Guinea Pigs Seem To Be Jealous At Lap Time?

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Beccakatee

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all! So I have been looking around this forum for a couple of months now as I am a fairly New Guinea pig owner. I got my piggies back in April and they are around 7 months old now, Mocha and Toffee, both girls, really happy and healthy. They seem content with eachothers company in their cage and when on the floor, they will follow eachother around and run around together happily. Sometimes they do get a little annoyed with eachother and will nip the air if one gets too close and will do the dominant dance sometimes.

The thing that confuses me is that I cannot hold them on my lap together. They will both happily lay on my lap on their own but seem to get annoyed if they are together. If I'm holding one and my sisters holding the other, and one walks over to the other she will lunge at her for no reason. I'm never really sure if she tries to bite her or just bites the air because I take one away by then because I don't like them fighting haha. After this happens they do that very loud constant puring(not the angry rumbling noise) the one in bursts.

I've looked everywhere on the internet to find someone who says the same but I can't find anything anywhere!

Can anyone tell me if this is normal and if I'll ever be able to hold them together? It does sometimes worry me so I just keep them apart when we are holding them. Other than that they are fine with eachother so it's weird.

(I added a silly picture of the shyer one Toffee because it's too cute not to share!)

IMG_2669.webp
 
I'm not sure why it happens, but my first two piggies used to do that to each other as well! If I'm honest I just hold them individually now. Not because I think they'll hurt each other but I just kinda do!

I think it was probably hormones, every now and then I hold two at the same time and nothing happens so I suppose I've just got used to cuddling them on their own!

Now I have 5 so it would be hard to hold them all at once :))

Such an adorable pic!
 
If I were you, I'd just cuddle them one at a time.

It can happen that they vie for attention and don't like to share that. Make sure that you always feed, groom, handle and cuddle the more dominant girl first i.e. the one that does not want to share.

It is much more common, especially in younger piggies, that they hate being left behind in the cage or for very dominant teenage boars that they do want to be cuddled first and have a go when the mate returns to the cage because of the breach of protocol in terms of guinea pig hierarchy.

Piggies are like people, you get all kinds, and you have to deal with them as they are. You still get plenty of enjoyment, but you have to take leave of a dream or two. Most piggies do not necessarily like to snuggle up, anyway.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
I'm not sure why it happens, but my first two piggies used to do that to each other as well! If I'm honest I just hold them individually now. Not because I think they'll hurt each other but I just kinda do!

I think it was probably hormones, every now and then I hold two at the same time and nothing happens so I suppose I've just got used to cuddling them on their own!

Now I have 5 so it would be hard to hold them all at once :))

Such an adorable pic!
Click to expand...

It's good to know it's not just mine haha! I guess they are still quite young so they may grow out of it. I do normally just hold them on their own now and occasionally let them meet to see if they would be okay.

That would be a struggle!

It is isn't it, I love it when they snuggle in like that! Thank you for your reply :)
 
Wiebke said:
If I were you, I'd just cuddle them one at a time.

It can happen that they vie for attention and don't like to share that. Make sure that you always feed, groom, handle and cuddle the more dominant girl first i.e. the one that does not want to share.

It is much more common, especially in younger piggies, that they hate being left behind in the cage or for very dominant teenage boars that they do want to be cuddled first and have a go when the mate returns to the cage because of the breach of protocol in terms of guinea pig hierarchy.

Piggies are like people, you get all kinds, and you have to deal with them as they are. You still get plenty of enjoyment, but you have to take leave of a dream or two. Most piggies do not necessarily like to snuggle up, anyway.
Click to expand...

I do normally hold them one at a time, sometimes I do feel bad for the other in the cage though looking out helplessly

I will definitely consider what you said about doing everything for the dominant one first, I never really thought about that but it does make sense.

That is very true, I love them just the way they are even if they do get a bit grumpy sometimes haha!

Thank you for your reply :)
 
Beccakatee said:
Hi all! So I have been looking around this forum for a couple of months now as I am a fairly New Guinea pig owner. I got my piggies back in April and they are around 7 months old now, Mocha and Toffee, both girls, really happy and healthy. They seem content with eachothers company in their cage and when on the floor, they will follow eachother around and run around together happily. Sometimes they do get a little annoyed with eachother and will nip the air if one gets too close and will do the dominant dance sometimes.

The thing that confuses me is that I cannot hold them on my lap together. They will both happily lay on my lap on their own but seem to get annoyed if they are together. If I'm holding one and my sisters holding the other, and one walks over to the other she will lunge at her for no reason. I'm never really sure if she tries to bite her or just bites the air because I take one away by then because I don't like them fighting haha. After this happens they do that very loud constant puring(not the angry rumbling noise) the one in bursts.

I've looked everywhere on the internet to find someone who says the same but I can't find anything anywhere!

Can anyone tell me if this is normal and if I'll ever be able to hold them together? It does sometimes worry me so I just keep them apart when we are holding them. Other than that they are fine with eachother so it's weird.

(I added a silly picture of the shyer one Toffee because it's too cute not to share!)

View attachment 71521
Click to expand...
I’m having the same issue at lap time and the other day I tried just sitting on the floor with them and my dominant piggy actually cut Fuzz off from approaching me and did her rumblestrut before climbing up on my lap and when they’re both on my lap they nip and kick at each other and miss piggy, my dominant piggy, actually had a mouthful of fur, I thought maybe it was bc Fuzz had her season last week and miss piggy is in season now so maybe hormones, but it really does seem like jealousy
 
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