Should i re-introduce?

[Niki]

As you will know Huxley & Hamish had to be separated because Huxley was "intimidating" Hamish

However, this past 2 weeks they've been getting very close up at the mesh & there's not been a chatter to be heard since the first week i separated them.

Hamish popcorns round his hutch while Huxley seems more "reserved" in himself & while he is eating he's the smallest of my adult piggies at 2lb 6oz (Hamish is 2lb 14oz)

Last night was an "awww" moment, Huxley was sitting with his bum to the mesh, Hamish went up & sniffed him, shouldered his food bowl out of the way & nestled fully out next to him.

Should i try to re-introduce them or would i be tempting fate? Was Huxleys behaviour a temporary blip?

I don't want to upset them but they were once the best of friends & i want to do what's best, any advice would be greatly appreciated

Niki

 

[Abnoba]

my guinea pigs have phases where they just p*ss each other off so much.. usually only lasts a day or two.
during that time, they will nip and chatter and chase god knows how much - and then stop.

So it might well be that their arguments were just a blip...

I would chance it if I was you.

But then, I am not a boar expert, so what would I know

 

[cavykind]

I've found that if the relationship between 2 boars breaks down "big time" it's generally the END of their friendship. By this I mean if they really have a fight and cause injury.
However if they were just "having words" they might pal up again, though if they have been apart for some time...It's difficult to know.

If it were me, I'd allow them floor time, away from other guineas (if you have them) and see how they get on. Be very cautious and ready to seperate them if signs of agression occur. I keep a thick towel ready to pick them up.
Take things slowly.

Then see how things go, if worried or you have real doubts about placing them back together then forget the idea. As I'm sure you will know when boars really fight, they can rip into each other

The usual intro tips would apply if you decide to put them back together.

Good luck whatever you decide, you know your piggies Niki

Barbara

 

[Niki]

Thanks.

There was no huge fight in the beginning, it started when i altered their hutch to one level, Huxley wouldn't let Hamish near the veg bowl & was bullying him, Hamish took flight & hid in every pigloo & hidey hole he could. I added another veg bowl but Hamish (who's a lover noth a fighter) still ran & hid. I tried them together later that day & had teeth chattering, strutting etc & i intervened before it got out of hand.

They have been separated since 13th Sept with a mesh divider but i've kept their food bowls against the mesh so they can interact if they choose.

I may try them & see how they get on, i had them together on my lap whilst posing for some pigtures 2 nights ago & there was no aggressiveness.

I'm assuming if a fight's going to break out it'll happen within the first half hour.
I mean could all appear to be well & then they fall out when they're in a hutch together & i'm not there to see?

I'm going to take a look at introductions on Susie's site

Thank you again

Niki

 

[GuineaPiggable]

Well when I introduced my guinea pig to my brothers, I was so freaked out, I didnt want them to fight, so I made a little wall around a square in the basement, and I was full on ready to seperate them if anything happened. I had 2 small pieces of card board like a wall that I could put between them if they started, a towel, and my brother was there too, just in case. (It worked out fine!)

 

[kayjay]

Well when I introduced my guinea pig to my brothers, I was so freaked out, I didnt want them to fight, so I made a little wall around a square in the basement, and I was full on ready to seperate them if anything happened. I had 2 small pieces of card board like a wall that I could put between them if they started, a towel, and my brother was there too, just in case. (It worked out fine!)

Just seen on one of your other posts you refer to your pig as 'him' and to your brothers pig as 'her', you don't let them play together do you?

 

[GuineaPiggable]

Yep I do. They are a boy (mine, Bimbi) and a girl (my brothers, named Reesy) and I let them play together once in a while, mostly they just snuggle, but I put the cage actually on my lap and I watch them like a hawk so they dont have babies. Not that it would be like, this big bad thing, my mom wouldnt mind if they did, but I dont think I'm ready yet and we would just bring them to the pet store. Its not a worry.

 

[linda.b]

What do you mean by we would just bring them to the pet store? I hope you don't think it's okay to let her have babies and then just sell off the babies. Please think about where those poor little animals might end up! Not everyone looks after their animals all the time. they see a cute little guinea pig in the "pet store", buy it and then get fed up of it. What happens? It ends up at the bottom of the garden in a draughty cold hutch living a very lonely life. Please don't subject more babies to this horror! :'( It IS a worry!

