Bullying or dominance

[Kinzie12]

Hello,
My Guinea pig recently passed away, leaving behind her friend (Poppy). I have now got a baby Guinea (Nala) and I am trying to bond them. I followed the guide that is posted on this forum and have looked at pretty much everything. However, I still have anxiety when it comes to bonding because I really want it to work.

They have both popcorned since being together (in a neutral space), I have put plenty of food and 2 of everything. NALA almost seems scared of Poppy, she will run away and kind of squeal… even if poppy didn’t nip at her. I have noticed that Poppy will chase her but she doesn’t bite.
How do I tell when I can put them together for good?
How do I know if it is bullying or normal dominance with a skittish baby Guinea?

Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

This sounds entirely normal.
Nipping is a gesture of power - the dominant piggy does it to say she is boss, it doesn’t break the skin and it doesn’t hurt. Chasing is normal. The squealing from Nala is most likely submission squealing - she is literally saying she accepts her place and knows Poppy is boss - this is good.

When bonding it is a one time thing - meet, success, stay together - as soon as they meet in neutral territory you need to see it through to conclusion and if successful don’t separate them again. Clean down the cage they are to live in and transfer them to it after several hours in the bonding pen. What you cant do is put them together on One day, and then separate them, and then put them together again the next day etc as all this does is interrupt their process and cause stress.

Bullying is a sustained behaviour where the underpig will become depressed and withdrawn, lose weight and/of potentially fight back. This is not what you are seeing here.

 

[Wiebke]

If they have popcorned together after meeting and have the odd piggy wash while resting, then acceptance has long since happened.

What you are currently seeing, is the thick of the post-intro dominance phase. It's never pleasant but by the sound of it, it is more drama than actual dominance so please take a deep breath and sit out the next 1-3 days.
Thankfully the thick of it is generally pretty short with babies as they cannot challenge for leadership. They are just sooo vocal and dramatic! Things are going very much in the right direction and have already moved on more than you think.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts) (includes a chapter on typical sow dominance behaviours)

 

[Deleted member 146752]

Hello,
My Guinea pig recently passed away, leaving behind her friend (Poppy). I have now got a baby Guinea (Nala) and I am trying to bond them. I followed the guide that is posted on this forum and have looked at pretty much everything. However, I still have anxiety when it comes to bonding because I really want it to work.

They have both popcorned since being together (in a neutral space), I have put plenty of food and 2 of everything. NALA almost seems scared of Poppy, she will run away and kind of squeal… even if poppy didn’t nip at her. I have noticed that Poppy will chase her but she doesn’t bite.
How do I tell when I can put them together for good?
How do I know if it is bullying or normal dominance with a skittish baby Guinea?

Thank you!

This sounds like completely normal piggie bonding behavior, as long as no blood is drawn. Usually, when a piggie is bullying another, the bullied pig will/could show signs of withdrawal, or depression. As far as I can tell with what you’re saying, it seems all normal! It’s also really good that they were popcorning together! Best of luck!

 

[Kinzie12]

Thank you everyone! They are in their shared cage which is 2x5, I have put 2 of everything and made sure that everything has 2 exits/entrances. I have been watching them off and on but try to leave them alone. My biggest worry is that she will steal food from her, I have seen her do it already.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you everyone! They are in their shared cage which is 2x5, I have put 2 of everything and made sure that everything has 2 exits/entrances. I have been watching them off and on but try to leave them alone. My biggest worry is that she will steal food from her, I have seen her do it already.

Please read the links in my last post; food stealing is listed as a typical dominance behaviour.

Food stealing is perfectly normal behaviour. Please sprinkle feed instead of using bowls.
Keep in mmind that around 80% of the daily food intake is hay and fredsh grass; veg and pellets only make the rest, and a fair bit of it will end up where it belongs. If necessary, you feed a little bit more than usual during the dominance phase and go back down again once things have settled down.