[Gpdd] [BEHAVIOUR] Guinea pig eating cagemate's poop

[warmbreath at comcast.net]

Hi Sara!  You sound like you are off to an excellent start figuring out the 
situation. I especially like your second story level idea. Also plan on 
adding as soon as possible, a second water bottle, this protects from water 
bottle accidents and prevents one from hogging the water. Also add a second 
dish right away as far away from the first as possible. When you have room 
add a second Pigloo or shelter. We could entertain for you for hours with 
our piggies who not only dominate the pigloo but learn how to drive it from 
the inside with their shoulders even to point of placing it over a water or 
food dish and thereby occupying both at once. It's hilarious to watch, but 
not so funny for the rest of the piggies. If your cage is big and varied 
enough there will be room for all to have their space with only a few 
instances of domination. A few are OK! Bullying to the point of affecting 
the quality of another's life is not, you will figure that out quickly. If 
she becomes incorrigible you can block off the top and bottom and she can 
live next to but not with her cagemates, it occasionally has to happen.

I would still add supplementation to make sure need didn't evolve into 
habit. The yeast Penny mention is nutritional yeast not bakers yeast, and 
the probiotics. And remember to make sure everyone's poo's look healthy. 
Your diet for them is excellent, you hare learning fast.

No too  long ago I wrote about Peter and Pedro, Peter was a dominant male 
who loved little Pedro with all his great big piggy heart. They had lived 
with a third boar for a long time, then spent some time just the two of 
them. When I tried to add a third again, Peter was having none of it.  I 
tried for weeks, until one day I realized he was just unwilling to share 
Pedro. I looked him in the eye while I lowered the barrier leaving Pedro and 
the new pig on one side and Peter on the other alone. He took this in, 
turned around, and shot me a look of pure understanding. With our eyes 
locked I removed the barrier and the 3 of them shared the cage amicably from 
then on. He was more unwilling to lose Pedro. And fortunately the new boar 
was only interested in regular boar comradeship, so Peter and Pedro went on 
together as happy as ever.  I have tried never to underestimate a piggie's 
intelligence since that day. He seemed to understand future consequences.

Good luck with your sow, love, Sandy and Sammy.