 

[GuineaPiggable]

Uh yeah.. ? I know the pet store owners around me, actually the 2 I shop at are very clean, and they really, seriously LOVE their animals. And if anyone has a problem they fix it. I even helped them a bit with their hamsters. ^-^ And the girls working there tame most of the animals, and they make sure they are cared for.

I'm not careless and dont act like I'm this horrible person because youre against pet stores. Thank you.

Plus, Id give them free, I wouldnt sell them.

 

[kayjay]

Uh yeah.. ? I know the pet store owners around me, actually the 2 I shop at are very clean, and they really, seriously LOVE their animals. And if anyone has a problem they fix it. I even helped them a bit with their hamsters. ^-^ And the girls working there tame most of the animals, and they make sure they are cared for.

I'm not careless and dont act like I'm this horrible person because youre against pet stores. Thank you.

Plus, Id give them free, I wouldnt sell them.

Sorry but we've tried to give you advice but so far you've shown your cage which is only big enough for a hamster and now you're saying you let a boy and girl 'snuggle' but if they have babies you'll just give them to a pet store. I don't really think that's a very good attitude do you? I realise you're only young but you do need to take on people's advice, otherwise don't ask

 

[linda.b]

I did'nt say I was against pet stores, I'm against the fact that you are willing to let a guinea pig have babies that might not be cared for, when there are already loads of unwanted pets in the world. It does'nt matter how "clean" the pet shop is,or how much they "love" their animals, you still don't know who is going to end up with the animal. Free or not!

 

[GuineaPiggable]

....?!

Uh, its a starter cage and I changed it today. (!) Oh my GOSH. o.o That means I hate animals, right? Cause I had too small a cage for like a week or two? : (*just going by your logic*) And its not like he was a prisoner, he was (and is) very happy and hes out of his cage a lot. And I do take advice, mostly why I'm here. And you have no right to flame me. And if you didnt notice, I already posted that I changed the cage and stuff, so maybe you should keep up. (*once again, just going by what youre saying and how youre acting*) But I dont wanna start a war, so I'm going to leave this topic. Its spamming anyways.

 

[kayjay]

....?!

Uh, its a starter cage and I changed it today. (!) Oh my GOSH. o.o That means I hate animals, right? Cause I had too small a cage for like a week or two? : (*just going by your logic*) And its not like he was a prisoner, he was (and is) very happy and hes out of his cage a lot. And I do take advice, mostly why I'm here. And you have no right to flame me. And if you didnt notice, I already posted that I changed the cage and stuff, so maybe you should keep up. (*once again, just going by what youre saying and how youre acting*) But I dont wanna start a war, so I'm going to leave this topic. Its spamming anyways.

You swapped the tiny cage with your brothers so his pig's in it now. I have kept up : Sorry if you got upset but it's only my opinion that the two shouldn't play together and the cage is way too small.

 

[kayjay]

Sorry Niki for hijacking your thread I'd leave them where they are if they're both happy, perhaps a baby boar could be introduced later on to the more submissive one?

 

[Beaney]

I am a complete wuss with animal bonding and would probably leave them - but that is more for my benefit than theirs as I can not stand any agression between animals. Go with your gut instinct - usually the best bet and let us know how you get on.

Sabrina
xx

 

[Niki]

Sorry Niki for hijacking your thread I'd leave them where they are if they're both happy, perhaps a baby boar could be introduced later on to the more submissive one?

I am a complete wuss with animal bonding and would probably leave them - but that is more for my benefit than theirs as I can not stand any agression between animals. Go with your gut instinct - usually the best bet and let us know how you get on.

Sabrina
xx

Thanks kids
I've decided to leave the H's as single boys as there are no guarantees a baby wouldn't bully Hamish (the submissive one) when it grew up & i couldn't have that
I too am a wuss & woul probably end up on valium if it all went wrong - it's not broke so i'm not gonna fix it ;D

Niki x

 

[GuineaPiggable]

*Before I leave this topic...*

Just saying, my brothers guinea pig isnt as tame and it likes small areas and stuff, so it makes sense to swap cages. ? : Atleast until his is better about being handled/social. *duhness moment to you*