Introduction Update - Two Weeks Later

Introductions with Wedgwood and Mabel has gone really well.  No whirling balls of fur, a minimum of screaming and chasing.  Mabel is the most laid-back newbie I've adopted since Boadicea.  She doesn't constantly run and hide, she's not tense.  She's made herself at home. 

That nose was way over the edge - she's so curious about everything.

It took Mabel a full three days to attempt leaping to the second level (most other pigs tried it out within minutes).  Now that she has, I see her upstairs and downstairs all the time.  Her favorite places to hang out are in the bottom corner on the first level and in the tunnel on the second level.  Wedgwood no longer guards Mabel constantly, although Wedgie doesn't like Mabel sleeping in her favorite corner.  I often find Wedgwood sleeping near Mabel on the first floor.

Most face-offs happen at veggie time.  I'll often find them eating hay at the same time on different levels, so there's no complaints over who should be eating the hay.

Their first floor time was pretty funny.  Mabel had no problem poking around, or even walking on the wood floor.  But the ramp was confusing.  Mabel got halfway up and stopped.  Then she started sliding backwards.  What to do?!?  And Wedgwood came up behind her and couldn't get by.  Wedg eventually half-squeezed, half walked over Mabel to get back to the cage.  Mabel slowly slid towards the bottom, banged a U-turn to hang out under the stool; Wedgwood came back down looking for her.  There was some living room exploring, then Wedg bolted back upstairs.  With a little prodding, Mabel figured out how to get all the way up the ramp.

Next floor time Mabel figured out the ramp all on her own.  She doesn't have the amazing sense of direction that Wedgwood has, but she seems to be a quick learner.

So - some chasing, occasional biting, but there are hours of peace and quiet.  Wedgwood is still doing that crazy combination of biting then spinning around, pressing her butt against Mabel and peeing on her.  Not often, but I caught her doing that just the other day.  Less screaming, both because Mabel is more relaxed and Wedgie has cooled down a bit (Mabel also doesn't wail when I pick her up).  Certainly better than some introductions in which the serious drama went on for weeks on end.  I don't really hope for much improvement in Wedgwood's attitude (because sharing is a four letter word), but I figure if Mabel gains a bit more weight and a little more confidence, it may no longer be an issue. 

In all the excitement of the last week, I missed posting on Wedgwood's Gotcha Day.  She's been with us two years since May 14th.  Reading last year's post, I can see she hasn't changed much.  I suspect she's happy to have a new friend to boss around.

A good solid start.  That's more than I hoped for.