Possible Bullying

[Kinzie12]

Hello Everybody! I have two female guinea pigs Poppy and Cricket. Poppy was my first guinea pig and I got her in March of 2021, then in June of 2021 I got Cricket. I introduced them after them being in different cages for a few days, when introducing them I did notice Poppy bite at Cricket, especially when she got to close to her. She has made Cricket whine but has never drawn blood or left a mark (as far as I could tell). Poppy still nips at her from time to time, but I notice it a lot when Cricket gets really close to her or when Cricket is trying to eat (but not all the time). If Cricket is eating hay and Poppy is drinking water, Poppy will walk over and nip at her so Cricket will go away. Cricket is submissive and Poppy is definitely the dominant one.

Secondly I have noticed since buying a new treat that one of them has been leaving what looks like very soft poop (almost like diarrhea). Is it possibly that it was just that treat? I have never had this issue with them before buying it and they have been on the same diet since I put them two together. They get timothy hay that I got from a farmer, the recommended amount of Oxbow pellets, and they get veggies at night.
I have read that Cricket should be getting stuff with Alfalfa hay in it until she is 6 months old. is this true? if so how do I make sure that Poppy does not eat it?

Is this normal? Should I be worried that they are not bonded? Does anybody have any advice on how to correct this type of behavior? What might be causing this?

Thank you ahead of time, I know I am asking a lot of questions!

 

[Siikibam]

Bullying is different from making dominance known. How are their weights - you should be weighing them weekly. Bullying leads to withdrawal and weight loss in the bullies piggy, but I don’t think that’s what is going on here. Nipping is normal. I’ll link to some guides below for you to read.

Alfalfa isn’t needed past weaning so there is no need for Cricket to eat it. How much in terms of pellets are you feeding? Are you going by the recommended amount on the packaging?
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Kinzie12]

Bullying is different from making dominance known. How are their weights - you should be weighing them weekly. Bullying leads to withdrawal and weight loss in the bullies piggy, but I don’t think that’s what is going on here. Nipping is normal. I’ll link to some guides below for you to read.

Alfalfa isn’t needed past weaning so there is no need for Cricket to eat it. How much in terms of pellets are you feeding? Are you going by the recommended amount on the packaging?
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

She has been to vet recently, I cannot remember the exact weight right now but she was growing a lot. The vet said that she is doing great when it comes to weight. Yes I am following the recommended amount on the packaging. I also was wondering if it is because I need more feeders. I have two bowls for their pellets, but I have have one thing for their hay and one water bottle. I just purchased a second water bottle.

 

[Piggies&buns]

She has been to vet recently, I cannot remember the exact weight right now but she was growing a lot. The vet said that she is doing great when it comes to weight. Yes I am following the recommended amount on the packaging. I also was wondering if it is because I need more feeders. I have two bowls for their pellets, but I have have one thing for their hay and one water bottle. I just purchased a second water bottle.

Please do not go by the amount on the packaging - it’s usually far far too much.
They only need one tablespoon per pig per day which usually amounts to around 10g (whereas the packaging usually says around 30g so you can see it is a lot over).

You do need two of everything, so I’d definitely add in more hay areas, even just in loose piles on the floor rather than in hay racks

Nipping but not breaking the skin is a gesture of power and entirely normal, it’s not bullying. The whine is submission and again, normal. The dominant piggy will always get their way first. You will still see dominance behaviours regardless

As siikibam has said, alfalfa is not needed

 

[Siikibam]

It’s always best to have at least two hay feeding areas. As for the pellets, feeding according to the packaging will be too much. They only need a tablespoon a day each. I would scatter feed so there is no bowl hogging.

You need to weigh them weekly so you can keep track of them. It’s not enough to weigh when they go to the vet. It’s a good way to keep track of their health. Weight loss can (in some cases) be an indicator of something going on, if it’s sustained loss rather than a loss one week and a gain the next. Hope that makes sense.