Blood drawn

[flogging_molly]

Willow and Heather's fighting has come to a head, they have been having squabbles which i was very relaxed about as i know that they do this, as long as there was no blood. However tonight it got really bad and blood had been drawn from both parties so i am separating them. sad i know but i feel it is in both of their best interests

[Emma]

It is - you have to draw a line, if they're injuring each other something has to be done about it.



At one point the squabbles between Lola & Shirley got quite bad, and Lola had a few small bites around her bottom - not particularly bad though, I seperated them but kept them in contact - had one inside a wire cage inside the tank with the other one. I kept them like that for 12 hours overnight and then put them back together properly, and they went back to normal. It's not really a proper method but it did work for us, after that I made a real effort to increase the protein in their diet, and provide extra stimulation in their tank, changing things around more often, scattering food rather than in a bowl etc.



So you can try re-intros once they're calmed down and healed. I do think it is worth trying - closely supervised of course - if it works then they'll be much better off. I tried re-intros betwen Merry & Pip after they had to be split due to much more severe injuries, but that never worked. We let them run in neutral territory but they just fought as soon as they saw each other.

[babyboos]

great advise Emma and a good technique I have seen in various situations. Sometimes with breeding pairs we need to use the cage in a cage method for a few weeks so the female is not too aggressive when it comes time for them to live together again after the babies are weaned, some females get very aggressive and wont allow males near them during this time, but equally can be little terrors when it comes to reintroducing their mate. Ferplast have a nice cage with a split in the middle but sadly a wire floor which makes it unsuitable without a layer of cardboard.



Let them heal and keep them smelling like each other - swap potties between cages and even go as far as to rub them together daily when they have playtime. Maybe one/both will live happily with your new girl/s.