Introductions: Tasha and Carley

[tabikat55]

I removed the divider yesterday and kept an eye on them for any problems. They butt sniffed, stole each others house, food and water. Tasha (who's older by a month) was a little pushy at first finally settled down.

I wish I had a camera though when I asked the girls if everyone was being good as they were both sitting in their houses looking cute. Tasha stuck her head out and had some brown fur attached to her teeth. Carley is bron, black and white.

Other than that, they get along fine. And to think I was scared of them fighting.

[CavyMama]

Originally Posted by tabikat55

Tasha stuck her head out and had some brown fur attached to her teeth. Carley is bron, black and white.

Other than that, they get along fine. And to think I was scared of them fighting.

Brown fur attached to her teeth? Meaning she bit her? I would check Carley for bites and possible other injuries.

[akstrohm]

In the future, introductions should always be done on neutral territory, not in the cage.

[angiekay]

I agree, I had two boars that fought and I would see the older, more agressive pig with white hair in his mouth and the other had bite sores!! That can't be good.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Originally Posted by akstrohm

In the future, introductions should always be done on neutral territory, not in the cage.

Dividers in the cage usually work against a positive introduction too since it fosters territorialism. And you need to clean out the cage before putting them in it.

[tabikat55]

Okay let me clarify some things. I did make the mistake of quarenteeing them in cages next to each other. Won't do that again. Both GP are very healthy and even tempered.

They have been put together a couple of times (against my wishes/orders) by my grandson. After realizing that even though their separate cages were expensive, I built them a 2x4 cage and had it attached to the wall on brackets.

I choose to put the divider in because even though my grandson said they got along fine, I wanted to make sure there would be nothing past the "introduction" (butt sniffing, humping, guarding each others food/water and chatter. Which I believe, if I read it correctly, is all normal. Including a little bit of fur pulling in the inital scuffal.

Before I took out the divider, the cage was completly cleaned, plenty of food and treats were given.

I checked them often and still do. There's no crazyness, no fighting, no teeth grinding, no growling no anything. Either they are sleeping apart or together. Eating out of their own dishes or sharing. And they love to play hide and seak.

Like I stated, I was expecting a "true battle" once they were together. But they are "silly piggy girls".

[akstrohm]

Regardless of the reason for having the divider, the introduction should not have been done in the cage. Obviously you can't change that now; I was just letting you know in case you do any future introductions. I'm glad they are getting along now!

You might want to sit down and talk with your grandson about the guinea pigs. In this case there was no major harm done, but you should make sure that he will listen to you in the future. For example, if you tell him not to feed the guinea pigs certain things, not to play with them in certain places, or not to handle them in certain ways, he needs to listen to you and understand that the guinea pigs' safety may be in danger otherwise.