Guinea Pig Introduction Question

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Annapox

Post   » Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:13 pm


I recently adopted a second guinea pig, Rosie, to introduce to my guinea pig Penny. The introduction is happening right now. Penny was the only one showing any dominance behaviors, and she stopped about an hour in. However, Rosie makes distressed sounds whenever Penny approaches her to sniff her butt or chin. The piggies have now been in the same playpen for about five and a half hours, with no signs of aggression from either side after the first hour. How will I know when it's okay to move them to the cage (which I have already cleaned)? Should I wait until Rosie feels more comfortable with Penny around, or will that take time? If they're not ready to move into a cage together when all the humans in the house have to go to bed, is it safe to leave them in the playpen (with food and water, of course) overnight?

Thank you!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:43 pm


How big is the cage? A really big cage helps a lot.

I'm not an expert in the introduction process so I'm not sure of the answers!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:00 pm


I'd put them in the cage a couple of hours before you go to bed so you'll have a chance to see how they're doing there.

Annapox

Post   » Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:27 pm


It's a C&C cage, two grids by four grids. We ended up leaving them in the playpen overnight and transferring them to the cage on Sunday. I watched them all afternoon, and they didn't really fight at all. I was ready to declare success, but I've been weighing both piggies daily, and Rosie lost 28 grams in a single day. That could be because I just moved her from my parents' house to my house, which is unfamiliar to her (the piggies stayed with my parents during quarantine because I don't have room in my place for two full-sized cages); it could also be that Penny is eating more than her share of the food (in which case, how do I make sure Rosie gets enough to eat?); or it could be something else entirely. I'm hoping it's just the move.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:41 pm


Twenty-eight grams isn't anything to worry about unless she continues to lose. Whether she's eaten/drank/pooped/peed before or after one or other of the weighings can definitely cause quite a bit of swing.

Just continue to weigh regularly, preferably in the morning before feeding them breakfast, and see how the trend goes.

Annapox

Post   » Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:33 pm


Well, that makes me feel a bit better. :)

Annapox

Post   » Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:15 pm


Follow-up question: Rosie has started chasing Penny, despite the fact that Penny very clearly won the bid for dominance when I introduced them (Rosie didn't even try). Penny sounds stressed when she's being chased, although the sounds she's making could be signaling submission. Is it normal for this kind of thing to happen? They were first introduced a week ago today, in case that matters.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:04 am


She's possibly in heat. If it eases up in about 24 hours, but recurs again in 14-16 days, that's a pretty good indication that it's heat related.

And yes, it's totally normal.

Annapox

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2018 9:36 am


Good to know. Thanks!

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