Bully Pig

[ThePotterPiggie]

Hi! I have three 9-month-old guinea pigs. About four months after I bought them, I noticed that one of the piggies, Stan, had been bullying another, Ted, by biting or scratching him repeatedly. They have been separated since; two piggies in one cage, and Stan on his own. I know that it isn't advisable to keep a guinea pig on its own, but I can't purchase another piggy to keep Stan company, and have no idea what to do. Does anyone know any activities/toys to keep my lonely pig company? (P.S. If I try to hold Stan, he bites me really hard)

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I have three 9-month-old guinea pigs. About four months after I bought them, I noticed that one of the piggies, Stan, had been bullying another, Ted, by biting or scratching him repeatedly. They have been separated since; two piggies in one cage, and Stan on his own. I know that it isn't advisable to keep a guinea pig on its own, but I can't purchase another piggy to keep Stan company, and have no idea what to do. Does anyone know any activities/toys to keep my lonely pig company? (P.S. If I try to hold Stan, he bites me really hard)

Hi and welcome!

Sadly the vast majority of baby boar trios ends up with major problems and usually a fight and/or separation once they are teenagers. Unfortunately, shops and breeders still happily sell trios to unsuspecting new owners.
Trios are the hardest constellation to get right in the first place; throw in high testosterone spikes and you have a perfect recipe for disaster! You typically end up with either one boar harrassing the others or ganging up on the third one.

Please keep Stan's cage next to his mates for interaction and stimulation, which he still needs. Use our piggy whispering tips to make friends with him, but to also assert your dominance over him in friendly terms. Always start with welcome and love and stop with it. This mimics the behaviour of socially adept piggies faced with a troublesome newcomer. You will find that this actually works because you are putting the issue in a frame that Stan instinctively understands and accepts.

Here are our tips:
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

 

[ThePotterPiggie]

Hi and welcome!

Sadly the vast majority of baby boar trios ends up with major problems and usually a fight and/or separation once they are teenagers. Unfortunately, shops and breeders still happily sell trios to unsuspecting new owners.
Trios are the hardest constellation to get right in the first place; throw in high testosterone spikes and you have a perfect recipe for disaster! You typically end up with either one boar harrassing the others or ganging up on the third one.

Please keep Stan's cage next to his mates for interaction and stimulation, which he still needs. Use our piggy whispering tips to make friends with him, but to also assert your dominance over him in friendly terms. Always start with welcome and love and stop with it. This mimics the behaviour of socially adept piggies faced with a troublesome newcomer. You will find that this actually works because you are putting the issue in a frame that Stan instinctively understands and accepts.

Thanks a lot for your reply, Wiebke! Will soon be moving all three piggies into a larger cage (Not together, of course!), in which Stan will be able to just about touch noses with the others. Is this an ok distance, or should it be further away from the others?

 

[Wiebke]

It would be good if he can still tough noses through the bars. The more he can live alongside the others but with his own territory, the better for him.