Hello everyone,
About a week and a half ago, I rescued a skinny pig as a companion for my other rescued skinny. We have been waiting a while for a rescue skinny to show up so we were so happy when our second rescue popped up at a solid, reputable rescue and she had been fully vetted. Anyway, in preparation for her arrival I rebuilt my entire cage with all new coroplast and added an additional loft. I also replaced all of the toys and thoroughly cleaned the water bottles and dishes. In total, my C&C cage is a 4x2 with one downstairs kitchen, a 2x1 upstairs kitchen, and a 3x1 upstairs room off the loft. When the girls first met, my girl Penelope was very interested in her but our new girl, Stella, was a bit of a bully. This was expected and I didn't interfere. Stella started a few minor scuffles but they were mutually ended very quickly. It didn't seem like they figured out who's boss, but they were doing fine together so I put them in the cage together after observing their introductions in a neutral space for about three hours. Things continued to go well but after a day they didn't even want to be near each other. Now, every day they are constantly bickering and teeth chattering at each other. Penelope has claimed upstairs and Stella downstairs. It honestly seems like they hate each other. If one comes into the other's claimed territory, they chase the other off angrily. They don't play, they can't even seem to be in the same space without being nasty to the other. Last night they wouldn't stop bickering and going into the other's space, seemingly goading the other and after several unsuccessful attempted lunges at the other, I needed to sleep so I blocked off the ramp that connects the top floor to the bottom. I know bickering for dominance is normal but this seems beyond that. I'm so frustrated. We worked so hard to find Penelope a friend from a GOOD rescue and I have no clue what to do now. Also, for reference, I haven't been interfering except for taking them out for floor time, lap time, and I did attempt a buddy bath which seemed to accomplish nothing. Does anyone have any advice? I'm at a loss. I've done so much research but I can't figure out what to do and I'm scared if this continues I'm going to have to return Stella to the rescue because I don't have space for two totally separate cages.
About a week and a half ago, I rescued a skinny pig as a companion for my other rescued skinny. We have been waiting a while for a rescue skinny to show up so we were so happy when our second rescue popped up at a solid, reputable rescue and she had been fully vetted. Anyway, in preparation for her arrival I rebuilt my entire cage with all new coroplast and added an additional loft. I also replaced all of the toys and thoroughly cleaned the water bottles and dishes. In total, my C&C cage is a 4x2 with one downstairs kitchen, a 2x1 upstairs kitchen, and a 3x1 upstairs room off the loft. When the girls first met, my girl Penelope was very interested in her but our new girl, Stella, was a bit of a bully. This was expected and I didn't interfere. Stella started a few minor scuffles but they were mutually ended very quickly. It didn't seem like they figured out who's boss, but they were doing fine together so I put them in the cage together after observing their introductions in a neutral space for about three hours. Things continued to go well but after a day they didn't even want to be near each other. Now, every day they are constantly bickering and teeth chattering at each other. Penelope has claimed upstairs and Stella downstairs. It honestly seems like they hate each other. If one comes into the other's claimed territory, they chase the other off angrily. They don't play, they can't even seem to be in the same space without being nasty to the other. Last night they wouldn't stop bickering and going into the other's space, seemingly goading the other and after several unsuccessful attempted lunges at the other, I needed to sleep so I blocked off the ramp that connects the top floor to the bottom. I know bickering for dominance is normal but this seems beyond that. I'm so frustrated. We worked so hard to find Penelope a friend from a GOOD rescue and I have no clue what to do now. Also, for reference, I haven't been interfering except for taking them out for floor time, lap time, and I did attempt a buddy bath which seemed to accomplish nothing. Does anyone have any advice? I'm at a loss. I've done so much research but I can't figure out what to do and I'm scared if this continues I'm going to have to return Stella to the rescue because I don't have space for two totally separate cages.