This article may have outdated information.
The HappyCavy webcams and Guinea Pig Treat Machine went offline on April 8, 2024.
 |
It’s so good to be back on the webcams again. We missed seeing you online during the 2 weeks that Feebee and Buttercup were being introduced to the HappyCavy family.
We are so excited to be sharing our new lives with Feebee and Buttercup. And we’re tickled silly that you’re here to join us 🙂
Look for more guinea pig introduction stories? Read about Dot’s Guinea Pig Introduction:
Aug 10 – Dot’s New Digs On Web Cam 3
Aug 10 – Buttercup Visits The Guinea Pig Vet
Aug 8 – Dot Introduction Suspended
Aug 6 – Dot’s Guinea Pig Introduction Update
Aug 3 – Dot: Separated
Feebee and Buttercup’s introduction to Hammy and Bitsy began like any usual guinea pig introduction would, we suppose.
Day #1
First 10 to 15 minutes
Each pair huddles in their respective pigloos – Hammy and Bitsy at one end of the introduction area and Feebee and Buttercup at the other.
Next 16-20 minutes
The pigs happily chut around the introduction area, either pretending not to see each other or avoiding eye contact all together. It certainly was the easiest part of the introduction.
Next 21-35 minutes
Buttercup immediately got along with Hammy and Bitsy. Feebee, on the other hand, provided an entirely different set of challenges. Feebee started to act with aggression, specifically aimed at Bitsy. Bitsy would not play the passive piggie, which irritated Feebee even more. The unfriendly behavior quickly escalated into attack stances, hissing, charging, then biting out hair. Not good.
Feebee’s aggressive behavior lasted for about 5 minutes – but it was enough time for both Feebe and Bitsy to nip some hair out of each other. It was time to stop the introduction activities for the day.
We returned Hammy and Bitsy (along with their new friend Buttercup) to the HappyCavy Palace while Feebee officially earned a spot in her own private cage which was placed next to everyone else (see photo below). This technique worked well when we introduced Bitsy.
Day #2 and #3
An introduction attempt was made each day. The introductions lasted about 45 minutes each.
Feebee and Bitsy became increasingly comfortable with one another during each introduction.
Day #4
By Tuesday there were no signs of aggressive behavior – just some mild disagreements on who got to eat from the food bowl first. It seemed as though Feebee was relenting and giving Bitsy the “go-ahead” to assume top rank in the HappyCavy Herd.
We decided to put all the piggies in the big cavy home and observe them throughout the afternoon and evening. They got along surprisingly well! They were exhausted from such a long introduction process.
After spending a few minutes exploring and happily chutting around the cage, each piig napped in a separate pigloo. It looked as though the HappyCavy family were finally four very happy cavies, indeed.
4th Day of Introductions – Happy Guinea Pigs
They have been living together since their final introduction.
The herd rankings seem to be Bitsy as #1, Feebee as #2, Hammy as #3, and Buttercup as sweet little piggie #4. Sometimes Bitsy gets a bit annoyed by Feebee’s constant running around and chasing Buttercup. But overall they seem to have worked out their differences.
Feebee and Buttercup were adopted to the HappyCavy Family Saturday, January 22, 2011. You can read more about their pre-introduction activities here:
Thanks or sharing the introduction. You are clearly devoted to these wonderful guinea pigs, and have given them a great loving home. Having two more guinea pigs makes the site so much more enjoyable to watch. Your Happy Cavy web site is fun and informative.
PS: Do they go up the ramp very often?
hey_its-k from JustinTV
hey_its-k, we know you!! Hai there!! Sooo glad you came over to our website 🙂
The only one who doesn’t go upstairs is Buttercup; she’s easily spooked. Feebee likes to run laps up the ramp and Hammy and Bitsy go upstairs to get away from all the craziness sometimes
You can see Hammy and Bitsy running down the ramp for a few brief moments on the Tik Tok music video, I think 😀
Hey, I’ve really enjoyed reading about and watching your four piggies. Inspired, I made a blog about my two female cavies. I just made the blog, and recently got the Guinea Pigs. Here is the URL to my blog. http://blissfulguineapigs.blogspot.com Tell me what you think! I look forward to your feedback, thanks! 😀
I just wanna say that I love your web and piggies! They are such stars :]
Lately I’ve been really wanting to get a couple of indoor guinea pigs myself, and watching your cams makes me want them even more!
What a cute blog! I love the background – you should put a photo of your girls on the background or your sidebar so I can see them no matter what page I’m on 🙂 We added your site to our “Fave Links” on the bottom blog sidebar
Long live Kiwi and Cali!! <3 <3
Oh poor Charlotte and Fudge, introductions are sooo difficult!
It can be difficult to ease a younger guinea pig into an amicable relationship with an established adult.
Some people recommending bathing them together, as the stress may help them bond, though we have never tried this. Giving Fudge some time (a week to several) in a separate cage may settle her down. The fighting is uncomfortable for anyone, so I suggest leaving your kids out of the room for introductions. Chattering is normal (sometimes like their teeth are going to break apart), and lunging is semi-OK (as long as there aren’t bared teeth).
Have you tried:
– Introducing on a neutral territory, not in anyone’s permanent home
– Performing introductions frequently, about once every day, to get them used to each other
– Providing snacks, hiding places, pellets, and water in the introduction area for a comfortable environment
– You can use a towel to throw over aggressive guinea pigs. This may help calm them down and reduces chances of biting or serious injury to you or Charlotte.
Also, fighting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as you don’t see blood or injury, they are just establishing a new dominance order. Once this is sorted, you may have a few scuffles here and there, but the fighting should cease.
Does this help? ~ Hammy