problem with piggy

Re: problem with piggy

Saskia Quinn — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:38:22 GMT

I have been reading this Katy, didnt offer any advice as didnt really know what to say and it has all been said anyway, I wish you well with your wee piggy

Re: problem with piggy

katy coleman — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:36:55 GMT

thanks for advice everyone I will keep informed as to how i get on

Re: problem with piggy

Louise B — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:59:57 GMT

Oh, I am going to sound really cruel now! I used to mix adult guinea pigs (both sexes) regularly and found the easiest way of introducing new piggies to the colony was to give all piggies and full bath and then put them in a large pen with plenty of hay and hidey places and leave them to it. They generally all feel so sorry for themselves that the desire to huddle up to another piggie overcomes the desire to fight/be territorial and, by the time they have dried off, they have got used to each other and have naturally transferred each other's scent all over each other.

As a general rule this worked better than the usual advice of introducing on neutral territory, transferring bedding in advance of mixing to familiar each piggy with the other's scent, putting cages beside each other, etc.

However....

I also found that entire male guinea pigs will often go on to fight regardless after a period of time. Neutering the entire colony worked perfectly in this situation. I used to keep two free range colonies of semi-feral guinea pigs (c10-15 piggies in each same-sex colony). The girls had a garden circa 35ft x 20ft and introducing new-comers using the method above lead to no problems. The boys had an area circa 15ft x 20ft with plenty of bushes, weeds, things to climb over/hide under and I had huge problems with aggression between them even given this amount of space/freedom to hide. Interesting problems did not occur following mixing but only after several months after sexual maturation. Neutering resolved this completely.

From a more behavioural-biology point of view it might be worth investigating whether male guinea-pigs naturally live in bachelor groups in the wild. I know that boars quite often have harems but I am not sure how 'natural' it is for unrelated males to live together. Guinea pigs are social but that doesn't necessarily mean with any sex of guinea pig and it might actually be more stressful for a male guinea pig to live with another unrelated guinea pig so its possible that the behaviour you are seeing is fear-related. I personally would neuter him and get him a female companion as the best outcome, or neuter them all, wait a month and then try again (bathing them first if still not luck with the intro!)

Just my thoughts though and I know that it was quite widely thought that I was a bit eccentric in my care (or lack of as they were almost feral - I had to borrow a Cats Protection trap to trap them for neutering) of my piggies so others may think differently.

Re: problem with piggy

Fleabee99 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:58:45 GMT

i wouldnt like to say really, although i have heard different stories about people just putting rats together of all ages and them being fine, so hard to tell, whatever you think is best really i mean i would imagine Gpigs are more open to it as they can live with rabbits and such but with you saying youve tried and been unsuccessful i duno = \ wouldnt want the piggy to get hurt, if all fails couldnt you take it to cannon hall? they make take it on? as they have millions, i know how you feel though as a few years ago i had an albino rat and decided to bring 3 baby black hoodies home (possibly not the best idea but once my oh had said i hope a chav doesnt buy them and feed them to a snake i couldnt leave any of them behind) once they were home my parents hit the roof and a battle went on for months so i could keep them, i regretted it at the time but 2 & 1/2 years on they were the best thing that ever happened to me, two regrettably have passed along with the albino and im left with one who is on her last legs, but i never regret keeping all of them now =) so if its possible i would keep him, even if its on his own, can you not get an indoor rabbit cage for him? (keep it in your daughters room ;) say hes your daughters pet and he might compramise for his little girl, i got one for my rats when they turned two as they werent climbing anymore and preferred more ground surface area

hope this helps (sorry ive waffled abit =S )

Re: problem with piggy

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:54:16 GMT

Have you tried introducing them one at a time? he might be overwhelmed with the 2 against so to speak.

also have you tried the back seat of car method?? friend of mine does this when introducing a new rabbit, she takes them out in the car for a wee drive, and it seems to work

Re: problem with piggy

katy coleman — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:41:19 GMT

thanks sarah, that is my worry.

hubby says just leave them to it but not sure if this gonna work?? Would be gutted if little one died as bonded to him more than others as raised from been baby, my little girl named him gary and she loves him. Don't want to get rid of him but can't have 2 sets of hutches and can't stay inside, so either he gets on with others or he's got to go. rubbish

Re: problem with piggy

Fleabee99 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:34:55 GMT

similar experience but with gerbils, had a set of adult brown males and teenager albino males, one of the adult brown males died so my brother decided to try putting them together, successful at first but a few months down the line the brown one was found dead with bites on his belly =( not nice i know but just as a warning, friendly at first doesnt always mean long-term success unfortunately =(

hope this helps, even if its with gerbils