Piggys still at war

Aimmexlou

Aimmexlou

Junior Guinea Pig
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Please help. I have had my group of 5 sows now for just over 2 weeks and 2 of them still seem to be bickering alot lots of rumble strutting and nipping and cuffufle. I am worried one or them is just not fitting in with the others. She is always starting on all of them and when she's not she's in a hidey on her own. Can anyone advise me. Will this settle down or is she just not settled with this group.
 
Hi, can you give some more information, like how old they are, have they always been together and what size living space they have?
The one you say is starting the trouble is trying to set herself as the dominant sow.
 
Guineautopia said:
Hi, can you give some more information, like how old they are, have they always been together and what size living space they have?
The one you say is starting the trouble is trying to set herself as the dominant sow.
Click to expand...
They are between 16-18 weeks old now. I bought them all together from the same breeder at the same time. they have a double tear hutch and a surrounding around it which is around 3.5 meters long (its my profile picture). she is constantly battling with another one of the piggys who i think is more dominant as she will eventually back down from her, but it does seem she always goes to her to start a cuffule. and shes always nipping the other girls too. am i just being sensitive because it seems worse than it is? is this normal? will it ever settle down? i just feel sorry for the less dominant piggys.
 
Can’t really offer advice.
The experts will be able to offer good advice - I just wanted to offer support
 
Have you had piggies before? I ask as taking on a herd of 5 is quite a challenge for a beginner and I wonder if you have seen any piggie behaviour before getting these girls?
It is normal to have some bickering with girls but mostly when they are in season but It shouldn’t be like that 24 hours a day.
Have you put multiple water bottles, feeding dishes, hay trays and hides in their enclosure? So they don’t need to fight over anything.
Sometimes personalities just clash and certain piggies won’t get on, it doesn’t mean they need to be on their own it’s just they don’t get on with who you picked for them.
 
Thank you for your reply. I have worked at a animal farm in my area and was looking after the guinea pigs and rabbits but I have never owned guinea pigs. Lots of other pets previously. They are not constantly bickering for example when I'm home in the evenings I would say I hear maybe 3 scuffles? Yeah I have 3 water bottles and 4 feeding areas with 5 hidey things and I sprinkle there veggies around the cage aswell as lumps of hay when I do. The rest seem OK and are coming out of there shell nicely even the top piggy.
 
Ok, so if it’s just scuffles and you’ve only had them a few weeks, they could still be working out the hierarchy and over time they may challenge each other as they grow.
I wouldn’t separate them yet if there has been no real fights, give them a chance to work it out. My herd took 8 weeks to finally resolve the pecking order.
Also have you read the bonding guides on this site? They are excellent and help to understand the behaviour. I’ll post you the link
 
I agree with @Guineautopia - the bonding guides are excellent.
My mini herd took longer to bond fully than I expected. It caused me more stress than the piggies.
However, the 2 who were the ones doing the most tussling have now become fast friends and fellow mischief makers
 
Thanks guys for your help. I'm pretty sure it's just me being stressed about them. Yeah I've looked at all the guides and it says it's normal behaviour. It's because it said a few days to 2 weeks so I took it literal ooops. There just so lovely I don't want them to be hurt x
 
A new herd of 5 in new surroundings will take some time to settle in and establish their hierarchy. Add into the mix their age (teenagers) and the fact that they will be coming into season frequently I think you can expect some skirmishes. Just read the recommended guides so that you are aware if and when behaviour escalates as you may find at some point if it doesn't settle that you need to separate a pair and keep a pair and a trio.
Sow Behaviour
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
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