3 hours post-op 15 minutes after i left the vet's with him during the drive home.
Bandit has been eating and drinking ok, but just not acting his normal peppy self. I've been looking through all the piggy rescues (not many around here), craigslist, and facebook piggy groups, and finally found Blaze at the Arizona Humane Society! I took one look at him and knew I'd found my newest furbaby. He was found in a cardboard box outside the AZ humane society doors on 1/9/25. Their vet thinks he's around 10 months old. So he will quarantine for 1 more week, then bonding intros with Bandit commences! 🤞
Bandit has already perked up just smelling Blaze in the room!
 
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