onefutui2e
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Posts
- 227
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Messages
- 227
Hey all,
My girlfriend and I moved in together and we also have a dog. She is a pitbull mix (I'm going to say labrador given her constant need for affection), and she has displayed a high level of interest in the guinea pigs such that we haven't been comfortable introducing them together yet. She doesn't seem to want to kill them, but a 60 lb. dog who's not aware of her own strength (and a tail known to leave bruises on shins) makes me want to play it with caution. She's not aggressive, either. She'll wait by the baby gate but otherwise doesn't seem to try getting in, though she'll bark if she spend too much time there. If she smells them she's interested, if she sees them she's very interested.
Right now we're keeping them in our bedroom but this situation is kind of untenable mostly because we have no room for anything else and we both get seasonal allergies that get worse with the hay. So here's what we're thinking of doing:
1. Our house is a single-story home with a finished basement. My girlfriend and I plan to put our "workspaces" down in the basement.
2. Put the guinea pigs in a cage on an elevated table next to one of our work desks. The dog is athletic enough to jump on the couch but I don't think she'd be able to climb a table.
3. Get a cage cover for the cage. The cage will also be in a corner so that there's no risk of it getting knocked over.
4. The dog will only be allowed in the basement if one of us is also down there.
5. Any sign of aggression by the dog will get her a trip upstairs.
6. There is a window in the basement should give the guinea pigs at least 6-7 hours of sunlight per day, but we'll have a lamp for them if necessary.
Does this sound like a viable setup? My girlfriend and I plan to spend time down there doing work which will put the guinea pigs near us. We can have our dog with us during that time and closely watch her. If we go upstairs we'll bring the dog with us and the guinea pigs can live and operate in peace. The only things I'm concerned about:
1. They will get some sunlight, but since it's a basement level it'll only be for a few hours a day, and it'll be more like an overcast of sunlight as opposed to anything significant.
2. I don't think the dog would be able to climb on top of the table. She's athletic enough to get on a couch, but I don't think she'll climb up a sufficiently high table. But if she could...
3. Even if they're safe, my guinea pigs might be scared out of their minds.
Any thoughts on this? Does anyone else have a setup that allows their guinea pigs to cohabitate with a dog, even if they don't actually get along? I'm also guess maybe we should slowly get the dog used to them before putting them out in the open...
My girlfriend and I moved in together and we also have a dog. She is a pitbull mix (I'm going to say labrador given her constant need for affection), and she has displayed a high level of interest in the guinea pigs such that we haven't been comfortable introducing them together yet. She doesn't seem to want to kill them, but a 60 lb. dog who's not aware of her own strength (and a tail known to leave bruises on shins) makes me want to play it with caution. She's not aggressive, either. She'll wait by the baby gate but otherwise doesn't seem to try getting in, though she'll bark if she spend too much time there. If she smells them she's interested, if she sees them she's very interested.
Right now we're keeping them in our bedroom but this situation is kind of untenable mostly because we have no room for anything else and we both get seasonal allergies that get worse with the hay. So here's what we're thinking of doing:
1. Our house is a single-story home with a finished basement. My girlfriend and I plan to put our "workspaces" down in the basement.
2. Put the guinea pigs in a cage on an elevated table next to one of our work desks. The dog is athletic enough to jump on the couch but I don't think she'd be able to climb a table.
3. Get a cage cover for the cage. The cage will also be in a corner so that there's no risk of it getting knocked over.
4. The dog will only be allowed in the basement if one of us is also down there.
5. Any sign of aggression by the dog will get her a trip upstairs.
6. There is a window in the basement should give the guinea pigs at least 6-7 hours of sunlight per day, but we'll have a lamp for them if necessary.
Does this sound like a viable setup? My girlfriend and I plan to spend time down there doing work which will put the guinea pigs near us. We can have our dog with us during that time and closely watch her. If we go upstairs we'll bring the dog with us and the guinea pigs can live and operate in peace. The only things I'm concerned about:
1. They will get some sunlight, but since it's a basement level it'll only be for a few hours a day, and it'll be more like an overcast of sunlight as opposed to anything significant.
2. I don't think the dog would be able to climb on top of the table. She's athletic enough to get on a couch, but I don't think she'll climb up a sufficiently high table. But if she could...
3. Even if they're safe, my guinea pigs might be scared out of their minds.
Any thoughts on this? Does anyone else have a setup that allows their guinea pigs to cohabitate with a dog, even if they don't actually get along? I'm also guess maybe we should slowly get the dog used to them before putting them out in the open...