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Post by hippiesmum on Jan 29, 2021 1:18:23 GMT
So I've had Hippie for almost a year. I finally got her a friend. The new pig had a URI and was quarantined while taking antibiotics. She seems a little shy, won't eat from my hand, hides when I enter the room ect. Anyways we've had her for about a month now so I tried to introduce her to Hippie. I set out a space on the living room floor with tunnels, treats, and hay not caged in. The first time Hippie established her dominance. But everyday since when Hippie tries to play and groom her she just hides (won't run from her)and now everytime Hippie tries to play she's started screaming .. is this normal? Should I separate them when this happens? Any advice?
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Post by Bean on Jan 29, 2021 9:50:50 GMT
Glad Hippie has a friend! She sounds like quite a timid pig- if she's overwhelmed being in her own cage then being somewhere different and with someone new is bound to make her freeze. But you've given her plenty of time to settle in and made sure she's healthy, so I think you're doing the right thing to begin the intros. If they work out, hopefully the new one will get some confidence from being around Hippie. The set up for the intros with hideys and veggie treats sounds great too. I've had a couple of squealers - submissive pigs who want the other one to know they're no threat, so wail anytime they think an attack may be imminent! The main problem I've had with that is when the dominant pig is entertained by the noise the other one makes on their approach, and starts playing them like a musical instrument! But usually they get past that stage with a bit of time. There's nothing in what you've described that's ringing alarm bells to be. This is a great general page on introductions and a list of signs that things are not going so well. Good luck and please keep us posted! What's the new pig's name?
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Post by hippiesmum on Jan 29, 2021 10:22:25 GMT
Glad Hippie has a friend! She sounds like quite a timid pig- if she's overwhelmed being in her own cage then being somewhere different and with someone new is bound to make her freeze. But you've given her plenty of time to settle in and made sure she's healthy, so I think you're doing the right thing to begin the intros. If they work out, hopefully the new one will get some confidence from being around Hippie. The set up for the intros with hideys and veggie treats sounds great too. I've had a couple of squealers - submissive pigs who want the other one to know they're no threat, so wail anytime they think an attack may be imminent! The main problem I've had with that is when the dominant pig is entertained by the noise the other one makes on their approach, and starts playing them like a musical instrument! But usually they get past that stage with a bit of time. There's nothing in what you've described that's ringing alarm bells to be. This is a great general page on introductions and a list of signs that things are not going so well. Good luck and please keep us posted! What's the new pig's name? Thank you for the advice! The new piggy's name is Little Pig. She looks almost just like Hippie. Hippie recognizes her name so when Little Pig screams I just call her over to me so she can have a break from Hippie. I'll keep my fingers crossed that she gains some confidence in Hippie.
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 29, 2021 20:46:15 GMT
I've had a couple of screamers, too, and there's really nothing you can do, as long as the dominant pig isn't physically hurting the screamer. We never know their histories, so can only go by what we see/hear happening, now. It seems as if Little Pig is a very shy pig. She may have had a major scare, or been bullied. Either way, if Hippie is trying to groom her and play with her, having a cage mate who isn't trying to hurt her is probably the best thing for her. I know the screaming can be unnerving, but hopefully she'll realize she's safe, and she has a friend. It sounds as if she really needs Hippie, and is lucky to have her
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 3, 2021 17:11:32 GMT
Update! Finally the 5th session was sucess. At the end of the session I had put Hippie in her cage and shut off the living room light. Little pig started wandering around and popcorning. I closed the playpen and let Hippie out so she could run around it to see how Little Pig would react. She kept playing and eventually met Hippie at the side of the playpen and seemed interested. So I opened it up and Hippie went in and they played together for a bit. I have now moved their cages side by side. I noticed Little Pig is much more comfortable being out of her igloo and I find them meeting each other at the side that touches. On a cute and funny note, it seems Hippie has taught Little Pig to wheek when we open the refrigerator. So now we have 2 wheekers everytime anyone opens the fridge ❤ Again Thank you for your advice!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 3, 2021 19:50:14 GMT
That's wonderful I'm so glad they decided to get along Congratulations
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Post by Bean on Feb 4, 2021 7:19:08 GMT
Lovely, lovely, lovely! Thanks for the update, I'm really pleased for you, Hippie and Little Pig!
