Older female won't leave younger male alone!

[m1nkeh]

We have a recently bereaved older female (4.5yr) that we've been trying to find a friend for for weeks now..

we tried pairing her with an older male, but that was a disaster.. they were scuffling almost immediately and was pretty stressful..

now we are trying with a younger male (8mo) and it was going well a few days ago... but now she won't leave him alone and it's really starting to upset me as i don't know if the little guy is getting stressed out or not..

things i have observed:

• male will be minding his own business, and female will come up and chase him a bit
• male frequently jumps on top of structures in the pen to hide from her
• a lot of the time they are fine and mind their own business
• little guy is very timid, and will tentatively eat hay - concern that she may be preventing him from eating properly
• i've never seen him yet drink any water!

i think the question is, at which point do you go enough is enough, and give up conceding defeat? i've been a pig owner for almost 6 years now, and this really bothering me..

i am worried that we'll never find a friend for our female.. it is very time consuming and labour intensive to keep trying new pigs to see which she likes - she is very physically large w/ long hair, and likes to throw her weight around! Basically, i think she's a bit of a bitch

 

[Wiebke]

We have a recently bereaved older female (4.5yr) that we've been trying to find a friend for for weeks now..

we tried pairing her with an older male, but that was a disaster.. they were scuffling almost immediately and was pretty stressful..

now we are trying with a younger male (8mo) and it was going well a few days ago... but now she won't leave him alone and it's really starting to upset me as i don't know if the little guy is getting stressed out or not..

things i have observed:

• male will be minding his own business, and female will come up and chase him a bit
• male frequently jumps on top of structures in the pen to hide from her
• a lot of the time they are fine and mind their own business
• little guy is very timid, and will tentatively eat hay - concern that she may be preventing him from eating properly
• i've never seen him yet drink any water!

i think the question is, at which point do you go enough is enough, and give up conceding defeat? i've been a pig owner for almost 6 years now, and this really bothering me..

i am worried that we'll never find a friend for our female.. it is very time consuming and labour intensive to keep trying new pigs to see which she likes - she is very physically large w/ long hair, and likes to throw her weight around! Basically, i think she's a bit of a bitch

Hi!

How long since bonding? Please be aware that this still falls into the normal behaviour during the post-bonding dominance phase.
I assume that both boars are neutered? Guinea pigs never get too old to make babies.

Please only have hideys with two exits, offer hay in two places (if necessary even on top of one of the hideys) and feed pellets and veg only in portions that can be eaten in one go in two bowls that are removed between meals or that are sprinkled around.
Not all piggies drink water as long as they get enough fluid from the veg they are eating.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
All About Drinking And Bottles

 

[VickiA]

Just checking....are the boars you’ve introduced her to neutered?

 

[m1nkeh]

yes they were both neutered , and she used to live previously with a neutered male too

 

[m1nkeh]

that's so interesting that this is still normal behaviour... i thought this would have subsided somewhat by now, they have been interacting with one another since Wednesday evening..

Yes, i certainly only have hideys with 2 exits, will add more hay & food stations

Hi!

How long since bonding? Please be aware that this still falls into the normal behaviour during the post-bonding dominance phase.
I assume that both boars are neutered? Guinea pigs never get too old to make babies.

Please only have hideys with two exits, offer hay in two places (if necessary even on top of one of the hideys) and feed pellets and veg only in portions that can be eaten in one go in two bowls that are removed between meals or that are sprinkled around.
Not all piggies drink water as long as they get enough fluid from the veg they are eating.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
All About Drinking And Bottles

 

[Wiebke]

that's so interesting that this is still normal behaviour... i thought this would have subsided somewhat by now, they have been interacting with one another since Wednesday evening..

Yes, i certainly only have hideys with 2 exits, will add more hay & food stations

The average time of the dominance phase is about 2 weeks. Some piggies take longer to settle down, especially if they feel insecure/threatened by a young new arrival. Older sows are a bit notorious in that respect and are definitely not the easiest to rebond.

 

[m1nkeh]

The average time of the dominance phase is about 2 weeks. Some piggies take longer to settle down, especially if they feel insecure/threatened by a young new arrival. Older sows are a bit notorious in that respect and are definitely not the easiest to rebond.

ok, this is really really interesting!

in that case, i'll give it a good old run until at least next Friday (20th).. we go on holiday at the end of the month and i really don't want to be away worrying about them both

i left them together last night, and all seems well this morning... fingers crossed!

 

[Wiebke]

ok, this is really really interesting!

in that case, i'll give it a good old run until at least next Friday (20th).. we go on holiday at the end of the month and i really don't want to be away worrying about them both

i left them together last night, and all seems well this morning... fingers crossed!

I don't think you need to worry. Once your girl is feeling OK (or coming into season), Her Majesty will graciously allow your boy to stay in her vicinity. Until then, she is insisting on keeping a large personal perimeter. As long as your boy is not challenging that, there shouldn't be a problem.