Guinea group favoritism

[GZB_19]

Hi!
In August I had adopted 3 female piggies (Ginger, Bok choy, and Zucchi). They were housed together before I brought them home and at first they were bonding pretty well with normal interactions such as playing and running together. Soon after bringing her home, Ginger had to be taken to the vet multiple times. During the time she was receiving medication and getting better... fighting for dominance became frequent. Bok choy tries to establish dominance the most out of the group and seems to favor Zucchi rather than ginger.

Bok choy and Zucchi sleep together and follow each other around but I often see Ginger sleeping outside the hut where the other two are although there are more huts in their enclosure. I hardly see all of them playing together anymore, they mostly play in pairs and one is left out. examples: Bok choy+Zucchi OR Ginger+Zucchi.

I was thinking jealousy could be the issue since I have to handle Ginger multiple times a day to administer her medication and syringe feeding. On top of that the hierarchy of the group could be changing since Ginger is gaining strength as she recovers. I worry that this will progress further into severe bullying, exclusion which could lead to depression or a group fallout.

Please reply with your thoughts or tips! Thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!
In August I had adopted 3 female piggies (Ginger, Bok choy, and Zucchi). They were housed together before I brought them home and at first they were bonding pretty well with normal interactions such as playing and running together. Soon after bringing her home, Ginger had to be taken to the vet multiple times. During the time she was receiving medication and getting better... fighting for dominance became frequent. Bok choy tries to establish dominance the most out of the group and seems to favor Zucchi rather than ginger.

Bok choy and Zucchi sleep together and follow each other around but I often see Ginger sleeping outside the hut where the other two are although there are more huts in their enclosure. I hardly see all of them playing together anymore, they mostly play in pairs and one is left out. examples: Bok choy+Zucchi OR Ginger+Zucchi.

I was thinking jealousy could be the issue since I have to handle Ginger multiple times a day to administer her medication and syringe feeding. On top of that the hierarchy of the group could be changing since Ginger is gaining strength as she recovers. I worry that this will progress further into severe bullying, exclusion which could lead to depression or a group fallout.

Please reply with your thoughts or tips! Thank you

Hi

Trios are in my own experience the trickiest constellation to get right. When they work they are great but all too often you end up with an outsider situation, whether that is two piggies getting on much better or a third acting as the intermediary between the other two.

Guinea pigs stop playing quite as much once they hit teenage; that is normal. The baby weeks are over all too soon.

Changes in the hierarchy are always accompanied by dominance behaviours which work their way down from the top to the bottom until the new hierarchy is fully and firmly established. This is NOT bullying and you have to sit it out without intervening. The dominance phase after bonding intros, cage moves/territory changes or leadership changes/new piggies joining lasts on average for two weeks. Unlike you, piggies know the rules instinctively and do not take it personally.