C&C temporary divider

[roxie9306]

I'm hoping to make a temporary divider for my 2 girls. Something that I can take out whenever i want and put back in whenever i want. Harper and Lila are at least 4-5 months old. I'm not 100% sure, when i got them I was told they were 3 months but they were SO tiny. Since then they have grown a lot, i've had them for a couple of months. Harper is larger and the dominant one. She loves to rumble and strut at Lila and they sometimes go 'chin to chin', where they are face to face with their heads up(i'm not sure what it's called). I was hoping this was just dominance and Harper would get over it quickly, but it's been going on for at least a few weeks. It doesn't seem to phase Lila, she isn't scared and doesn't back down, but she usually doesn't fight back either. Harper will sometimes chase Lila, but it doesn't last long. Mostly just rumbling, which is very bad early in the morning, and sometimes at night.

So I am looking to make a divider for their cage, to put in at night or at early in the morning so I can get some sleep and so Lila can get a break. I have no problem doing this because even though they have been together their whole lives and cuddled a lot when I first got them, they usually stay to themselves now. They have 3 hideys and are in a 2x3 and are always laying in different spots, never cuddle. They are still pretty small so they have plenty of room to run around and get away from each other, but Harper likes to bother her. Has anyone ever made a divider they could take out and put back in easily? I have extra grids I can use but if anyone knows of anything different, that would be great!

 

[Rocky5]

They are just doing normal dominance behavior and will most likely get over it eventually. A 2x3 C&C is too small as a 2x4 is the minimum but you really should shoot for a 2x5 or larger. If the loudness of it is bothering you, you can move them to a different room. As for the hideys, make sure each one has 2 holes so neither of them can trap the other and make sure you have 2 of everything (2 hideys, 2 water bottles, 2 food bowls, 2 hay bags, etc) set as far apart from each other as possible. Good luck!

 

[jaycriae]

2x3 is the minimum for two females, it can work but it is true that a bigger cage would likely help. My 3 girls never fought when they were in a 2x6, but now they sometimes chase each other around or pull each other's fur in a 2x5 (I had to downsize due to space unfortunately. when I move out I will slide the pieces right back out and have a 2x6 again).

I agree with Rocky's advice, and make sure all the hideys have 2 openings so Harper can't corner Lila. (Though for me, I only had to make sure one of them had two openings, and the pig who gets chased learned to hang out there just in case. If you have the little plastic pigloos they can learn to escape fast enough by just flipping them up, too, in my experience, though your pigs might be too small to do that.)

If you do create a divider, make sure it's out of grid or another substance they can easily see each other through, I have temporarily used the lid of the travel cage before (it's from one of those pet store cages that lifts off the base). I would try and get something bigger though, if you can, and make sure to only do it at night so she can sleep. I don't really think that's necessary though.

 

[bpatters]

I think you need to buy some ear plugs and just let the guinea pigs be. But a larger cage would be much better.

 

[roxie9306]

I will someday get them a bigger cage when I move out, for now it's all I can fit. I can not move them to another room. I know the minimum and to have hideys with 2 openings, and to also have 2 of everything. Harper has no problem with Lila eating or anything like that. She just likes to rumble and it can get quite loud and it also bothers my dog who sleeps with me and will only sleep with me. I thank everyone for their advice, but I would really like to know how to make a divider that I can easily take out. I will also use it for when I feed them vegetables, because Lila is a slower eater and Harper will try to steal her food.

 

[Rocky5]

I think if you have a divider it would make them very territorial about their side causing more fights and instead of solving problems it will just create new ones or make the current problems even worse. Don't quote me on that as I'm not 100% sure. You wouldn't be able to have a permanent barrier either because of how small your cage is. My advice is to either suffer through it till they get a bit more used to each other or get ear plugs for yourself. I'm sure your dog is fine.

 

[roxie9306]

they don't need time to get used to each other, they have been together all their lives. I'm not sure if they are sisters or not, I assume they are since they have always been together. I just don't want this rumbling and chasing to turn into biting and then me have to separate them. I do not have room for 2 cages. I have had many guinea pigs before, just never 2 in the same cage.

and ear plugs will not work for me. Unless they block out all noise(which i don't want because I need to be able to hear at least somewhat), they won't work. The cage is only a couple feet from my bed, it can't be moved. Obviously, my dog is 'fine', but I try to keep things as quiet and stress free for her. She has anxiety and we live in a stressful home. Simple things like a guinea pig constantly rumbling at 6 in the morning will keep her awake.

 

[lissie]

If you put a divider between them, it will make things worse. They will go through dominance dance each time they meet. So repeatedly separating and putting them back will make the situation worse.

Plus it will be louder if you make the divider from grids. They'll be biting at the grids to get at each other.

 

[CavyChrissy]

I've noticed my pigs wake up when it gets light out. What if you put a blanket over their cage at night to keep it dark? Maybe that would help them stay asleep later in to the morning.

 

[bpatters]

Don't cover the cage. It interferes with the air circulation. But a dark room would likely help them sleep longer, so you might try something like room-darkening curtains.

 

[roxie9306]

I actually have curtains that keep my room pretty dark, plus at 6:30, its still quite dark out. I watched them this morning around 6:30 and I noticed when Lila is active, Harper will start to bother her and it sort of turns into a game. Lila will start popcorning and running around, Harper will run after her, rumbling. when Lila quiets down, usually so does Harper. I tried switching things around in their cage, i took away a wooden bridge that Harper loves to sleep under, and it seemed to help a little. I put it back after I got up. So for a few hours, they had 2 hideys, one on each side of the cage. They are so active in the morning and I realized today it's mostly the running around that is the loudest. I am in the process of switching them to fleece, so I think then the running won't be as loud since their feet can't hit the coroplast.