Hello!
I have a 4 1/2-year-old female piggy (Her name is Dax ) whose mate died in July (RIP my sweet girl). Knowing that guinea pigs are social animals, I got my existing girl a new cagemate back in August (her name is either Ginger or Athena. Can't decide! She's around 6 months old.). I honored the quarantine period as suggested by nearly every guinea pig website I came across when researching on how to do this. I'm holding the introduction in my bathroom, a completely neutral and large area. They're on brand new fleece and towels, there's new hay, and I put fresh veggies right in the middle. I put them in the area at the same time.
Initially, Dax went up to sniff the new piggy's butt. I figured that was completely normal. They chattered teeth, rumblestrutted, and nipped at each other a few times. No serious fighting or overly aggressive behavior. However, the new piggy nipped Dax on her behind a little, resulting in some of her hair being bit off. Dax squealed out of shock/fright. It almost sounded like she was wheeking. Normal? I checked to see if any blood had been drawn; there wasn't. Because there was none, I continued with the introduction.
Currently, they're lying comfortably around three feet away from each other. Dax looks a little nervous, which I'm assuming is normal. I'm sure it's very distressing. The other piggy appears to be completely at ease. She'll go over to Dax and sniff her butt, chatter her teeth for a few seconds, then go back to her position across from Dax. Could this mean Ginger/Athena is the dominant piggy? How long until I know they're going to be okay with each other? It's been around an hour since I've put them in together. Just a few minutes ago, they were eating hay at the same time in their designated areas. Should I wait until they're eating side by side? Most importantly of all, did I do this correctly?? ALSO, Dax was the submissive pig when her cagemate was still alive. I suppose it would make sense for her to be submissive for this new pig, right?
Thank you!
I have a 4 1/2-year-old female piggy (Her name is Dax ) whose mate died in July (RIP my sweet girl). Knowing that guinea pigs are social animals, I got my existing girl a new cagemate back in August (her name is either Ginger or Athena. Can't decide! She's around 6 months old.). I honored the quarantine period as suggested by nearly every guinea pig website I came across when researching on how to do this. I'm holding the introduction in my bathroom, a completely neutral and large area. They're on brand new fleece and towels, there's new hay, and I put fresh veggies right in the middle. I put them in the area at the same time.
Initially, Dax went up to sniff the new piggy's butt. I figured that was completely normal. They chattered teeth, rumblestrutted, and nipped at each other a few times. No serious fighting or overly aggressive behavior. However, the new piggy nipped Dax on her behind a little, resulting in some of her hair being bit off. Dax squealed out of shock/fright. It almost sounded like she was wheeking. Normal? I checked to see if any blood had been drawn; there wasn't. Because there was none, I continued with the introduction.
Currently, they're lying comfortably around three feet away from each other. Dax looks a little nervous, which I'm assuming is normal. I'm sure it's very distressing. The other piggy appears to be completely at ease. She'll go over to Dax and sniff her butt, chatter her teeth for a few seconds, then go back to her position across from Dax. Could this mean Ginger/Athena is the dominant piggy? How long until I know they're going to be okay with each other? It's been around an hour since I've put them in together. Just a few minutes ago, they were eating hay at the same time in their designated areas. Should I wait until they're eating side by side? Most importantly of all, did I do this correctly?? ALSO, Dax was the submissive pig when her cagemate was still alive. I suppose it would make sense for her to be submissive for this new pig, right?
Thank you!