When BigPig met LittlePig......again!

[BonkeyMollocks]

No one else will appreciate these pics apart from some of you fellow MN guinea folk

For those that don't know - these two buggers have a fighting history and each have their own residence in Bonkey Towers, rather than share!

Minor faceoff

I will not look at you!

Hay!

It happened by mistake - BigPig pushed the divide down - I sat there for a whole hour with my water spray and broom....they did have one little spat where the kind of launched at each other but missed I did not laugh , but now what??

They got quite arsey more than usual after about a hour....is a playtime together a day a bad idea ??

Bloody Pigs!!!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

at the size of LittlePig- he's catching up with BigPig.

It's great that they spent an hour together in (relative) harmony. If they'd wanted to kill each other, they wouldn't have hung around so long.

You could try leaving the divider open for a short period of time every day, let them decide.
But lots of distraction and a cattleprod handy
Is the run both boars territory or is that LittlePigs area that BigPig gatecrashed.

Maybe they're getting mature now that they've reached the magic year without being skinned

Lovely pictures BTW. DD is very impressed.

[fortifiedwithtea]

Bonkey, I have to be honest, I can't tell which is Big Pig and which is Little Pig . They are both a lovely piggie pear drop shape .

Sounds good they didn't have a major punch up.Whether that is a sign that they can live together in harmony? No idea. But I think it's worth another playdate tomorrow, maybe abit longer.

Good luck.

[BonkeyMollocks]

LittlePig is the same weight as BigPig ...they are different shapes though - but both podgy! BigPig is my lovely tort and white .

They usually have a side each - BigPig always pushes it over so LittlePig has a teeny space by the end but today he must have put his feet on the top and pushed - bloody thing just went down and scared the crap out of them both!

BigPig is still boss from what I could tell he was humping again - mostly LittlePig backed down. He did get cocky towards the end hence time for home!
Will have another go tomorrow and see what happens - it will be nice if they could at very least have abit of time together a day, I do feel bad sometimes that they are alone....if they keep tolerating then I may have to re-think the living room layout again to accommodate a bigger cage

[FernieB]

Lovely pictures Bonkey. I'd try them again, they may like the company for a short time.

[KRITIQ]

Lovely boys and the expressions are priceless! Good luck with the supervised playtime. As long as they aren't really going at each other and have plenty to do, they will probably enjoy having the company. Well, enjoy might not be the word, but the having-someone-to-hang-out-with-that's-not-a-human-even-if-I-don't-really-like-him sort of thing! :)

[guineapiglet]

Hi Bonkey -I don't know how I missed these photos, must because they were posted on my daughter's birthday and was probably faffing around with arsey teenagers I would much rather have seen these!! Agree with everyone else, the two are both the same size and such lovely colours, I adore the one of them side by side! - Classic calendar material! What a hoot! looks like hay saved the day XX

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

My two have had a few 'issues' this week- nothing major, GP1 pestering GP2 a bit, then following his rump in the run.
He followed GP2 into the wicker hedgehog house (trapping him) . I did warn GP1 that if he gets bitten, don't run to me, crying.
Then GP2 arseily barged his way past his brother (after I'd tried to protect him) Little Gits

They are now sleeping in seperate 'housies' in the Pighouse. So still together but choosing to not share breathing space. All has settled, they are eating and poohing and coming in for cuddles.
GP1 will make that little 'ticky' noise (tooth grinding) but he got very upset when GP2 left the cage before him (aaaah)

I was thinking "What if I have to seperate the swine permenantly" eyeing up the garage (though it's not ideal because it's a concrete floor and colder) .
But I thought ,I bet they behave like this when I'm not watching them. It's low key boar behaviour and I'll keep an eye on them.
Maybe Spring? Too much parsley? Thinking about girl piggies?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Oooh Bonkey I was doing some GP reading on Rescue websites today (while cuddling GP2. Not that I'm looking you understand)

It had a section on boar arguements that I was reading -especially as mine have been throwing their weights about.

Spring - causes them to get all lairey. Doesn't surprise me but I don't remember them doing it last year. Winter they were worse.

After the age of 5 , they give up on their arsieness.
So I've got two and a half years to wait, you've got four.

Something to look forward too . They'll be too geriatric to fight by 5.

[sandiy]

I'm new to guineas but I live in the west country have a walled garden and my boys love being outside in their run.They go mental and run away every time I try to get them in to put them to bed.When I get them out in the morning they are happy to be caught.S o the question is do I leave them out overnight in the run with hides and bedding or play hunt the guinea every evening to put them to bed.I don t want them to get ill they are much loved by the children.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

They need to go to bed really sandiy -
risk of foxes, ferrets, cats (adders if you are near hills)
the grass gets dew soaked and guineas shouldn't get wet bellies
they can overdo grass

rabbits are meant to have 24 hour access to their run, but Guineas are much more fragile little mammals.

Plus they enjoy you chasing them round, it makes them feel loved and cherished and protected.
And they get to laugh at your futile attempts.

Years of guinea keeping has taught me not to be fooled by their docile nature and bright eyes. It comes at a price

[guineapiglet]

Hee hee 70 you are right 'hunt and chase the guinea' at bedtime is a game for all the family!! They can be slippery blighters too like they have been greased with olive oil! Two of our girls would sit and wait patiently to be put to bed, the rest were not going quietly.....no its not a good idea to leave them in a run overnight for all the reasons above, damp and predators....our empty run was once overturned by a GOOSE...you never know who is lurking looking for a meal.....