Teejay
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi there, I have my 5 piggies in two groups; Squeak (castrated boar) with Coco, and Pudding (castrated boar) with Darklis and Popsicle (OH chose that name rolleyes)
Squeak and Coco are best buds, adore each other and got along perfectly from the moment we introduced them. We have no concerns at all about their bonding.
We got Darklis to live with Pudding, but, although they lived together without incident, there seemed to be no interaction whatsoever, they pretty much just ignored each other. So, we made the decision to get another baby sow (Popsicle) to live with Pudding & Darklis, in the hope that Pudding might bond better with a different piggie.
Pudding & Popsicle get along great, but that leaves poor Darklis as the odd-one-out......their cage is normally pretty settled, there's more dominance behaviour than there is between Squeak & Coco, but it's never been particularly worrying.
However, last night, I watched the most bizzarre behaviour.....Pudding & Popsicle actually ganged up to 'surround' Darklis and were really trying to intimidate her, both of them rumbling, teeth chattering, hackles raised, the works (there was no actual fighting, so i didn't intervene and I let it run it's course).
It didn't seem like a co-incidence that they both decided to 'have a go' at the same time, it really seemed like a co-ordinated act. Has anyone ever witnessed this kind of 'pack mentality' behaviour in piggies?
Anyway, since then, I've noticed there's a bit more unrest in their cage......and I'm quite worried about poor Darklis.
She's always been a bit 'special', bless her. She's been checked out for physical problems several times, but the vet and I are convinced she has some sort of congenital neurological problem / brain damage. She's always seemed slightly 'vacant' (not much of a personality), and she occasionally displays a weird head twisting movement, like she's looking at the ceiling with one eye. She twists her head round so much sometimes that she almost falls over, but she only does this when she's being held, never in the cage or when she's having floor time. She eats really well, drinks well, is very vocal at feed times and seems to be a contented piggie, although she's always seemed to be a little bit of a loner.
I suspect that Pudding & Popsicle are rejecting her because she's not 'normal', because she has this problem.
So, what to do......like I say, she seems to be happy enough in with Pud & Popsicle, she's certainly physically thriving, so she's getting plenty to eat and drink, but I can't help wonder if she'd be better off soming out of that group and being introduced to another younger sow (oh, no, more piggie shopping rolleyes).
We've already considered trying to bond her with Squeak & Coco, but we ditched that idea....Squeak & Coco get on so well that it seems unfair to upset that friendship.
Sigh......what do you all think?
Tracey
Squeak and Coco are best buds, adore each other and got along perfectly from the moment we introduced them. We have no concerns at all about their bonding.
We got Darklis to live with Pudding, but, although they lived together without incident, there seemed to be no interaction whatsoever, they pretty much just ignored each other. So, we made the decision to get another baby sow (Popsicle) to live with Pudding & Darklis, in the hope that Pudding might bond better with a different piggie.
Pudding & Popsicle get along great, but that leaves poor Darklis as the odd-one-out......their cage is normally pretty settled, there's more dominance behaviour than there is between Squeak & Coco, but it's never been particularly worrying.
However, last night, I watched the most bizzarre behaviour.....Pudding & Popsicle actually ganged up to 'surround' Darklis and were really trying to intimidate her, both of them rumbling, teeth chattering, hackles raised, the works (there was no actual fighting, so i didn't intervene and I let it run it's course).
It didn't seem like a co-incidence that they both decided to 'have a go' at the same time, it really seemed like a co-ordinated act. Has anyone ever witnessed this kind of 'pack mentality' behaviour in piggies?
Anyway, since then, I've noticed there's a bit more unrest in their cage......and I'm quite worried about poor Darklis.
She's always been a bit 'special', bless her. She's been checked out for physical problems several times, but the vet and I are convinced she has some sort of congenital neurological problem / brain damage. She's always seemed slightly 'vacant' (not much of a personality), and she occasionally displays a weird head twisting movement, like she's looking at the ceiling with one eye. She twists her head round so much sometimes that she almost falls over, but she only does this when she's being held, never in the cage or when she's having floor time. She eats really well, drinks well, is very vocal at feed times and seems to be a contented piggie, although she's always seemed to be a little bit of a loner.
I suspect that Pudding & Popsicle are rejecting her because she's not 'normal', because she has this problem.
So, what to do......like I say, she seems to be happy enough in with Pud & Popsicle, she's certainly physically thriving, so she's getting plenty to eat and drink, but I can't help wonder if she'd be better off soming out of that group and being introduced to another younger sow (oh, no, more piggie shopping rolleyes).
We've already considered trying to bond her with Squeak & Coco, but we ditched that idea....Squeak & Coco get on so well that it seems unfair to upset that friendship.
Sigh......what do you all think?
Tracey
) and she looks very fit and well......the others don't normally bully her, as such, they all eat their veggies side-by-side, they're happy to share space in the hay loft.....so she's being allowed to live her life like a 'normal' guinea pig. 