Stevie! (and hopefully friend(s) tomorrow)

[waytofailself]

Brief intro from a first time poster:
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Hi, I'm new. I, like most people, hadn't found this site when I bought my piggies (Guinness and Stevie) so there were a lot of things I didn't know then that I know now. Sadly, when I bought them they were both sick, but I waited too long because Guinness died from pneumonia

Stevie (who was misexxed by the pet store and is male) now lives on his own and has been for nearly two weeks. I got him to the vet the same day Guinness had to be euthanized and he has since gained about 42 grams back and is steadily growing. I'm not sure how old he is -- probably 3 months -- but I'll post a more recent picture of him soon.

Stevie currently lives in a C&C cage that had a 2nd level, but because I made the ramp too steep he only used the bottom one. He generally runs around and popcorns, and is always interested in what I'm doing when I step into the kitchen area of my apartment (and he loves his cabbage!)
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End first wall of text.

Stevie is now healthy, he's still cute, and he's still terribly skiddish (considering the petstore I got him from that isn't a surprise). He's getting better about being handled at least, but he also likes to hide...a lot. He was pretty sociable with his former cagemate (deceased...see above), though that was more in a "I want to mate with you" kind of way.

Tomorrow I'm making my first of a few trips to different shelters and rescues in NC and VA. This is a general animal shelter in Greensboro, NC and I'm a little concerned about making sure I have everything in proper order before I go (especially considering I'm not going to have a chance to take Stevie with me to meet the pig). I'm not sure what their conditions are or how they handle their pigs other than I know they neuter all males.

However, is there anything I may be able to look for in a guinea pig that may reveal some kind of compatible personality? Stevie is relatively curious but also likes to hide in dark places. When it was him and Guinness, he would always be the last one to come out and say hello. He's gotten a bit better about this and being handled, but I know that won't translate as much into a piggie relationship. I may be picking up one...I may be picking up a bonded pair tomorrow. I really don't know just yet. I've read the info on the cavy spirit page and it seems like it will be helpful. I'm just trying to maximize my (and Stevie's!) success.

Is it possible to tell a pig's temperament with other pigs based on behavior on its own?

Sorry...I make long posts :\

[waytofailself]

sorry for the double post and even sorrier for not posting this in the "introductions" area. If a mod could move this thread and delete this reply I'd really appreciate it.

[Fay]

It's hard to estimate if the pig your going to get will match your current pig.

Don't forget quarantine! Guinea Lynx :: Quarantine

Since your pig is still fairly young it's best to either get younger pigs or adult pigs. However you know your pig the best and by meeting the new pigs you might be able to estimate if they will match. Either way you will never know the outcome until you actually introduced them. You could make a deal with the shelter that after they have been quarantined and the introduction went bad that you can bring them back and get a different pig that will match. Bit like a piggy date! It will be hard to let go of the new pig(s) though.

How large is your C&C cage? It will have to be a 2x4 if you are getting just one buddy and a 2x5 if you plan to get a bonded pair.

Guinea Pig Companionship

[waytofailself]

As of right now I have a 2x3 cage (14.5" grids) that had a 3 grid 2nd floor that can easily be expanded to 4 grids. However, since stevie is by himself at the moment and the other pig is going to be in his old cage (also 2x3 but 14" grids), I have removed the 2nd floor because I made the ramp too steep he hasn't gone up there unless I've placed him up there.

Also, I had read the quarentine section on both cavy spirit and cavylynx before, but thank you for pointing me in that direction again because it reminds me of a question I've been thinking about:

Quarentine is important, but I live in a 500 square foot one bedroom apartment. How important is it that the two cages are in totally separate rooms? I was thinking of keeping stevie's cage in the dining area and having the new cage in more of the living area (about 15' away) or on the dining table itself (about 4' away)...it depends. Should I really push hard to move the other cage into a totally separate room assuming I adopt from a good shelter?

Thanks

[waytofailself]

update: lied to by the shelter and still no companion for stevie looks like the closest rescue that has pigs for adoption is in roanoke, va. not gonna make it there til next week.

at least Stevie is becoming more well adjusted.

[waytofailself]

yay! I got a friend for Stevie. they're in separate cages at the moment, but while stevie is 4 months old, the other one is a full year. I wasn't expecting THAT much of a size difference!

Little Stevie in his bigger digs:



Rocko (name may change) after his 2 hour drive home...a little pooped!:



I'm going to wait a bit to introduce them until I'm sure that Stevie is okay.

[RayFay]

They are both gorgeous! I love Rocko's coloring! and Stevie is so tiny! I hope introductions go well for you!

[waytofailself]

Thanks!

I don't know why my photos disappeared from the site, but I'll try uploading them here or elsewhere again.

[waytofailself]

Ah, now I realize that the photos uploaded here are for cages only (based on the categories). My apologies. I'm still new!


Here's Stevie from the corner of his digs.


Here's Rocko, who's doing better now that he's been here for a bit but isn't used to my late night schedule.

And lastly, for comparison's sake, here's two pictures that let you see just how different in size they are. Please don't mind the creepy bearded buy in each shot...

[FoolOnTheHill]

Eee, they're so cute I love the one of Stevie at the side of his cage, and Rocko has really nice colouring.

If they seem to be getting on well after intro's, you should expand the cage to a 4x2 as this gives them a better chance of getting on. Try and quarantine them as far apart as possible - different rooms is best.
Welcome to the site, feel free to post any other questions.

[Percy's Mom]

With the age difference between your boys, introductions have a good chance of going well. Where Stevie is headed into puberty, Rocko has already passed it. That should help to avoid a lot of conflict. Both of your boys are adorable.

[waytofailself]

Originally Posted by FoolOnTheHill

Eee, they're so cute I love the one of Stevie at the side of his cage, and Rocko has really nice colouring.

If they seem to be getting on well after intro's, you should expand the cage to a 4x2 as this gives them a better chance of getting on. Try and quarantine them as far apart as possible - different rooms is best.
Welcome to the site, feel free to post any other questions.

Thanks to both of you for the compliments!

Unfortunately, I'm not sure (based on the floor plan of my apartment) that, even with moving some furniture around, I'll be able to expand the cage to 2x4 on the bottom floor. My hope is that building upwards instead of outwards will give them the space that they need. For now they're both in 2x3 cages on opposite ends of the living/dining area (stevie can see into the bedroom because I keep the door open to help air flow throughout the apartment) and are doing pretty well.

[Fay]

Congratulations on the new addition! Very cute!

Where did you manage to get your new pig from? As for a 2x4, this should be fine for two boars. Make sure to do the quarantine in a neutral place.

[waytofailself]

Whoops! That's a typo that I didn't catch until just now. I won't be able to make it 2x4, thus the upper level.

[pignewton]

Very handsome pigs!

[Piggersrule]

Welcome to the forum. Your piggies are very handsome.

[Tulia&Susie]

Your piggies are gorgeous. Rocko is such a handsome big boy. And Stevie is such a cute little guy. Goodluck with intros.