need advise

[i<3piggys]

So i have done everything i was supposed to do with bonding my new gp. I read the link i was given. Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics They have been chasing her all day and squealing at each other with occasional nips. should i remove her ? how long should i let this go on for? I feel sad and i would hate to do it but if it doesn't work out i may have to bring her back. I don't want her to suffer.

 

[VickiA]

I"m sorry there isn't enough information in your post to be able to answer it. How many are "they"? and how old are they? How old is the newbie? Are they all in a neutral , scent free enclosure?

 

[i<3piggys]

I"m sorry there isn't enough information in your post to be able to answer it. How many are "they"? and how old are they? How old is the newbie? Are they all in a neutral , scent free enclosure?

So i left them in with each other over night and they seem ok now. I'm crossing my fingers it will stay that way.

 

[i<3piggys]

Back to fussing and nipping.

I have 4 now 3 i got together and i never had any issues and i just brought a new girl in yesterday. I got them and put them in a neutral territory yesterday . at first they were being loud and chasing and a few head raises but i left them with food and it calmed down. After about 2 hours of just staying quiet and still and not chasing I put them in their cage . ( after i cleaned and disinfected everything to make sure there would be no sent) I added new food and fresh water but they still lunge at her. This morning i wake up and it was quiet (they might have been sleeping) but now they are doing it again. No wounds or blood drown just bickering chasing and jumping at each other. How long does this last for ( I feel bad for her) O r should i just call it quits I dont want to ruin the dynamics of my other three.

Am I over reacting or reacting to soon Should i just let them work it out?
Any advice?

 

[squeaksandcarrots]

I was really nervous when putting my 2 girls together for the first time. They were fine in the playpen but once they were together in the cage, Cocoa went power crazy and kept attacking Penny she actually bit her nose and blood was drawn. I was too worried that Cocoa would hurt Penny even more since she was all power crazy, so I separated them. They are cage mates now and it seems that they like their own space, although Cocoa still likes to taunt Penny at times. Lil stinker!
My advice is if you are concerned that someone will get hurt, separate them. I know the article says they may have that behavior for a couple weeks, but if you are really concerned for your piggy's safety, I would separate them.

 

[i<3piggys]

I was really nervous when putting my 2 girls together for the first time. They were fine in the playpen but once they were together in the cage, Cocoa went power crazy and kept attacking Penny she actually bit her nose and blood was drawn. I was too worried that Cocoa would hurt Penny even more since she was all power crazy, so I separated them. They are cage mates now and it seems that they like their own space, although Cocoa still likes to taunt Penny at times. Lil stinker!
My advice is if you are concerned that someone will get hurt, separate them. I know the article says they may have that behavior for a couple weeks, but if you are really concerned for your piggy's safety, I would separate them.

So, so far I'm not to worried about them getting hurt because the nipping is more like nipping at her and they have just been chasing and kind of nudging her. But more what I'm concerned about is her getting depressed by being treated that way by all 3 of the other girls for that much time.

Do you know if thats even a thing with guinea pigs ? (do they get depressed by being treated badly by the others)
And i must have missed the weeks part Is it like an initiation thing?
I have read articles saying its more painful for the owner watching than it is for the guinea pig and to not remove the new piggy unless there is a brawl. otherwise it can restart the whole process. Should i just hang in there unless theres an altercation? This is definitely not what i was expecting. I probably wont be getting any more gps.

and p.s thank you very much for your advise it is appreciated.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes they can.
And what you will find is that when the bullied one gets separated from the bully, the bullied one perks right up when they are out of the situation. The bully won’t like it and will probably protest but that isn’t the piggy you need to watch. That is one way to tell when a relationship has broken down - when separated if the quiet one becomes happy again

 

[Swissgreys]

How big is your current cage (with all 4 girls in)?
Do you have multiple food bowls and water bottles that are in different parts of the cage so everyone can get to them?

