7 Week-old Brothers Fighting?

[Claire P]

I'm new to Guinea Pigs, and I just adopted two now-7 week-old puppies, they are brothers from the same litter. I keep their cage clean, and well stocked with food and water and hay so I do not think they are fighting over that. They also get plenty of time to play outside of their cage. However, they do thrum/make a weird growling type noise at each other whenever they get to close to the other. They kind of move their hind legs like they are getting ready to sprint at the other or they are backing away from the other. I'm not really sure which one facilitates it, but I think it is the bigger Guinea Pig, Herbert. Another thing is they will chase each other around their cage, and very rarely (that I've seen) they've actually fought. They have never drawn blood. It also seems like the little piggy, Wilbert, is afraid of Herbert. I've read a few books on Guinea Pigs, and it says that males need to establish dominance. Is this what you think they are doing? or do you think they are fighting? Should I be worried?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Guinea pigs of any gender need to establish a hierarchy in new surroundings and/or groupings. That is what you are witnessing. Your two boys are yet a bit young for the big hormones to hit.

Please be aware that the key to a successful boar bond is character compatibility as they develop their adult identities. The fact that they are litter brothers will not influence the outcome; that is unfortunately a persistent breeder myth! In fact, a large age gap is generally a much safer pairing as the dominance is much more clear cut and only one boar is going through the hormonal spikes between 4-14 months of age, which helps to stabilise the bond.

Make sure that your boys have two of each, ideally spaced at least a body length away from the other same item, so the dominant boy can't hog it all.

You may find these threads here helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

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