[Gpdd] MISC: Re: piggies and other animals
Guineapigfilms at aol.com
Guineapigfilms at aol.com
Sun Jan 8 17:53:06 EST 2012
Linda,
I agree with your comments about having a household with a variety of
animal species. It's certainly possible, and sometimes it can be a lot of fun.
And I also have to say--yes, mastiffs have big jaws, because they *are* big
animals. But a friend of mine has a Mastiff Rescue and, in my years of
acquaintance with these animals (and, mind you, these are mastiffs who are in
Rescue because they've been abused by humans), I would say that mastiffs are,
for the most part, just big babies. In fact, many dog breeders will tell
you--the bigger the dog, the bigger the baby. It's the tiny little terriers
who look like ragmops that think they have to be fierce, like little bantam
roosters. (The Napoleon complex, eh?) ;-)
I also would say that it totally depends on the particular animal and its
personality. Squwigr, my second Yorkie, got along great with Hazel, our first
guinea pig. They would play together (constantly supervised, of course) all
the time. Because Squwigr was bigger, we had to admonish him sometimes to
be gentle, as he would sometimes try to play with her as if she were another
puppy. But it was so funny--whenever we scolded Squwigr to "play gentle" and
he'd get all subdued and stop playing--Hazel herself would go up and
initiate play, much like a puppy herself! They loved each other so much and would
look for each other, first thing in the morning. At the time Hazel was an
"only pig" and Squwigr was an "only dog," so I think they bonded because they
both needed an animal friend.
Milton, my third Yorkie, and Susie, my Westie, cannot be trusted with Otto,
our current guinea pig. They both have a very strong terrier instinct. They
don't have playtime together, and Otto is safely in a cage, high up on a
table, in the living room. On the other hand, Milton did play (very closely
supervised) with Waldo, one of our long-haired guinea pigs (who was somewhat
free-range). Milton would even let Waldo drink out of his doggy water bowl!
I'm pretty sure that Milton thought that Waldo, because of his long-haired
appearance and very cunning personality, was another Yorkie!
When Alyssa was making her guinea pig movies, we had 23 guinea pigs in huge
open tubs in our living room. (You're right--we had NO living room for
people!) Her cat, Precious, would wander through the house among the tubs and
not bother the piggies at all. (We were supervising Precious's passage.)
Precious and Alyssa's gerbils, hamsters, mice and rats were also friends. (Alyssa
introduced them nose-to-nose.)
Now I will say that you have to be very intuitive about your own particular
pets and very in-tune with their personalities and emotions in order for
this type of bonding to be successful. I realize there are some dogs (my
Westie Susie, for example) that could NEVER be trusted with a tiny rodent or
guinea pig. Her terrier instinct is just too strong. We don't even put Otto
outside in his outdoors pen in the backyard if either of the dogs is out there.
(And we stay outside supervising Otto, when he's out in his pen partaking of
his grassy salad bar buffet!)
Yet it's also interesting that our cat would chase and catch wild
mice--yet, left our domesticated rodents alone (or just regarded them with friendly
interest). And our cat was great friends with our Westie Susie, when she was
a puppy. They'd play together for hours. But Susie will chase (and bark at)
other neighborhood cats. Yet she loved Precious as if Precious was her
substitute momma.
I do think animals can distinguish "friend from foe," even overriding their
own instincts to be predators.
And the humans in the household need to play a HUGE role in supervising the
inter-species play. You have to know your own animals very well and be
tuned in to their feelings so things never get out of control or playtime never
gets too rough (if the animals are allowed to play together).
Alyssa has a ferret, a cat, a Welsh corgi and a Chihuahua/Papillon mix--and
all four animals, including the ferret, play together happily and roam
freely. (Both dogs and the cat are rescues.)
And Susie, my Westie, plays happily with Scout, the ferret, even carrying
Scout around in her mouth! Both of them just adore each other! Susie never
forgets to have a "soft, gentle mouth" when interacting with Scout.
I'm not suggesting that mastiffs and guinea pigs should play together. My
dogs are tiny--not too much bigger than guinea pigs! Sizes should be pretty
evenly matched. And, even then, there are some dogs and cats who will always
see smaller animals as prey (instead of playmates), and owners need to take
steps to protect the smaller animals.
Love and WHEEEEEEEEEPS,
Nancy (& the Very Vocal Guinea Pig Otto, who does NOT play with either of
our dogs)
www.carrotwars.com
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