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 4, 2021 14:39:20 GMT
One last question, how long do y'all think I should wait to move them in together? I didn’t know if sooner was better or to wait.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 4, 2021 20:23:23 GMT
If you haven't put them together, yet, I would do another floor time, make sure they're getting along, and while they're doing that, clean the cage(s), and neutralize all the smells, and put them back in one cage. Do it when you have the time to do it all. Good luck
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 4, 2021 20:31:26 GMT
If you haven't put them together, yet, I would do another floor time, make sure they're getting along, and while they're doing that, clean the cage(s), and neutralize all the smells, and put them back in one cage. Do it when you have the time to do it all. Good luck I've been letting them have floor time every evening for a few hours. Sometimes they chase and popcorn around like crazy and other times Little Pig keeps to herself. Usually thats towards the beginning and end of there floor time.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 4, 2021 20:37:09 GMT
That's completely normal. Being good together means each feels she can be herself, and not have to please a dominant pig, or try to get space from a clingy pig. It seems as if they're good, though having floor time is usually in a space much bigger than the cage, so putting both back in one cage may start the dominance play all over again. Every different space they inhabit is a new territory, and has to have a dominant pig and a follower. If there's a way to enlarge the cage with some floor space they can access just going in and out the cage door, that might help. Pigs are very much like us, in that sometimes they just need space, and other times they really want to be sociable. Good luck
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 4, 2021 20:50:49 GMT
Thank you! I did plan on joining their cages after I clean everything and replace their igloos with tunnels
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 4, 2021 21:09:25 GMT
Excellent
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Post by Bean on Feb 5, 2021 8:05:31 GMT
It all sounds promising, please let us know how it goes. As 3piggles said, going back in cage may stir up a few dominance issues, so don't worry if things seem to slip back, just keep an eye and watch out for any indications they need to cool off (the link in my first post in this thread has good info on) but it really does sound promising.
Good plan switching the pigloos for hideys with two sides at first too - an extra exit helps avert many a standoff!
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 5, 2021 14:27:30 GMT
Sorry everyone but I have another question. Would it be ok to bathe them before they move in together too? I've heard sometimes that helps the process so that they both smell the same.
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Post by Bean on Feb 6, 2021 9:43:57 GMT
You can do, although it's not really necessary if all is going well. But some people find it helps in terms of making them smell more similar. And others find that going through the stress of a bath unites pigs who might otherwise have been bickering!
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 6, 2021 19:35:13 GMT
I'm still so nervous to move them in together! I've seen some things that make me a little worried. If I make a pile of hay Hippie seems to block Little Pig from it. So I will make a new pile of hay by Little Pig and Hippie will run over to block Little Pig again. If I call her name she moves but I just worry for when I'm not there.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 6, 2021 19:43:43 GMT
I had a pig who did that. I put the food she was guarding at the furthest ends of each cage, so she couldn't cover both at the same time. If anything, I would change where or how the hay is presented, so it's hard for her to cover all the hay at one time, if that's possible.
A buddy bath might not help with that, because, as I said, every new place is a new territory, and dominance gets asserted each time they change living spaces. That's one reason I always took all my pigs to the vet together, even if only one needed to go. That way they all smelled of the vet, and none had been left behind to claim the cage, while the other was gone.
If you think a buddy bath is a good idea, do it. They can huddle together miserably, which bonds them, and does make them both smell the same. Just don't use any scented shampoo or anything, unless it's a natural scent. No need to learn the hard way one of them is allergic to scents.
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Post by Bean on Feb 7, 2021 10:53:06 GMT
I've had intros where theyve just got along great from the start, and others where I've had to have multiples of everything for a while (hideys, water bottles, hay piles, food bowls etc) to help edge off conflict. Hippie can't be everyone at once!
But try them in the cage and see how it goes - you might feel quite comfortable leaving them after watching them for a while. It doesn't sound like Hippie is being physically aggressive, it's probably just a mix of not being used to sharing and overexcitement!
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Post by hippiesmum on Feb 20, 2021 15:38:48 GMT
Update! They have been doing good together. The last couple of days I've noticed Little Pig rumble strutting, mounting and chasing Hippie. I know thats all normal if Little Pig is in season. But I do have a question. I currently have washable incontinence pads with fleece laid on top that is a little to big for the bottom of the cage so I tuck it in between the cage bars and canvas. Along with this behavior Little Pig has been getting under the fleece and absorbent padding of the cage. Making it look like a tornado has been through the cage. Then she starts chewing on the canvas liner. Thankfully I have a shower curtain and an absorbant layer under the canvas incase of leaks.. But I've never had an issue with Hippie doing this. I have tried to arrange the fleece so she can't get under it but she still manages to do so. Is this because she is in season? Or is there a way to get her to stop? Will buying or making a liner that fits perfectly for the cage prevent this? I'd like to invest in a coroplast bottom for the cage but they are expensive on the websites. I've added a picture of where she's burrowed around the sides of the cage. Resulting in the tunnels being pushed into the middle.
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