Hey guys! My two baby female Guinea pigs won’t stop nipping at each other so I divided their cage for a couple days and finally they’re back together today. They were extremely happy at first, popcorning, but then began to start fighting again. What should I do? Should I just let them be or divide it once again but extend it for a longer period this time? Upon putting them back together, I also added new tunnels and hides that were never there before. In total there are 4 hides/tunnels. Are they getting territorial over the hides? My cage is also 3x4 for two female Guinea pigs so I believe that space may not be the reason for their fights. Any replies or advices would be greatly appreciated!
-
PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here
Guinea Pigs won’t stop fighting!
- Thread starter Keenatt
- Start date
You need to determine whether they are actually fighting because their bond is failing or whether it is simply normal dominance and that you are misreading the situation.
How old are they?
How long have you had them?
You are going to see dominance behaviours as that is normal way for piggies to build and maintain their bond.. Once they become teenagers you will see an increase in dominance.
You should never separate them for it. It’s a normal thing although it can look rough to us. Separating them interrupts their bond.
The fact you separated them and that when you put them back together again you added new items will actually have caused further dominance - the separation and change in environment means they need to establish their bond all over again so will increase dominance for a while. Also, after any separation you need to put them in neutral territory to reunite them - you can’t just remove the divider in the cage and let them go back together.
Nipping is actually a normal dominance - it’s a gesture is power which doesn’t break the skin.
Sows are less likely to have an actual fight (a physical fight is more of a boar thing) but they can be more underhand about bullying. Bullying is a sustained set of specific behaviours - it is much more than normal dominance. You may see the underpig losing weight at each weekly weight check, never being allowed to eat (hence the weight loss), never allowed to rest, becomes withdrawn and depressed. If there is ever a fight, injuries are caused or bullying is taking place then a bond has failed and sadly the separation needs to be permanent
Bonds In Trouble
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
How old are they?
How long have you had them?
You are going to see dominance behaviours as that is normal way for piggies to build and maintain their bond.. Once they become teenagers you will see an increase in dominance.
You should never separate them for it. It’s a normal thing although it can look rough to us. Separating them interrupts their bond.
The fact you separated them and that when you put them back together again you added new items will actually have caused further dominance - the separation and change in environment means they need to establish their bond all over again so will increase dominance for a while. Also, after any separation you need to put them in neutral territory to reunite them - you can’t just remove the divider in the cage and let them go back together.
Nipping is actually a normal dominance - it’s a gesture is power which doesn’t break the skin.
Sows are less likely to have an actual fight (a physical fight is more of a boar thing) but they can be more underhand about bullying. Bullying is a sustained set of specific behaviours - it is much more than normal dominance. You may see the underpig losing weight at each weekly weight check, never being allowed to eat (hence the weight loss), never allowed to rest, becomes withdrawn and depressed. If there is ever a fight, injuries are caused or bullying is taking place then a bond has failed and sadly the separation needs to be permanent
Bonds In Trouble
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
Thank you! This was really helpful. I had them for about 2 weeks and they’re about a month old I believe. I would always hear loud shrieks from Mimi the one mostly being nipped on and chased around. I was really afraid that it’ll turn bloody, but like you said it is probably normal behavior to achieving dominance, so I’ll keep monitoring them and see how everything goes from there and on. I really didn’t know we had to put them in a neutral territory before reuniting them. Again, thank you for the tip and advices!
I’m glad you’ve found it helpful.
Mimi’s loud shrieks are submission squealing. Sounds distressing to us but she is making the correct response - mimi is telling your other piggy that she knows she is dominant and accepts her position.
The guides I linked in above explain everything in more detail, and you may also find the two guides below helpful
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment