taterNwoodyMom
New Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2004
- Posts
- 1
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2004
- Messages
- 1
Hi fellow cavy friends!
I am very new to cavy slavehood... and if this is slavery, I don't want to be free!
I owned a gerble and a hamster as a child...the hamster was an albino named snowball, should have been hudini, because that thing got out all the time!
Anyway, I don't remember having a really tight animal/owner relationship with them.
We were thinking of getting a dog for our boys... and thought it would be too much responsibility for a first pet. My husband had guineas as a boy and said they were great pets to cuddle and love & the potty training etc. wasn't the hassle like a puppy.
At first I thought ah ok and gave in...but thought, well we will likely get a dog soon too. Soon as the boys show responsibility with the guineas. Like helping me clean the cage and filling the water and food bowls etc.
Well withing 24 hours I was a guinea indentured servant! After watching Tater jump around with glee (popcorning) when he was turned loose in the large critter proofed bathroom I was in love! Giggling like a little girl with my thrilled little boys! "Look at that mom... is he happy?" I hear..."Yes I believe so" I replied. I decided he needed a pal...He is a male and I have heard conflicting stories about whether or not they will get along with another male. I had initially thought of breeding them, because the pet stores can't keep them in stock here, there is a waiting list at two and they buy from local pet owners.
Then I read your breeding don'ts and was so shocked at all that could go wrong and I decided it would be another male. So I thought, better get him while tater is young (only been with us a week) and he is about 6 weeks old.
Thought better chance of them getting along... I went to the pet store the day they got their new piggies in and carefully did the gender tests on each one. The pet store customer service person didn't even know how to determine sex. I did 3 of the tests explained on cavy spirit site and am sure I got another mild manner male.
When I got home, I took Tater to the large bathroom as to not introduce him to the new male in "his" territory. At first they ignored eachother went in opposite directions, but both popping around with glee. Then suddenly they both went into one of the boxes on the floor with holes on all sides for exploring and I heard a lot of shuffling around, but no fighting. I peaked in to see Tater mounting the new male! I seperated them, checked again... yup he was a male. But tater kept mounting him (him was shortly named Woody for a favorite character on the movie Toy Story) Woody kept moving and backing his rear in areas tater couldn't get to him. Tater started purring and nuzzling him (I was glad at least they weren't fighting, but wondering why tater was confused as to Woody sex)
After about an hour, they started preening eachothers ears and fur and Tater stopped mounting him. I know they can easily scent female cavy. So all I can figure is he was smelling his female litter mates.
I am still shocked at how well they get along. They sit so close together, usually Tater's paw rests on one of Woody's paws. Like they are holding hands. They eat out of the same dish at the same time no fighting. The only disaggrement they had, very slight was over the sheepskin slipper that tater was sleeping in, they both couldn't fit. So I found the mate, cut them from the souls and sewed the speepskin together to make a larger bed they could both sleep in. As soon as it was placed in the cage they backed in together and were off to lala land side by side. They walk the cage together. One eats so does the other, the other goes in the bed, the other follows, one gets a drink so does the second. It is so cute to watch them, both heads in one bowl and not so much as a nudge. They both even chew on the same piece of alfalfa.
I know they are social, but I was figuring at least a night or two of adjustment period! I even kept their cage by my bed last night incase a fight errupted I could intervien.
Is it common for two males to get along so famously so quickly? Or did I luck out? And will it change as they mature?
And what was up with the mounting? Was it pure excitement about the new roomie or what I thought about female littermate's scent?
Hello to all!
My name is Renee, looking forward to becoming friends in Guineaville! ;o)
I am very new to cavy slavehood... and if this is slavery, I don't want to be free!
I owned a gerble and a hamster as a child...the hamster was an albino named snowball, should have been hudini, because that thing got out all the time!
Anyway, I don't remember having a really tight animal/owner relationship with them.
We were thinking of getting a dog for our boys... and thought it would be too much responsibility for a first pet. My husband had guineas as a boy and said they were great pets to cuddle and love & the potty training etc. wasn't the hassle like a puppy.
At first I thought ah ok and gave in...but thought, well we will likely get a dog soon too. Soon as the boys show responsibility with the guineas. Like helping me clean the cage and filling the water and food bowls etc.
Well withing 24 hours I was a guinea indentured servant! After watching Tater jump around with glee (popcorning) when he was turned loose in the large critter proofed bathroom I was in love! Giggling like a little girl with my thrilled little boys! "Look at that mom... is he happy?" I hear..."Yes I believe so" I replied. I decided he needed a pal...He is a male and I have heard conflicting stories about whether or not they will get along with another male. I had initially thought of breeding them, because the pet stores can't keep them in stock here, there is a waiting list at two and they buy from local pet owners.
Then I read your breeding don'ts and was so shocked at all that could go wrong and I decided it would be another male. So I thought, better get him while tater is young (only been with us a week) and he is about 6 weeks old.
Thought better chance of them getting along... I went to the pet store the day they got their new piggies in and carefully did the gender tests on each one. The pet store customer service person didn't even know how to determine sex. I did 3 of the tests explained on cavy spirit site and am sure I got another mild manner male.
When I got home, I took Tater to the large bathroom as to not introduce him to the new male in "his" territory. At first they ignored eachother went in opposite directions, but both popping around with glee. Then suddenly they both went into one of the boxes on the floor with holes on all sides for exploring and I heard a lot of shuffling around, but no fighting. I peaked in to see Tater mounting the new male! I seperated them, checked again... yup he was a male. But tater kept mounting him (him was shortly named Woody for a favorite character on the movie Toy Story) Woody kept moving and backing his rear in areas tater couldn't get to him. Tater started purring and nuzzling him (I was glad at least they weren't fighting, but wondering why tater was confused as to Woody sex)
After about an hour, they started preening eachothers ears and fur and Tater stopped mounting him. I know they can easily scent female cavy. So all I can figure is he was smelling his female litter mates.
I am still shocked at how well they get along. They sit so close together, usually Tater's paw rests on one of Woody's paws. Like they are holding hands. They eat out of the same dish at the same time no fighting. The only disaggrement they had, very slight was over the sheepskin slipper that tater was sleeping in, they both couldn't fit. So I found the mate, cut them from the souls and sewed the speepskin together to make a larger bed they could both sleep in. As soon as it was placed in the cage they backed in together and were off to lala land side by side. They walk the cage together. One eats so does the other, the other goes in the bed, the other follows, one gets a drink so does the second. It is so cute to watch them, both heads in one bowl and not so much as a nudge. They both even chew on the same piece of alfalfa.
I know they are social, but I was figuring at least a night or two of adjustment period! I even kept their cage by my bed last night incase a fight errupted I could intervien.
Is it common for two males to get along so famously so quickly? Or did I luck out? And will it change as they mature?
And what was up with the mounting? Was it pure excitement about the new roomie or what I thought about female littermate's scent?
Hello to all!
My name is Renee, looking forward to becoming friends in Guineaville! ;o)
