Fighting Fighting, space issue, and now surprise!

[piggies7]

This is quite a long update for those who follow my guinea pig trouble. Quick recount: I have 2 girlies, Chessie and Cookie, both long haired and beautiful. Cookie is very outgoing and social. Chessie completely the opposite. We couldn't keep them together as Cookie got her ear bit off by Chessie. Now one is in the pet store cage, the other is in a C&C cage I made (which hubby hates). Any attempts to put them back have failed.

From the beginning I though Chessie was pregnant. I would see how Cookie would sniff her butt and follow her around. Chessie would seem to be the aggresive one as she is the piggy that attacked Cookie. Anyhow, Chessie doesn't have a great reputation at home. I just think she is extremely shy to the point I am almost sure she had some kind of trouble that only provokes her to be in hiding. She doesn't even move on floor time, just stuck in a corner, fearful.

Cookie ate so much more, she would squeak at us and she is adorable. Chessie wouldn't eat as much, and we though it is because she just simply doesn't come out. I noticed Cookie's belly huge last week and I commented to my husband that she looked pregnant. He said it has been too long since we got them, but I told him that the pregnancy lasts 68 days and we have had them for 2 months now, so it was time. She was indeed big, I could see her belly dragging around on floor time.

This morning I wake up to new sounds, and it just caught my attention, it couldn't be. I know I sound ignorant to the fact but Cookie never showed any changes until about a week ago. Hubby actually though it was from eating so much veggies, carrots and everything we would put in her cage, was gone within minutes. I took the sheet off their cage and looked in the pigloo to find Cookie grooming a hamster size black and brown baby! I was in extasis! I had been thinking of buying a new one thinking maybe this would help them bond as a group, and break the dominance behaviour. I told my step D about it and we are melting over the new little one, which we are thinking to name Chocolate or Fudge, to go with Cookie. I am praying it is a female, cause we would have to have him neutered or put in yet ANOTHER cage.... I do thank God that it was only 1 piggie, but a big piggie!

So, my questions now are the following: Could our issues with Cookie and Chessie be due to Cookie's state of pregnancy? How to we go about introducing the new piggy to Chessie and how long do we wait? I have soo many questions to if someone can point me in the right direction. I have never handled a new piggy so when can we touch them, what do they eat? do they need anything special? Does Cookie need anything special as well, other than more love and attention? I don't know if Chessie would look to harm the baby. I always thought they had this auntie attitude with other babies, so I am really worried due to our aggression history between the 2 girls. I need lots of info. I know there are pages and links out there on how to handle mommy's and babies, but add to it the introduction to another very shy female, with fighting history.

 

[BubuCandyBlue]

First of all, how did Cookie get pregnant? Did you adopt her that way, or might be that Chessie is not a female but a male? Before you go any further, make sure they are both females. Sexing https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html

Beside the grass hay (like Timothy), babies and lactating moms need a supplement, like alfalfa based pellets or/and alfalfa hay.
You have more options in supplementing that calcium: 1.either from pellets (like Oxbow Cavy Performance), 2. or from Alfalfa hay (mix it with your Timothy, and you can keep the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets), 3. or last, harder to do though because of higher attention and knowledge, from veggies. Either plan you'd choose, will get them the extra calcium they need.
Be sure you follow the veggie chart very good https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...-pigs-diet-read-me-nutrition-charts-info.html , at least 1/2 cup of a variety of veggies twice a day per pig (two leafy servings, one non-leafy veggies). Your baby piggie will not eat that much at the beggining, but it will get there. Hay 24/7 (all 3 piggies), unlimited pellets for mommy (till she nurses) and the baby (till 6 months), 1/8 cup pellets just for Chessie (if she is over 6 months). The baby is able to eat solid (pellets/hay/veggies) from his/her first day.


You need to sex the baby https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing_pups.html and separate it at at 3 weeks old if it is a male (he can get Cookie pregnant).


Be careful with the cage, it has to be baby proofed so the babby won't fall out or get stucked in between the wholes: Baby Proofing - Guinea Pig Cage Photos


You can reintroduce all 3 piggies anytime (making sure as I said that Chessie is a female) but it has to be on neutral space. Put around lots of distractions, like veggies, hidies and so, and lots of space and see how it goes for a while (during floor time). Don't let them in the same cage right away till they don't get well on that neutral space. If they do, make the cage suitable in size for all 3 (2x5 grids), clean everything that they use, and that is all.

ps: Keep us posted on how things are going.

