One of my guineas squeals when the other one gets close

[veesilver]

Hi! I am a new guinea pig owner (2 days now)!
I got 2 baby sows, Peach and Coco, from a breeder, but they seemed to be from different moms and we think one of them (Coco) was a bit smaller, as she was still with her mom when the breeder gave her to us. We honestly forgot to ask how old Coco was, but Peach is supposed to be 7-8 weeks.
Peach is a bit more brave, while Coco seems very shy and hides a lot. Peach tends to try and cuddle Coco a lot, and while they did sleep together most of the time in the past 2 days, Coco tends to squeal every time she is approached by her.
Now as I was writing this, I also think I heard a bit of a purring sound coming from their cage.
Could it be that Coco doesn't like Peach very much, or maybe just that she is very scared by everything given that she is in a new environment? Or is it possible that Coco is wounded in some way and Peaxh touching her hurts? Should I worry? (I DO)

 

[Piggies&buns]

The squealing is most likely submission squealing - it’s nothing to worry about and is in fact what you need to happen.
Its literally the submissive piggy squealing to tell the dominant that she is knows the other piggy is in charge and she accepts her position in the hierarchy.

Were they together in the same enclosure before you got them home? If not then they will be in a period of getting to know each other and establishing a relationship and hierarchy. Even if they were in the same enclosure and already knew each other (and even with other piggies in the same enclosure), they will still be in a period of establishing their relationship as a pair without other piggies around. This process will take around two weeks (it also happens whenever there is a change of environment).

Have you checked their sexes to confirm they are both indeed female? Unfortunately missexing from breeders and pet shops happens.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner

 

[veesilver]

Thank you for your answers!

I am not sure they were together, no.
We also didn't check their sexes yet, as we didn't want to handle them too much too soon. The breeder checked them while we were there, so we're going to hope he was right for now. I'll try to check as well as soon as they get to trust me more

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for your answers!

I am not sure they were together, no.
We also didn't check their sexes yet, as we didn't want to handle them too much too soon. The breeder checked them while we were there, so we're going to hope he was right for now. I'll try to check as well as soon as they get to trust me more

ok, then they need to establish themselves And get to know each other.

It is absolutely essential you check for yourself and do it right now, you can’t wait for them to trust you as if they are mixed sex, if will be too late to check by the time they trust you (which can take months to gain piggies’ trust). If they are mixed sex they will need to be separated straight away so don’t delay otherwise you could end up with unexpected pregnancies. I would not take a breeders word for sexing them correctly - unfortunately we have to help a lot of people who find themselves in a situation with incorrectly sexed breeder piggies.

do read the green links I am adding into these replies as they will useful for you

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/illustrated-sexing-guide-for-all-ages.156297/

 

[Roselina]

Hello veesilver welcome to TGPF - congratulations on getting Peaches and Coco - they are still settling in and you’ve been given great advice. Good luck

 

[veesilver]

Thank you for the advice! I will read the threads you linked. I also have a handy book from Amazon that some pages recommended.

I will try to check their sexes later today.
Babies :