How’s Long Does Take To Find The Alpha Piggie

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Jordanjenks123

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I have 2 piggies both the same age and brought from Pets at home they where out the same cage so might of known Each other a little before I bought them (I say that because they told me that there are lots of animals in the back ready to be brought out so they could have been put together hours before I got them )

Anyway I have had them 3 weeks they are now about 11 weeks old but they still seem to mount each other and hit each other’s bums then jump in the air but it’s not pop Corning , I know this is to claim dominance but they are both doing it to each other and when one piggie tries to mount the other one, the other piggie will kick it off and then the same thing happens when’s the one that kicked it off tries mounting the on each that just mounted him .


It’s confusing though cause it seems like one piggie is braver and a little more aggressive for example the brave piggie will come out and get food when we Steven there but the other one takes a lot longer to come out and also spends a lot of time peaking his head out his hiding place before coming out , and the when we handle them the brave one will be trying to climb on us and nips us pretty much everytime we handle him where as the other one just lies there takes treats and seems to enjoy It more .

also I have noticed that the other piggie follows the braver piggie if he's scared so if they put them down for floor time then the brave piggie walks around and the other follows also the brave piggie lets me take him out but if I try to take the other one out first the other piggie runs off until I get the brave one out then the other piggie stops running, I have read that the alpha piggie needs to be taken out first because he's the boss is that correct ?


Do you think I could have an aggressive little piggie or am I missing something?


i have tried to take there shelter/hiding place out for a couple minutes to see if they show any of the things i have said and i can get it on video but they did not do much but they did do a few things i will include the link to the video could you tell me if the way they are behaving in the video means anything , they are not aggressive its more like one piggie walking slow with his back legs out etc
 
What size is that cage? It looks small. If it's too small that's going to make dominance problems worse.
 
Lorcan said:
What size is that cage? It looks small. If it's too small that's going to make dominance problems worse.
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I brought it from the pet shop they said it’s big enough for two full sized pigs it’s anout 2ft by 4ft, I thought it was too small so I have been planning on building one my self which will be 3feet by 6 feet with a run under neath (goes in my bedroom) but I’ve got to get the money to buy the supplies
 
Jordanjenks123 said:
I have 2 piggies both the same age and brought from Pets at home they where out the same cage so might of known Each other a little before I bought them (I say that because they told me that there are lots of animals in the back ready to be brought out so they could have been put together hours before I got them )

Anyway I have had them 3 weeks they are now about 11 weeks old but they still seem to mount each other and hit each other’s bums then jump in the air but it’s not pop Corning , I know this is to claim dominance but they are both doing it to each other and when one piggie tries to mount the other one, the other piggie will kick it off and then the same thing happens when’s the one that kicked it off tries mounting the on each that just mounted him .


It’s confusing though cause it seems like one piggie is braver and a little more aggressive for example the brave piggie will come out and get food when we Steven there but the other one takes a lot longer to come out and also spends a lot of time peaking his head out his hiding place before coming out , and the when we handle them the brave one will be trying to climb on us and nips us pretty much everytime we handle him where as the other one just lies there takes treats and seems to enjoy It more .

also I have noticed that the other piggie follows the braver piggie if he's scared so if they put them down for floor time then the brave piggie walks around and the other follows also the brave piggie lets me take him out but if I try to take the other one out first the other piggie runs off until I get the brave one out then the other piggie stops running, I have read that the alpha piggie needs to be taken out first because he's the boss is that correct ?


Do you think I could have an aggressive little piggie or am I missing something?


i have tried to take there shelter/hiding place out for a couple minutes to see if they show any of the things i have said and i can get it on video but they did not do much but they did do a few things i will include the link to the video could you tell me if the way they are behaving in the video means anything , they are not aggressive its more like one piggie walking slow with his back legs out etc
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Hi! Leadership is established within the first hours of bonding. Your boys know how they stand. Being the more courageous one doesn't necessarily mean that that is the leader. But unless one of your boys is exhibiting classic dominance behaviour, it doesn't actually matter you. If a boy is not happy, he will let you know. ;)

However, that cage looks very small to me. Is it one of p@s hamster sized 'starter cages'? If that is the case, you will run into problems very soon once your boys hit the teenage hormones as soon as their testicles start descending because they are not able to get away from each other and fights are inevitable. Pet shops are unfortunately more interested in the money they make from you than in animal welfare or knowledge of the pets they are selling. The cost of a large (overpriced) pet shop cage is going to make many people think twice - and that is custom lost! :(

Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages
All About C & C Grid Cages Around The World
Cage Size Guide
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
 
You need a bigger cage with boars I found even the miniumum recommended 120x60 size cage is too small. Until you get a bigger set up I would advise you to take the shelf/hidey bit out of the cage if you are having dominance issues the small one doorway on the ferplast cages is a trap, you need hiding places with two entrances. To give your boys a hiding place you could put a bit of fleece or a towel over the cage at one end or cut doorways in some cardboard boxes, you really need two of everything with boars.
 
If you are like many of us guinea pig slaves you will find that you want a bigger cage anyway, even if the first cage does meet the guidance. There are many cheaper ways than the regular grids. In the past I have used a wire run, which costs under £20 with a plastic table cloth for a base; a shop cage with an extension; shoe storage cubes (which are a bit like grids, only opaque and much cheaper) all these can be found on ebay.
Your piggies look like they are getting on ok with each other for the time being, but especially with boys, space makes a huge difference in the long run.
 
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