Update!
What a stessful weekend
Got the shed cleared out, made it all nice for Dotty and Doug, put them in together about midday... a couple of fights/chases but nothing major, stuck with it and they soon settled, snuggling up and grooming.
They were in there til about 6pm but here is where I think we made a mistake!... We had to go out but didnt want to risk leaving them on their own in the shed, so put them into the kitchen (we have left them there before and they have been fine). We came back about 8pm, put them back in the shed - fighting began, but worse this time and it seemed to be Doug. He would not let Dotty come near him. Decided to put them back in the kitchen - but it carried on in there. Normally Dotty would display this behaviour and it was all Doug this time and Dotty seemed very scared at times. We stuck with it and left them in the kitchen til early hours of the morning - at times they would be sitting together grooming, next minute chasing and fighting.
It seems moving them about too much might have disturbed them - now seems like we've gone back a step which is not good considering how long this has been going on.
We put them back in there own seperate cages Sunday to Monday to let them calm down. Yesterday eve we put them back in the shed, this time with lots of nice food,hay, and some new toys. They werent too bad, still a couple of small fights. Before bed we part of a run diagonally across in the shed as a divider.
So I think now we just need to keep them in one place - while we are at work/asleep we will have the divider across (swapping them over each day), then while we are there to supervise we'll lift the divider out. if this doesn't work then I don't know what else to do!
Any thoughts?
Thanks
What a stessful weekend
Got the shed cleared out, made it all nice for Dotty and Doug, put them in together about midday... a couple of fights/chases but nothing major, stuck with it and they soon settled, snuggling up and grooming.
They were in there til about 6pm but here is where I think we made a mistake!... We had to go out but didnt want to risk leaving them on their own in the shed, so put them into the kitchen (we have left them there before and they have been fine). We came back about 8pm, put them back in the shed - fighting began, but worse this time and it seemed to be Doug. He would not let Dotty come near him. Decided to put them back in the kitchen - but it carried on in there. Normally Dotty would display this behaviour and it was all Doug this time and Dotty seemed very scared at times. We stuck with it and left them in the kitchen til early hours of the morning - at times they would be sitting together grooming, next minute chasing and fighting.
It seems moving them about too much might have disturbed them - now seems like we've gone back a step which is not good considering how long this has been going on.
We put them back in there own seperate cages Sunday to Monday to let them calm down. Yesterday eve we put them back in the shed, this time with lots of nice food,hay, and some new toys. They werent too bad, still a couple of small fights. Before bed we part of a run diagonally across in the shed as a divider.
So I think now we just need to keep them in one place - while we are at work/asleep we will have the divider across (swapping them over each day), then while we are there to supervise we'll lift the divider out. if this doesn't work then I don't know what else to do!
Any thoughts?
Thanks