Bullying

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Barrett Bonden

Barrett Bonden

Junior Guinea Pig
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I've had my guinea pig, Eddie for two years now. After one year his mate, Boris died. I got him a new friend, Spike, who was very small at the time. Apart from the beginning when they were bonding, Eddie being bigger, so more dominant, they have always got on well. Then yesterday I noticed Eddie had climbed on top of his sleeping area. He has never done that before, and I could not see any reason for it. But today it became blindingly obvious what was going on. Spike is seriously bullying Eddie. At one point I even saw some of Eddies fur in Spikes mouth. I have for the time being removed the divider in the hutch so Eddie isn't trapped in there.

I had bought one of those treat-sticks which I noticed that Spike was really getting stuck into. I wondered if there was something in it (sugar?) that was making Spike so aggressive. Although he had had one a few weeks ago and I didn't notice anything wrong then.

I have a pre-arranged appointment at the vets this afternoon for the nurse to cut their claws - I've already sorted out two separate boxes to put them in - So I will mention this to her.

But I am wondering if anyone here can offer any advice.

Thank you.
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How old is Spike? Boars go through a very hormonal puberty between 4-14 months of age once their testicles start descending. It is much more likely that a hormonal spike has been the cause of the problems.Boars are generally randier at this time of year, so Spike is likely dealing with a double whammy of testosterone.
You may find the information and further links in this guide here helpful: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

However, please do not feed any treats that contain grains, seeds, any form of sugar (including honey) or lactose (including yoghurt - guinea pigs are lactose intolerant). Sticks like yours are junk food for guinea pigs. Rather give a pinch of readigrass or herbal forage as a special treat.
 
My neighbour had 2 male rabbits (not the same I know, but bear with me) and they always got on fine.
Then one day they suddenly started to fight (fur pulling, scratching, etc) and she couldn't work out why.
She eventually realised it only ever happened after her kids had been feeding them Vitakraft yogurt drops (meant for rabbits).
She thought she was going mad so she asked the vet, and the vet said that for a lot of animals the high sugar and colour levels in these 'treats' are just too much for a sensitive system that actually thrives on a very bland diet. She said she actually thinks it is a common problem in pet rodents, but is very hard to measure.

If you look at the ingredients list on the chew sticks I am prepared to bet there is a fair amount of sugar in those treats.
 
Thank you for your replies. Spike is just over a year old, so it could be a hormonal thing. But the more I think about it the more I believe the problem was the Treat Stick, all of this began almost straight after I had put it in the hutch. After my trip to the vets to have their claws clipped (I only saw the nurse so she really was none the wiser on this subject), I put Eddie back in his hutch first and gave him his daily greens so he could eat them uninterrupted. But when I put Spike back in he started chasing Eddie straight away. So I took Spike out again for a short while. 30 minutes later I put him back and kept a close watch. And he was clearly hyped-up. I had removed the Treat Stick but it was as if he was searching everywhere for it. I have been keeping an eye on them and things seem a little more settled now. But I really believe in a day or so everything will be back to normal.

It's just surprising that something that is advertised as being for guinea pigs is clearly not. Still, lesson learned.
 
I think it's a bit like people really.
Some people cope better and react differently to large amounts of sugar.
Plus if you add in all those crazy hormones, it's a lot to deal with. I liken it to giving a teenager 5 cans of Redbull :eek:
Hopefully everything will settle down now.
 
PLEASE HELP The situation is now getting quite serious. I have realised that when Eddie is chased and he jumps up on to the top of his sleeping area he cannot get back down! He has just spent the whole night up there. I have temporarily moved Spike into a small crate. He has food, water, hay, just not a lot of room, so let me stress this is just temporary. But what do I do?
Do I remove the sleeping area altogether so he can't get stuck up there. But then wont that stress him out even more as he will have nowhere to escape to.
I should also mention that I don't know that Spike is actually doing much to him now. But when he gets close to Eddie, Eddie just takes off as if in anticipation of something bad happening.
Please help. What should I do?
 
Barrett Bonden said:
PLEASE HELP The situation is now getting quite serious. I have realised that when Eddie is chased and he jumps up on to the top of his sleeping area he cannot get back down! He has just spent the whole night up there. I have temporarily moved Spike into a small crate. He has food, water, hay, just not a lot of room, so let me stress this is just temporary. But what do I do?
Do I remove the sleeping area altogether so he can't get stuck up there. But then wont that stress him out even more as he will have nowhere to escape to.
I should also mention that I don't know that Spike is actually doing much to him now. But when he gets close to Eddie, Eddie just takes off as if in anticipation of something bad happening.
Please help. What should I do?
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Please watch Eddie closely when you have him separated - is he perking up noticeably when Spike is away? In that case, he feels bullied and the bond is no longer functional. I would recommend to separate permanently with interaction through the bars for mutual stimulation.
If Eddie still wants to be with Spike, then you have to sit it out and let them get on with it for now.
Removing the sleeping area will only increase the pressure, so I would not recommend it.
Please let the boars meet on neutral ground again when you put them together; follow the tips for re-intros. If that doesn't go well, you also have your answer.
This link here has got lots of detailed information and tips on how to work out whether the bond is still working or not, what to do and where to go from there. Please take the time to read it carefully, as I can't repeat all the advice in this post: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

What kind of setup have you got? Traditional cage or C&C? And how large is the cage?
 
Thank you for your reply. I can most definitely say that Eddie is perking up when Spike is not there. With Spike around it has got to the point that he is so afraid of him that he just sits still in a corner. And if Spike just moves a little in his direction he panics and runs as fast as he can away from him.

As you can see from the attached photo, I have now separated them. Eddie is a different character altogether. Now eating, drinking wandering around. Much more happier. As For Spike, I'm not so sure.

While they are separated like this will they still need to go through the bonding process again. I only wonder as they can still see each other, just. And obviously smell each other. Although it is my intention to give them time together on neutral ground, to see if there is any improvement. When I clean them out tomorrow I will erect their run on the patio and see how things go.
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Barrett Bonden said:
Thank you for your reply. I can most definitely say that Eddie is perking up when Spike is not there. With Spike around it has got to the point that he is so afraid of him that he just sits still in a corner. And if Spike just moves a little in his direction he panics and runs as fast as he can away from him.

As you can see from the attached photo, I have now separated them. Eddie is a different character altogether. Now eating, drinking wandering around. Much more happier. As For Spike, I'm not so sure.

While they are separated like this will they still need to go through the bonding process again. I only wonder as they can still see each other, just. And obviously smell each other. Although it is my intention to give them time together on neutral ground, to see if there is any improvement. When I clean them out tomorrow I will erect their run on the patio and see how things go.
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Click to expand...

No, you have got your answer very clearly - Eddie has been bullied, so their bond is dysfunctional!

I would not try to re-introduce again, to be honest - it is only going to stress Eddie out again. Spike is not fully aware of the damage his dominance behaviour has done and would like to continue of course, but the negative dynamics are not going to change. Please leave them next to other each other for stimulation and interaction but do not put them back together while you consider where you are going from there.
 
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