New to keeping piggies - Help!

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piggy1

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I recently decided to get a guinea pig.
With the idea that it would make a friendly addition to our family. I own bunnies but they are not easy for our children to handle (they are mine really, I love rabbits)
I feel very stupid for thinking I knew what I was doing! I had guinea pigs as a child and they seemed happy enough! They were sow's however.
So we got a male piggie, I was told he was about 10 weeks old. No body wanted him hence he being older. All fine.
But then I read that boar's could and should have company.
So I checked out some rescue websites but the piggies seemed to be in pairs or older lone males.
I felt we needed to act fast, so we got a baby from a local shop.
When we got the new baby home we put them both into a new hutch in my sons bedroom. There was plenty of growling/rumbling from the older male and high pitched sqeeling from the baby. I stayed with them for as long as I could. The noises stopped. So I thought it was all good.
Now every time I check on them the older male growls/rumbles at me or the new piggie. When I hold him he tries to bite all the time. He didn't do this before. I don't know what to do because our presents seems to upset the older male so much.
I would really like to hear some words of wisdom. What should I do and what's going on?
Thanks
 
Rumbling and mounting is perfectly normal behaviour for boars. The screaming from the little boar is mainly submission screaming and not pain. Bonding - and especially the dominance phase - takes a few days. Your older boar will not like you to interfere, but it would be good if you would do the bonding in a neutral place you can actually watch from, at least in the first few hours.

You may find these links from our behaviour section helpful:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
Here is Suzygpr's boar dating blog with quite a few bonding videos:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233

PS: We can supply you with a list of recommendable guinea pig rescues, most of whom offer a bonding service at the rescue for single, fallen out or bereaved piggies of either gender and any age. It is always worth going a bit further afield for the extra service and security.
 
Hi,
Thank you for the reply.
They have been together for 2 day's now. I know that the baby has not been hurt, I have checked him over.
Do you think that it would be best for me not to handle them, how long should I leave it before handling them?
I was using a small indoor cage, but I brought the hutch because I felt it would give them plenty of space and it was new to both piggies.
Unfortunately I don't have space to move the hutch downstairs :(
I will go and take a look at the link's you provided
 
Loads of stuff for you to read in those threads from Wiebke! But just to reassure you that my boars rumble at me from time to time - they probably think I am the dominant sow (I don't allow my husband to call me that thoughrolleyes). They also rumble at food dishes etc .....

Once the boys have had a few days and settled down and sorted out their heirarchy it might be worth looking at how you are picking up and handling the boys. Are you using a towel or a sack to pick them up? We tend to use a sack or cosy to pick up the boys so that it is less stressful than grabby hands. Then be ready with a bit of cucumber or other treat so that the boys chew on that and start to associate being picked out of the hutch/cage with good things.

But you need to let everything settle down first as the boys are dealing with new environment and new friend etc. Let us know how you get on.

What size is your indoor cage btw?
 
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I would let your boys settle down a bit more until you handle them, but so far, it sounds pretty par for the course. Boys tend to rumble a lot, even when they are bonded; some you wonder at times whether they have lost the rest of their vocabulary! mallethead

The links about boar behaviours and our boar guide with further links will hopefully help you to know better where you stand and what you can do.

Most shop piggies haven't had exactly much in the way of human contact, so you will have to settle them. Insecure piggies often use aggression as a way of staving off what they perceive as a potential predator.

Here is a collection of tips on how to settle in skittish piggies from our reference section; time, patience and persistence are the key to bring piggies round:
 
Just taken a look at the links:)
I think the older boar is blocking the baby from the sleeping area,
I will need to buy 2 of every thing too!
Useful to know that it could take weeks or longer for them to settle. That give's me hope that they will learn to get along.
Thank you for directing me towards all the correct info

Can piggies use litter trays and could I get two fleece pocket thing's or would that be dangerous due to the 2 exit rule? What other option's are there for houses?
 
Sorry, here is the settling in link:http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

Piggies cannot be fully litter trained; some are tidier than others. A tray is not a bad place, escecially with some hay on top and a hay rack above - piggies seem to love toileting while munching hay!

You can get single exit houses like pigloos once the piggies have down; ideally, each boy has his own "territory"at each end of the cage/hutch with the hay area in between. Make sure that one boy has a bigger house so they CAN cuddle up together if they wish to! Piggies also love the comfort of a cosy. I provide a mix for mine.

You may find that the level of dominance will fall noticeably once your boars can each have a domain.
 
I have just been picking them up, no towel. I give them a little grass to eat while I'm holding them.
The hutch is 4ft 2ft. I know this might be a little small, but I hope to move them outside with a run. Just wanted to be able to keep an eye on them for now.

Think I have thrown myself in the deep end with my boars! rumbling at food bowels what are they like!
I'm just so use to bunnies, I don't understand piggies yet rolleyes
 
piggy1 said:
I recently decided to get a guinea pig.
With the idea that it would make a friendly addition to our family. I own bunnies but they are not easy for our children to handle (they are mine really, I love rabbits)
I feel very stupid for thinking I knew what I was doing! I had guinea pigs as a child and they seemed happy enough! They were sow's however.
So we got a male piggie, I was told he was about 10 weeks old. No body wanted him hence he being older. All fine.
But then I read that boar's could and should have company.
So I checked out some rescue websites but the piggies seemed to be in pairs or older lone males.
I felt we needed to act fast, so we got a baby from a local shop.
When we got the new baby home we put them both into a new hutch in my sons bedroom. There was plenty of growling/rumbling from the older male and high pitched sqeeling from the baby. I stayed with them for as long as I could. The noises stopped. So I thought it was all good.
Now every time I check on them the older male growls/rumbles at me or the new piggie. When I hold him he tries to bite all the time. He didn't do this before. I don't know what to do because our presents seems to upset the older male so much.
I would really like to hear some words of wisdom. What should I do and what's going on?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I aquired two male guinea pigs when they were 1 year old. Sausage is a teddy and Gravy is long haired. Sausage rumbled and growled at Gravy all the time and terrified him. Sausage was dominant and starving Gravy, he once stopped him drinking water - the plastic cage they came with was far too small - they needed more room to sort things out - they are now have a 6 by 4 home, half fleece for their sleeping area and half hay and grass for their feeding area - they have a long tunnel and 2 wood tunnels with fleece blankets and two areas with hay for a bed, Sausage prefers fleece gravy prefers hay, I had to get them both neutered and they are now best of friends. It would be a good idea to read up on the food for them as I was a but slow on this as I was desperate to sort out the fighting, it was all about food and preferences.

Tracy
 
having had sows for years I've had 3 baby boys recently (7 weeks old) and boy do they rumble a lot...Thanks Wiebke for the info! They are also a bit nibbly when picked up, unlike the girlies who are much calmer.

I presumed the rumbling was ok but it's great to be reassured that it is normal for boys!
 
Great advice everyone!

Things seem to be a lot quieter in guinea pig corner today. Little baby piggy has been permitted into the sleeping area. I have not been checking on them all the time, just giving them space to settle in and get to know each other.
 
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