new guinea pig help!

[Hannahspanner]

Our rescue guinea pig, Willow arrived yesterday as arranged! We put her in with Wilma in her hutch last night and all seemed well but of course Willow was very scared of her new home.

I brought them inside today for a bit of bonding and Willow doesn't seem to have eaten anything since she's arrived, I have tried separating them for a short period to give Willow a chance to eat some food without Wilma stealing it! But she still isn't eating.
She is very wary of her surroundings which isn't suprising but if she doesn't eat something soon I will begin to worry!

Also they seem to be getting along okay-ish, they have had a few little quibbles which each other but nothing serious, Wilma has been acting very oddly and been burying herself underneath Willow and then irritating her. Very confusing!?


Any ideas about the odd behaviour and not eating would be much appreciated! ?

Thanks x sorry posted this on wrong forum first.


also wilma has just started making REALLY loud sneezing/hiccuping/coughing noises every 10 mins or so why is this?!

 

[Connie]

I'm not sure i will be much help, just make sure that when they go into their hutch together that is has been disinfected so it no longer smells of wilma (so its neuteral terratory)

 

[Claire W]

Did you introduce them on neutral terrority ie somewhere where none of them have ever been?

 

[Abi_nurse]

Burying herself underneath Wilma is just a sign of being worried. Is this the first time they have met? Did you just put them straight into the cage together straight away?

It would have been ideal to let your new little one have some time to calm down from the journey and get used to you for a day or so. Then introduce them on neutral ground with lots of food etc. Is there anyway you could have popped them into cages side by side? It doesnt matter so much now.

As for the coughing etc noises, what bedding are they on? Is it woodshavings at all? This can cause respiratory irritation/allergies in some piggies.

If the sneezing sound is towards your new piggie it can be a sign of aggression ive seen it in sows getting annoyed with one another, usually holding there head up high, huffing and raising there hackles.

x.

 

[Wiebke]

Not eating is normal for a piggy in new surroundings. she will hopefully get her bearings soon with Wilma's help. Place the food and hay close to her hiding space, so she can get at it easily.

Normally, we recommend introducing guinea pigs on neutral territory first and only placing them into a thoroughly cleaned and, if possible, rearranged cage/hutch. Do this while you can still keep an eye on things, in case there is a problem. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case but there can be a renewal of dominance disputes once your new girls comes into her own and decides to renegociate the terms of their relationship. Your newbie should come round a bit quicker, as she has an old hand to show her the ropes.

Here is more about shy new guinea pigs.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

 

[Hannahspanner]

Burying herself underneath Wilma is just a sign of being worried. Is this the first time they have met? Did you just put them straight into the cage together straight away?

It would have been ideal to let your new little one have some time to calm down from the journey and get used to you for a day or so. Then introduce them on neutral ground with lots of food etc. Is there anyway you could have popped them into cages side by side? It doesnt matter so much now.

As for the coughing etc noises, what bedding are they on? Is it woodshavings at all? This can cause respiratory irritation/allergies in some piggies.

If the sneezing sound is towards your new piggie it can be a sign of aggression ive seen it in sows getting annoyed with one another, usually holding there head up high, huffing and raising there hackles.

x.

It's Willow that is the new pig not Wilma And they have met before at the rescue centre, I made sure I cleaned out her hutch and sprayed it before they both went in there so it didn't smell of either of them. Um no there was no room to put them side by side It's weird they're snuggled up next to each other but it seems more like Wilmas decision rather than Willow who just sort of sits there and every now and then they have a little disagreement and snap at each other...

Um they are on newspaper, then hay at the moment. or Towels.
Thankyou so much for all the info! very useful xx

 

[Hannahspanner]

Not eating is normal for a piggy in new surroundings. she will hopefully get her bearings soon with Wilma's help. Place the food and hay close to her hiding space, so she can get at it easily.

Normally, we recommend introducing guinea pigs on neutral territory first and only placing them into a thoroughly cleaned and, if possible, rearranged cage/hutch. Do this while you can still keep an eye on things, in case there is a problem. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case but there can be a renewal of dominance disputes once your new girls comes into her own and decides to renegociate the terms of their relationship. Your newbie should come round a bit quicker, as she has an old hand to show her the ropes.

Here is more about shy new guinea pigs.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

Yeah i introduced them in a clean hutch that i sprayed and scrubbed alot I have been putting food near her but wilma is being very cheeky and eating some of it!

Wilma is only about 7 months old wheras this new piggie Willow is 1 year and 6 months old....Wilma has previously had a rough life as she had a traumatic incident with a dog, and then was bullied by my other two girls (now seperaetd from her obviously). I don't really think Wilma knows what to do either, she is acting so oddly!
Hopefully she will settle down soon, but I think Willow was used to living in a shed with hutches full of guinea pigs, so lots of noise and squeaking. Wheras my lot are quieter.
Thankyou x

 

[Guinea Fan]

Personally I would say, put everything in the hutch and leave them alone. Getting them out and putting them somewhere else just increases the stress of it all. Mine have always met somewhere first, so I know they should be ok, then I bring them home in the carrier, put them in the hutch which is all clean and leave them. I feed them the usual times, have a little chat whilst I feed them, but I don't over handle the new one, I just leave them to it.

 

[Amysguineapigs]

Can't really help tbh, but our girls who are sisters have squabbles almost everyday, occasionally stealing eachothers food. Typical girls lol!
Lottie pecks Bonnie quite a lot tbh and Bonnie seems petrified in some cases. Lottie goes in Bonnies sack and purposely pecks her and makes her squeal! Then happily munch hay later. Just a dominance thing.
Although when they seem scared they seem to want to be together for reassurance...x