 

[piggies7]

I forgot to mention we got them from a petstore, figures, right? (My first post got attacked for saying this, so I don't mention it too often) Chessie is a female cause nothing obvious is showing and she is exactly like Cookie. The cage Cookie is in is a pet store cage 2*3, no wires on the floor, bedded with aspen, and the wire spacing is pretty much like 1*3 inches rectangular spaces. They get Alfalfa hay morning and night and they have their special supplement guinea pig food that I have seen they eat so much more than a previous pellet I bought for them. Water is changed on a daily basis. The food is almost over so I need to go back to the store to get more, now with the new addition in mind, I can buy something more necessary to provide the mommy and baby. The other cage Chessie is in, is a bit more roomie, so maybe I will swap them around as the baby grows.

I will read all the links you have provided. I am afraid of handling the baby so young and in case it is a male I still have the 3 weeks for him to grow and then we can find out. The little one is not eve 24 hours old so I will wait a few more days to find that part out.

I hope I am not missing anything out from the questions asked, otherwise I will update the thread again. I am really excited about the baby and we are definitely keeping him or her, so we want to give it a good chance to a long happy life :cheerful: as well as for our girls. I have a slight hope that we can put them all together in the near future.

Thought to mention this. I bought from Wal-mart the play pen wall, that gives you some area for them to run around in. If you close it on its own it is not much bigger than the cage, but we use it to cut off a part of our hallway and it gives them a larger space. I have 2 of the play pen walls, so we can have them seperated at floor time, if needed. The wires on these walls are very narrow and wouldn't even allow a nose to get by.

 

[BubuCandyBlue]

Ok, what's done is done. Next time you'll know better to adopt. Now it is time for you to take proper care of them.

Search the links I provided for sexing adults and the baby. The sooner the better, it doesn't hurt for Chessie (sometimes you can not tell the difference until you push upon the sack), and don't wait till the 3rd week for the little one to see what he/she is. You can handle the baby from his first day, don't worry.

For food, we highly recommend the best two brands, not any "special food" that they might like: only Oxbow (that you can order online or find in stores), or Kleenmamas (just online).
Oxbow Animal Health | Home
(broken link removed)

Please make sure your C&C cage is big enough, no pet store cage please, they are way too small Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home

Feel free to ask any other questions.


On Wallmart, you mean this? Walmart.com: North State - Superyard XT Portable Playard and Gate: Gear If yes, way too small. You can make your own play pen from grids with zip ties.

 

[piggies7]

I still have a half a sheet of coroplast to use so I can still buid another one. Hubby actually hates it and fights saying the coroplast is something temporary and it looks aweful built the way they are. I actually found it a bit harder to clean for some reason. But I have only had it for about 2 weeks, with Chessie so I am still working on it. I won't say this is an excuse. I love the idea on how you can build, and revamp a C&C cage, so I do hope that soon we will be moving into a house and I will be able to locate the piggies somewhere more roomy so I can build away!

I won't wait that long, I am sure we will be playing with him sooner than later and take a quick peak at the baby.

As for the food, most likely I will print out the pages to take them with me, so I won't forget while I am at the store. I have the food chart for them and follow it pretty well. They have constant hay, I refresh twice a day. They have their pellets. We buy a bag of romaine, just for them and give that to them on a constant basis. They get carrot, zuccini squash, cucumbers, some fruits on few occasions, controlled by the chart.

Question, are guinea pig babies usually this size? I saw a video of a gp birth and they seemed quite small. This baby is the size of a full grown hamster, maybe even slightly more. We were very surprised to see him so big, nice black hair with streaks of brown, large beady black eyes. I am soo excited, makes me want to go home to stare at him all day! It came to us as a shock since both Chessie and Cookie are mainly white with some color patches around the eyes and ears, nothing more. I hope to post some pictures as soon as I can.

 

[BubuCandyBlue]

Well as your Cookie had just one baby, Chocolate or Fudge had enough space to be a bigger baby. Anyways, you know they are born with open eyes and with fur (hamsters are totally another story). You said your two females are around 6 months. They are not fully grown, they are way bigger then a hammy https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html (one of my boars has 3lbs!).

Oh I saw now one of your posts upon space. You can search our cage galleries and find a good solution for you and your piggies needs and best interest, looking at hundreds of pics (broken link removed)

The space that counts is the lower one (piggies are not so much climbers). So you need to have the right footage on the lower side. You can use those 2x5 grids (but make the cage in a corner, L shaped or so, if you have no length space). On the upper deck you can keep hidies and such, their kitchen and so on. Or if Chessie doesn't get along with the other two, you can multilevel your cage with another C&C cage, so you use no length, but hight of your space. I am sure you can figure something out!

 

[piggies7]

Yey! apparently it is a GIRL!!! She is adorable, jumpy, fast, soft, and bright! I will post some pictures of the little one. She is soo big for just being a day old! She coo's all day long with mommy and when we seperate them, it becomes a long process of searching and recover between the 2 of them. Sometimes she gets lost outside the pigloo while mommy is inside. She is the cutest thing!

Question: Should we bathe Cookie after the birth? Since she is long hair, just wondering if it were more sanitary for her and baby to be cleaned.