Are they ready?

[Tillygizmo]

Hi all, As some of you know I have been working on getting my two boys bonded. They have had playtime a few times and it went badly with a lot of fur slip and such. We cooled down on it for almost a month. Now lately when I see them in the cages side by side, they often sniff one another through the cage and sit in the same general area and haven't tried attacking through the bars in quite some time. They sit with their backs to one another though. I am just about terrified to try playtime again. Charger was bit at one point and I am fearful it will happen again (even with me in the space with them).

How can I tell if they are ready to possibly get along better? Advice?

Also, I have noticed that using the bath and toys as a distraction doesnt help. Any other things you have used as success to help them get along or stay distracted froim attacking?

 

[lauralynne]

Have you tried letting them be in the other's cage (alone, not w/ the other chin)?

 

[Tillygizmo]

we did that awhile back and it wasn't helpful ... we would then allow them to meet again in a neutral area and it seemed not to make a difference

 

[mishellyshel]

i tried to get 2 of mine together when they were the only 2 i had and it was just too stressful for me. they live in a cage side by side with hardware cloth between them.
sometimes they sit next to eachther, sometimes they run up and down the cage and sometimes it looks like they are bickering.
i have read that during playtime you can throw a washcloth or handtowel over them to stop them from fighting or at least distract them.
however if one bit the other, everyone here pretty much told me it was over.
i just had to separate a bonded pair because of that reason. it was sad and i know they miss eachother. maybe a shared playtime will be in their future.

 

[Tillygizmo]

Yeah i suppose if the general consensus winds up being that if they bit one another not to try again then I wont... I will wait to hear comments I guess

 

[Stackie]

Once blood is drawn (which I'm assuming it was since you mentioned one bit the other) I pretty much consider the intro over at that point and don't try any longer.

 

[Tillygizmo]

Stackie thanks for the input, I know you have experience bonding so that is helpful

 

[Carol~Anne]

I have a pair of boys that love to visit my new single boy through the cage bars at playtime, so much so that one boy (Oscar) spends most of his playtime talking to Carlos and whisker kisses him and plays with toys, I was pretty confident they'd hit it off and I could make a trio. I let the boys all out at playtime with a big dust bath, toys etc. and Oscar absolutely flew at Carlos and I knew he was bent on catching him so I immediately put them all back into their cages. I was a little surprised by this b/c they get along so well through the bars so to speak but not when out, and still do. Crazy.

I'm in the process of introducing Carlos to Rupert, who was recently separated from his mate of two years b/c he was being bullied. Carlos and Rupert play pretty well at playtime but I'm not quite ready to house them together yet. They all keep me on my toes that is for sure.

To find out if your two could possible be housed together then you will have to try them together again and will really have to watch them closely and be ready to step in immediately if the chasing is too intense.