It would help a lot of you could post a photo of your cage - then people could offer specific advice on the set up.
At the start of a bonding I always removed all beds and hideys and replaced them with cardbard box houses with at least 2 large doors cut out. Fleece forests also work well at this stage.

 

[i<3piggys]

my grid cage is 3 by 8 and there is a loft 3 by 2 . seems like theres plenty of room for them they even ignore her and i have 3 different feeding stations and 1 water bottle and a little water bowl in another corner . Should there be 1 per guinea pig ? i only had 1 bottle and 2 stations when i had 3 piggys and they were good but i added the extra food and water for the new gp.

If thats something i need i can go pick up extra bottles and food dishes today.
the only time they seem to get along is when i put the daily veggies in.

 

[i<3piggys]

Yes they can.
And what you will find is that when the bullied one gets separated from the bully, the bullied one perks right up when they are out of the situation. The bully won’t like it and will probably protest but that isn’t the piggy you need to watch. That is one way to tell when a relationship has broken down - when separated if the quiet one becomes happy again

The quiet one when i take her away she is extremely skidish and tries to get away from me.(the lady i got her from i suspect is a breeder and doesnt handle them very often as the gp doesnt seem to be socialized with humans)

But its really weird because they will fight then i will look and they will be in a corner huddled together and then they will fight again and then start grooming each other . is that normal?

 

[squeaksandcarrots]

So, so far I'm not to worried about them getting hurt because the nipping is more like nipping at her and they have just been chasing and kind of nudging her. But more what I'm concerned about is her getting depressed by being treated that way by all 3 of the other girls for that much time.

Do you know if thats even a thing with guinea pigs ? (do they get depressed by being treated badly by the others)
And i must have missed the weeks part Is it like an initiation thing?
I have read articles saying its more painful for the owner watching than it is for the guinea pig and to not remove the new piggy unless there is a brawl. otherwise it can restart the whole process. Should i just hang in there unless theres an altercation? This is definitely not what i was expecting. I probably wont be getting any more gps.

and p.s thank you very much for your advise it is appreciated.

I can believe they can get depressed when being poorly treated. And yeah, it really sucks to see them all fight even though it's a normal dominance thing they do. My advice would be to keep a watchful eye on them and hang in there. Hopefully each day gets better, but definitely separate them if you see any blood. Wishing the best of luck to you!

 

[i<3piggys]

I can believe they can get depressed when being poorly treated. And yeah, it really sucks to see them all fight even though it's a normal dominance thing they do. My advice would be to keep a watchful eye on them and hang in there. Hopefully each day gets better, but definitely separate them if you see any blood. Wishing the best of luck to you!

thank u . they are all snuggled up in the corner together now but I'm not going to hold my breath because they do this and then out of no where start up again . Hopefully they bond

 

[i<3piggys]

so another stinkin dilemma with my newbie

Is it possible due to all of the bickering and squealing at each other she can loose her voice? she now sound like shes puffing out air with a very raspy voice when she chatters . kinda getting nervous and stressed all at once i honestly dont know what to do.

 

[squeaksandcarrots]

so another stinkin dilemma with my newbie

Is it possible due to all of the bickering and squealing at each other she can loose her voice? she now sound like shes puffing out air with a very raspy voice when she chatters . kinda getting nervous and stressed all at once i honestly dont know what to do.

Hm. I'm not sure what that could mean...hopefully a more experienced piggy owner can answer your question! This all has to be awful for you to witness

 

[i<3piggys]

Hm. I'm not sure what that could mean...hopefully a more experienced piggy owner can answer your question! This all has to be awful for you to witness

Yes its not pleasant . i probably wont consider adopting again its way to confusing and stressful.

 

[Reenie]

Although initial bonding takes a few hours, it's a couple of weeks before they sort things out completely. If your new piggy is quite dominant, it will be more forceful, as the other piggies won't want to be lower in the pecking order. The rasping you're describing, I don't know what this. It could just be that I'm not understanding the description, or there could be something wrong with her. It's impossible to tell which, but keep an eye on her.
Good luck x