BattleKat
Wise Old Thumper
Number 5 (name TBC) came home with us from small critter rescue yesterday, with the aim of being bonded to Lola when he's old enough. Lola is 10 but so full of beans you'd never guess.
He refused to come out of his carrier (lots of leaning out and thinking about it) but he seemed quite interested when we went in with him and took food from us quite happily.
Initially Lola was very standoffish and was just lying under the table keeping an eye on things (pretending she wasn't), then she approached and they both properly clocked each other. He seemed very nervous. She retreated back under the table.
About 8pm (5 hours after we got home) we put some of 5's hay in the beds and some food on the floor, then lifted him out of the carrier in to the general pen. He seemed pretty chill and just hoped about investigating everything.
It took lola a good hour of getting steadily closer to the pen before they met through the bars.
It seemed pretty relaxed for the first few approaches but then she nipped him through the bars. He immediately came back and was met with a firmer nip (no damage done) so he retreated and went about his business. Lola marked the edge of his pen with a line of poops and spent the rest of the evening keeping an eye on him. They've had further approaches without any nipping.
At the end of the evening we removed his main carrier in case he used it to climb out of the pen. Lola immediately went in the carrier to investigate. I left it out for her overnight and this morning she has pooped and peed all over it.
This morning I went in to have a little time with him before work and stroked him a little with my left hand, then I went to pay some attention to lola in her room. She sniffed my hands and immediately started licking the left one with more force than she's ever groomed me before!
A little while later she joined me and the OH in bed. She was binkying all over the place then lying down and flinging herself on to her back - I've never seen her flop like that, so relaxed and happy. I believe she's happy about the new bun being here!
One more of 5 because he's so gosh darn cute
Tonight when I get in I'll be double walling the pen so the gaps aren't big enough for nipping and switching their litter trays over so they can have a good sniff of each other.
Feeling pretty good!
ETA: It's just pen in his ear so that the rescue could tell the babies apart.
He refused to come out of his carrier (lots of leaning out and thinking about it) but he seemed quite interested when we went in with him and took food from us quite happily.
Initially Lola was very standoffish and was just lying under the table keeping an eye on things (pretending she wasn't), then she approached and they both properly clocked each other. He seemed very nervous. She retreated back under the table.
About 8pm (5 hours after we got home) we put some of 5's hay in the beds and some food on the floor, then lifted him out of the carrier in to the general pen. He seemed pretty chill and just hoped about investigating everything.
It took lola a good hour of getting steadily closer to the pen before they met through the bars.
It seemed pretty relaxed for the first few approaches but then she nipped him through the bars. He immediately came back and was met with a firmer nip (no damage done) so he retreated and went about his business. Lola marked the edge of his pen with a line of poops and spent the rest of the evening keeping an eye on him. They've had further approaches without any nipping.
At the end of the evening we removed his main carrier in case he used it to climb out of the pen. Lola immediately went in the carrier to investigate. I left it out for her overnight and this morning she has pooped and peed all over it.
This morning I went in to have a little time with him before work and stroked him a little with my left hand, then I went to pay some attention to lola in her room. She sniffed my hands and immediately started licking the left one with more force than she's ever groomed me before!
A little while later she joined me and the OH in bed. She was binkying all over the place then lying down and flinging herself on to her back - I've never seen her flop like that, so relaxed and happy. I believe she's happy about the new bun being here!
One more of 5 because he's so gosh darn cute
Tonight when I get in I'll be double walling the pen so the gaps aren't big enough for nipping and switching their litter trays over so they can have a good sniff of each other.
Feeling pretty good!
ETA: It's just pen in his ear so that the rescue could tell the babies apart.