2 Boys

Jayne Elizabeth

Jayne Elizabeth

Junior Guinea Pig
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So my boys aren't always getting along too well. My ginger is very dominant and is teeth chattering all the time and scaring my grey baby. It doesn't happen all the time and in-between times they both still popcorn. But was wondering if I need to have 2 of everything. 2 pellet bowls, 2 water bottles 2 houses etc
 
Two of everything, plus one is how we do it - so for example, we have 3 water bottles. It could be a sign that they haven't got enough space - my two get on so much better after moving to a bigger set up
 
can they actually get up that tube? I'd be very surprised but maybe they can if they're very young... see this about ramps Ramps In Guinea Pigs Cage
Are those standard c&c grids? Just wondering if it does meet the minimum size requirements - Cage Size Guide
Consider that meeting the bare minimum is like having a bedsit, but ideally a semi detached house is better... Imagine being forced to share a one-room flat with your annoying younger/older sibling... you'll get on much better if there was more space so you can get out of each other's way sometimes... maybe your boys just need some way to get time away from each other
 
Kallasia said:
can they actually get up that tube? I'd be very surprised but maybe they can if they're very young... see this about ramps Ramps In Guinea Pigs Cage
Are those standard c&c grids? Just wondering if it does meet the minimum size requirements - Cage Size Guide
Consider that meeting the bare minimum is like having a bedsit, but ideally a semi detached house is better... Imagine being forced to share a one-room flat with your annoying younger/older sibling... you'll get on much better if there was more space so you can get out of each other's way sometimes... maybe your boys just need some way to get time away from each other
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I was wondering the same about the ramp too @Kallasia. Those pipes are difficult to keep clean as well! I had one for mine last summer and it was so difficult to clean properly cos all the poop gets stuck in the corrugated bits that I chucked it out in the end.
 
Betsy said:
I was wondering the same about the ramp too @Kallasia. Those pipes are difficult to keep clean as well! I had one for mine last summer and it was so difficult to clean properly cos all the poop gets stuck in the corrugated bits that I chucked it out in the end.
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I did the same with our corrugated pipe!
 
I wash those corrugated tubes in the shower, let the water run down and brush inside with a dustpan brush. That's a very inventive setup I'd love to see the pigs going through the tubes. You can get wider ones for when they get bigger.
 
miowmix said:
I wash those corrugated tubes in the shower, let the water run down and brush inside with a dustpan brush. That's a very inventive setup I'd love to see the pigs going through the tubes. You can get wider ones for when they get bigger.
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It's not the width that is particularly the concern, it's the steepness and how unsupported they are. Piggies are not agile like hamsters or bunnies.
 
Trust me they can get through and fast lol however this is a temporary set up until I make a ramp. As for the c and c grids they are the wide grids hence why I had to add another grid to the outside.
 
I think your set up looks a good size but I would definitely have two hay trays, two food bowls and two water bottles. At the moment all three are very close together so I can see that it could become an area of tension.
 
JCJ said:
I think your set up looks a good size but I would definitely have two hay trays, two food bowls and two water bottles. At the moment all three are very close together so I can see that it could become an area of tension.
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They have 2 trays and 2 bowls the other is on the top level
 
Ok I've made a new ramp. This is made from extremely thick corrugated cardboard. It's very sturdy and easy to clean. In the future I'll buy more corrigated plastic and I'll use some grids to make a ramp with fleece liners.
 
Jayne Elizabeth said:
So my boys aren't always getting along too well. My ginger is very dominant and is teeth chattering all the time and scaring my grey baby. It doesn't happen all the time and in-between times they both still popcorn. But was wondering if I need to have 2 of everything. 2 pellet bowls, 2 water bottles 2 houses etc
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How big is the cage? :luv: Might be fighting because the cage is tiny.
Did they draw blood too? if your cage is big enough, and they didn't draw blood, I would leave them be.:nod:
 
The cage looks like 4 x 3 C&C to me which is more than big enough for 2 boars, equivalent to 5 x 2. 2 of everything is good, sometimes 3 helps. Another way to stop food hogging and make sure the under boar is getting food is to scatter it around the cage. Your boars are young and this sounds like fairly normal dominance behaviour to me, you are going to get this for sometime yet. If they aren't drawing blood and the more submissive one isn't losing weight through the stress of bullying I would leave them alone to sort it out, hard to watch I know but it's a normal way of life to them! This thread is useful reading if you haven't already seen it.Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides
 
I would definitely go with 2 of everything, and also use houses with more than one entrance. I've found that a step stool with an old hand towel draped over it makes an awesome house for boars, with two open entrances and two "curtained" ones. In my experience you're going to have this kind of behavior with two boars, but over time the bickering does become less frequent and less intense. The lower boar defers more readily and the dominant one becomes less possessive over food when he realizes there's always going to be plenty for both of them.
 
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