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<3PigMama<3
Hello! I used to be an active member on a couple of guinea pig forums when I first got my guinea pigs a few years ago, but I've come back to the community to ask your advice!
I'll give you a little background info...
I've got two sows about 3 years old who up until recently were very happily bonded. They live indoors in a c&c cage which was 4x3 (about 5ft by 3ft).
One of the girls had a lump which had to be removed under general anethetic - this was very stressful for all of us and it took her some time to recover from her surgery. She lived next to the communal cage in a 'hospital bay' for just under 2 weeks. The girls could see, hear and smell each other and regularly met (on the bed!) for salad. I believed that since they hadn't been what I considered to be fully 'separated' that the pigs' return to communal living wouldn't be an issue.
When the healed sow was returned to the home cage there was an all out fur fight that resulted in a horrible lip injury and (my) bitten fingers. I split the cage down the middle do they had half each - not ideal as it greatly reduced their exercise space.
After about a month of seemingly harmonious neighbourly relations, I bathed them both in gorgeous guineas shampoo and deep cleased the cage with vinegar and hot water. My boyfriend and I tentatively put them both down on the neutral bedroom floor with some salad but within moments they tried to attack each other - thankfully unsuccessfully as we had towels at the ready!
It's now clear to me that they cannot live together again - the dynamic has changed and the only way they seem to want to resolve it is by fighting and I simply will not risk any more injuries.
I'd really like to know how to move forward. I was considering adopting a neutered boar for each of them and basically having 2 entirely seperate cages for the two couples. Although they don't got on, I worry that they are lonely even though they're neighbours. One of them seems really quite bored and sad - I know that because she is so much more affectionate to me than she used to be!
What would you do? Sorry this is such a long post! :red
I'll give you a little background info...
I've got two sows about 3 years old who up until recently were very happily bonded. They live indoors in a c&c cage which was 4x3 (about 5ft by 3ft).
One of the girls had a lump which had to be removed under general anethetic - this was very stressful for all of us and it took her some time to recover from her surgery. She lived next to the communal cage in a 'hospital bay' for just under 2 weeks. The girls could see, hear and smell each other and regularly met (on the bed!) for salad. I believed that since they hadn't been what I considered to be fully 'separated' that the pigs' return to communal living wouldn't be an issue.
When the healed sow was returned to the home cage there was an all out fur fight that resulted in a horrible lip injury and (my) bitten fingers. I split the cage down the middle do they had half each - not ideal as it greatly reduced their exercise space.
After about a month of seemingly harmonious neighbourly relations, I bathed them both in gorgeous guineas shampoo and deep cleased the cage with vinegar and hot water. My boyfriend and I tentatively put them both down on the neutral bedroom floor with some salad but within moments they tried to attack each other - thankfully unsuccessfully as we had towels at the ready!
It's now clear to me that they cannot live together again - the dynamic has changed and the only way they seem to want to resolve it is by fighting and I simply will not risk any more injuries.
I'd really like to know how to move forward. I was considering adopting a neutered boar for each of them and basically having 2 entirely seperate cages for the two couples. Although they don't got on, I worry that they are lonely even though they're neighbours. One of them seems really quite bored and sad - I know that because she is so much more affectionate to me than she used to be!
What would you do? Sorry this is such a long post! :red
