Is it still normal dominance fighting?

Helena001

Helena001

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, so, I got a new guinea pig yesterday to get a new companion for my other guinea pig, whose previous companion died recently.
Both of them are female, used to humans and around 4 years old.
I set up an extra area for them to meet and get to know each other, put multiple hideouts and food piles in etc., just to prevent fighting as much as possible.
I knew it wasn't avoidable, but it came worse than I thought.
The new guinea pig immediately started chasing my old one. I tried to let them settle things on their own, but the new one just wouldn't stop chasing, biting and even pulling my piggy's fur. After a few hours I put them back in the cage, but the new one just won't stop chasing my piggy, forbidding it to eat or sleep, even in a different hideout etc.
Is it still normal dominance fighting? My old piggy never fought back, so shouldn't it be settled already? Should I maybe separate them for a while? I really don't know what to do.
 
Hello, welcome to the forum.

Biting is not good at all. Expect chasing for sure but biting is not good. They were bonded in neutral area? how big is your cage?

@pig in the city any suggestions
 
My cage should be about one square meter, and yes, I put them in a different room with lots of space for bonding.
 
Older sows can be tricky. The new sow is probably anxious and its msking her aggressive. I would do a slow bond in this situation. Put them in separate cages or runs side by side so that they can interact through the bars. Keep swapping them into each other's cage to get used to their smell. Once the new girl has settled in introduce them on neutral territory and hopefully they will be fine. Don't rush it take time to let them get to know each other.
 
Thank you anyways, I just put them into different cages for the night and hope that they'll calm down a bit.
 
I may have misunderstood but did you give your new girl a few days to settle into her new surroundings before bonding?
If you introduced them immediately she may still have been too stressed out to deal with it all..
Welcome to the forum
It would be lovely to see pictures of your girls
 
Hello, thanks for the nice welcoming.
As I mentioned, I got her yesterday and gave her a few hours overnight to settle in and started bonding them today, because I thought that she might not want to be alone for too long. Should I have waited longer? I read on other websites that a few hours should be enough.
 
Guinea pigs are prey animals so need time after any stressful experience to settle.
A few days is best to give time for her to become accustomed to new sights, sounds and smells.
Keep her close to your other sow so that they can talk to each other and smell each other.
Talk to her so she gets used to your voice and food - always a good way to a piggy heart.

Then give them time together in a neutral space, I used a large paddling pool with towels in the bottom, hay and some greens when I bonded my sows.

Read the bonding guides - they are excellent and certainly saved my sanity. Bonding is not for the faint- hearted.

I think it’s excellent that you care so much for your girls that want to do the best for them.
Hope things work out well.
Be patient and give it time.
 
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