Hierarchy with girls

[Siikibam]

We’ve now had our girls for two months (they’re coming up to four months next week). I’ve seen the usual of rumble strutting and a few attempts at mounting when they’re in heat. I even witnessed pee spraying for the first time! Yes it was the highlight of my day Anyway, all that is fine, but I’ve yet to see one or the other showing dominance. I’m just wondering when it’s likely to happen.

 

[Eva121]

Guinea pigs show dominance with mounting, rumble strutting, teeth chattering,etc. So it seems like you have seen plenty behaviors of guineas pigs showing their dominance!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree! They are dominance behaviours

 

[Swissgreys]

Also sometimes dominance behaviours are very obvious and in your face (quite literally), and sometimes if the hierarchy is clear (to the guinea pigs involved) then the signs can be very subtle.
It sounds like your girls have a good relationship and are very happy together.

 

[Betsy]

It took me a while to work out the dominance in my herd other than Velvet who is obviously the top pig. Then it's Christian, Betsy, Dennis and Meg. Christian and Betsy have swapped places in the last few months as Betsy's eyesight is getting worse with cataracts. I reckon last night shy little Meg did something to REALLY annoy the lot of them as she didn't wheak for veg and then ran up to the veg as usual and then ran to the back of the hutch after Velvet had had a word with her. I had to 'encourage' her to eat dinner last night but she was very subdued! I wonder what she did! It was most odd not to have Meg's loud wheaking sounding like she's being murdered!

 

[Siikibam]

So how can I work out who’s dominant then? Because they don’t seem to do it at other times. And there’s no obvious behaviour like chasing, teeth chattering etc. I don’t want to mess them up by handling/feeding them in the wrong order etc.

 

[sport_billy]

Ah pee spraying, when cookie used to bother treacle during season treacle wpould turnround and scent at her So pleasant

 

[Freela]

The rumbling, chasing and mounting, etc. are all dominance behaviors. They have established a hierarchy even if you can't easily see it. Some pairs have more noticeable conflict where it's easier to determine who the boss is, others are relatively harmonious and it can be hard for the humans to tell. Our original queen bee, Linney, was very obviously the boss because she was a bit of a tyrant and was very adamant about reinforcing the hierarchy. She lived with two consecutive pigs, Frenzy and Sundae, and she was very clearly the one in charge and the others had to wait their turn at the water bottle and regularly got shut down by Linney just so that they knew where they stood. Our current boss pig, Hadley, is just a lot more laid back and it's much harder to see who the boss is. Even if you can't see it, the pigs have arrived at an understanding!

 

[Siikibam]

The rumbling, chasing and mounting, etc. are all dominance behaviors. They have established a hierarchy even if you can't easily see it. Some pairs have more noticeable conflict where it's easier to determine who the boss is, others are relatively harmonious and it can be hard for the humans to tell. Our original queen bee, Linney, was very obviously the boss because she was a bit of a tyrant and was very adamant about reinforcing the hierarchy. She lived with two consecutive pigs, Frenzy and Sundae, and she was very clearly the one in charge and the others had to wait their turn at the water bottle and regularly got shut down by Linney just so that they knew where they stood. Our current boss pig, Hadley, is just a lot more laid back and it's much harder to see who the boss is. Even if you can't see it, the pigs have arrived at an understanding!

It’s definitely more subtle than it was with the boys! What’s confusing is that they both do it. Coco did squeal once but neither of them had done so since. Well just plod along as before.