Reintroducing

[Ren27]

Hi I have 3 female guinea pigs who lived happily together. One ended up pregnant when I had bought her. She had 2 babies and was separated from the other two girls because of protective behaviour and fighting. I have separated mum from the babies today as they are 3 weeks old and males. Mum is now back with the girls, but one of them is chasing her and wiggling her bum at her. Is this normal? Any advice would be great

Thanks

 

[Sappyshelly]

I happen to be currently re introducing my two pigs as well but they happen to be male. I can’t really help you with this one since we re introducing males just kinda hump each other. Farley was doing that before to Clifford but he stopped and both pigs are just munching on there hay. If it looks aggressive and it’s continuous I would just suggest keeping a closer eye on them

 

[Wiebke]

Hi I have 3 female guinea pigs who lived happily together. One ended up pregnant when I had bought her. She had 2 babies and was separated from the other two girls because of protective behaviour and fighting. I have separated mum from the babies today as they are 3 weeks old and males. Mum is now back with the girls, but one of them is chasing her and wiggling her bum at her. Is this normal? Any advice would be great

Thanks

Hi! Rumblestrutting, chasing and nipping is normal behaviour for the stage in which the new hierarchy is established. The dominance phase lasts around 14 days. Your mother is thankfully a pretty submissive girl by the sound of it, but the sow just above her in the hierarchy is making absolutely sure that her own higher ranking is not under threat.

Please take the time to read these guides. You will find them both interesting and very helpful in understanding your girls.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

Please make sure that you give your little mother the pregnancy and nursing period extras and allow her tow eat as much as she wants for another 2-3 weeks so she can replenish her own bodily reserves now that the nutrients are no longer going mostly towards her babies. it won't hurt your other two girls if you are a bit more generous during that time.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/

 

[Sappyshelly]

@Wiebke I also have a question when do you know if it’s ok to put them back together in the newly cleaned cage

 

[Wiebke]

@Wiebke I also have a question when do you know if it’s ok to put them back together in the newly cleaned cage

Once things have settled down somewhat and the hierarchy has been worked out. Generally that is after they have all had a nap together and tensions are noticeably relaxed. If tensions stay persistently high but there is no clear fail it may be worth separating overnight and doing another bonding session on neutral ground on the following day. It should be a lot calmer. if tensions are up there straight away again, then the bond is going to struggle and you may want to rather look for other options.

 

[Sappyshelly]

Once things have settled down somewhat and the hierarchy has been worked out. Generally that is after they have all had a nap together and tensions are noticeably relaxed. If tensions stay persistently high but there is no clear fail it may be worth separating overnight and doing another bonding session on neutral ground on the following day. It should be a lot calmer. if tensions are up there straight away again, then the bond is going to struggle and you may want to rather look for other options.

YAY! Currently both pigs are curled up for a nap after eating some hay! Thank you so much for all this information!

 

[Sappyshelly]

@Wiekbe one more thing, sorry for bothering you! Before the surgery Clifford was the dominant pig. Now it’s pretty clear that Farley is the dominant pig. Clifford didn’t even attempt once to mount Farley in the pen! Do you think this is strange?