Ear nibbling

[gentlekissess]

Quickly, who the guinea pigs are:
Helene: One of the new, young girls, the one I think is being bullied
Amelie: The other new little girl, the one I believe tore Helene's ear
{Helene and Amelie are in the same 8 square ft. midwestern cage}
Elphaba: The guinea pig I got last December who nibbled on Helene's other ear. She lives in her own midwestern cage.
In December last year, I got Elphaba and Glinda, who turned out to be a boy, so I kept them in separate cages, but about a month ago, Glinda passed away. I was planning on getting cage-mates for both of them, but decided to get two girls that Elphaba could have as friends. I got these ladies about a month ago and, since they were very affectionate with each other, I put them in the same cage. That setup has been fine up until recently. I was having floortime with the girls when I noticed Helene's ear was torn. I looked her over for anything else, gave her some pets and a treat, and put her back in the cage, wondering why Amelie would do that. Later, I went in and they were sitting in different houses, something they never do. I got worried something was wrong but decided that maybe they just needed time alone. I came in later to Amelie pushing Helene around in the house and Helene squeaking loudly. I divided their cage into halves and decided to see if Elphaba would be nicer. But, while watching them, I noticed Elphaba pulling her hair and nibble on her ear. Immediately, I separated these two.
I realize Elphaba is most likely trying to assert her dominance, but why would Amelie tear Helene's ear, and what can I do to stop it?

 

[MissGpigQueen]

Amelia will most likely trying to assert dominance as well. Since Amelie and Helene are both new there will be a few scraps while they work out the pecking order. If it gets really bad, try partitioning the cage so they can see and interact with each other but can't fight.

 

[MissGpigQueen]

If a Guinea Pig feels agressively toward his cage mate, he might express that by biting his opponent's ear. Tugging of the fur is another common hint of truculence in the guinea pig world.
However, pure aggression in fighting is not the only reason guinea pigs might get their ears bitten by others. Hierarchy may play a role. A senior guinea pig with high social ranking might bite the ears of a cavy who is lower on the totem pole, for example. Some guinea pigs bite ears when they first meet to determine who is dominant and in power. Fur-biting is another possible indicator of battles for dominance in guinea pigs
It should stop on its own but if it gets really bad, try partitioning the cage so they can see and interact with each other but can't fight. This will also mean that they will be used to each other.
Cavies get lonely easily so if you split them up completely (can't see if hear each other) you will have to spend a LOT of time with them.

I suggest monitoring it closely and if it gets really bad, use a wire partition.

MissGpigQueen

 

[VickiA]

Please can you post a photo of the torn ear @gentlekissess. Are you sure it is recent and not an old injury?

Please can you answer the following questions:
How old are each of these sows?
What size cage are they in?
How many beds are there?
Did you do a formal introduction on neutral territory?
When did you put them together?
Have you seen any fighting?

Please read the following threads which will help you to understand more of what is going on.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonds In Trouble
Sow Behaviour

Not all sows will live harmoniously together. I have had to separate a few pairs in my time.