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Behaviour and rumblestrutting

JP88

New Born Pup
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Hello all.
Myself and my partner have recently got two new male Guinea pigs (roughly 8-10 weeks). They appear to have settled well and are eating, drinking and chatting etc. My question is, one appears to be more dominant than the other and is rumblestrutting a lot and in a few occasions, humped the other ones head. The other one let's him and doesn't seem bothered by the rumblestrutting or humping and either ignores him or follows him around constantly. Everytime we put them into their run and everytime we put them back in their cage, the rumblestrutting starts. Sometimes it last a few seconds and that's it but other times we've seen it go on all day. After reading up, it appears to be perfectly normal behaviour but should it be going on all the time? I understand that when they are put in a new environment, they need to reassert who is in charge. Is this correct and will it be something that they will always do or will it calm down over time?
 
It is normal dominance behaviours. After getting piggies you expect these to continue for 2-3 weeks. However maybe going into the run etc is triggering a bit more domination. To be honest if the underpiggy is not bothered by it and isn't being stopped from eating/drinking then I would just put up with it for now, it will spike when the teenage hormones kick in but in the long run it should calm down
 
Hello all.
Myself and my partner have recently got two new male Guinea pigs (roughly 8-10 weeks). They appear to have settled well and are eating, drinking and chatting etc. My question is, one appears to be more dominant than the other and is rumblestrutting a lot and in a few occasions, humped the other ones head. The other one let's him and doesn't seem bothered by the rumblestrutting or humping and either ignores him or follows him around constantly. Everytime we put them into their run and everytime we put them back in their cage, the rumblestrutting starts. Sometimes it last a few seconds and that's it but other times we've seen it go on all day. After reading up, it appears to be perfectly normal behaviour but should it be going on all the time? I understand that when they are put in a new environment, they need to reassert who is in charge. Is this correct and will it be something that they will always do or will it calm down over time?

Hi!

The dominance phase, during which piggies establish/re-establish their group hierarchy in any new territory, lasts on average about 2 weeks.

You will see more dominance behaviour once your boys hit the teenage months. You may find our boar guide helpful; it takes you through all the aspect from the different ages to the dos and don't when it comes to boars: A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

You can find our full new owners' practical and helpful information collection via the link below. In it, we are addressing all the most often asked about issues new owners come up against. Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Just wanted to add that in my expereince some boars also just love the sound of their own rumble.
Harry is well past the dominance phase (he is almost 2 now) and he still wanders around the cage rumbling away to himself.
He will wander over to Lucy and rumble at her, and when she gets fed up and tells him off he walks away and rumbles at the house, the food dish, the water botlle, etc...
 
Just wanted to add that in my expereince some boars also just love the sound of their own rumble.
Harry is well past the dominance phase (he is almost 2 now) and he still wanders around the cage rumbling away to himself.
He will wander over to Lucy and rumble at her, and when she gets fed up and tells him off he walks away and rumbles at the house, the food dish, the water botlle, etc...

This is definitely my experience. Rumble at each other. Rumble at the tv. Rumble at the letterbox. Rumble as you're walking over your buddy. Rumble as you fall walking over your buddy. Rumble at the creaking pipes. Rumble because it's 30 seconds til 3am and that's when the party starts.

And boar rumbles can get loud, like you can hear them over the tv from downstairs loud. It's normal but unnerving if you're not used to it.
 
Thanks all for the replies. That's put my mind at ease. I'll keep and eye on them. Another question I have is a daily routine. What we do at the moment is top up the hay in the mornings and give them some fresh veggies and when we get home from work, put them in their run with toys, things to nibble on etc. When they are in the run, we clean out the cage where needed and top up the hay again. Then when they've had their floor time and cuddle time (if they want it), they go back in their cage) which is normally when we heqd to bed) with another small handleful of veggies (we give them varied veggies regularly and fruit on occasion plus vitamin drops now and again in their water). Is this a good routine or should I be doing something different?
 
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