A bit worried about an introduction

TheLittlePig

TheLittlePig

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys so as you know I had got my baby as a single from the pet shop, well I did go back and got her a friend. I did the whole separation time and then introduced in a neutral territory and there was initial acceptance, now from their behaviors I can tell which is dominant and it seems like they’ve established that but the bullying is what I’m seeing a little of now it’s only been a day together in a newly cleaned rearranged enclosure, I was reading through the introduction thread and it says that can go on for a few days, they have not had any scuffles yet and they do nap together and they both make the bubbling happy sounds and they both popcorn, so for me this is all so confusing a lot of mixed signals lol is this normal? Is bullying a bad sign? Should I do another separation?
 
Bullying is not the best sign, but I would not encourage you to separate them again.
What signs are you seeing of bullying?

Are they boys or girls? Also what size is your cage.
Some things you can do to make things run smoothly is providing two of everything. Bottles, hides, hay piles etc.

The napping together and getting along after the dominance is a great sign, and generally means what you are seeing is normal dominance.
You may find these guides nice to read through -
Bonds In Trouble
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
piggl said:
Bullying is not the best sign, but I would not encourage you to separate them again.
What signs are you seeing of bullying?

The napping together and getting along after the dominance is a great sign, and generally means what you are seeing is normal dominance.
You may find these guides nice to read through -
Bonds In Trouble
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
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She is pushing her out of the way not necessarily keeping her from eating but definitely making it hard but then I look over now and they’re eating together
 
TheLittlePig said:
She is pushing her out of the way not necessarily keeping her from eating but definitely making it hard but then I look over now and they’re eating together
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What is crazy is I swear she does it when I’m standing right there but if I’m watching from afar she doesn’t do it
 
Do you have multiple areas of hay around the cage?
If you are using food bowls for pellets and veg I would recommend you stop doing so and instead scatter feed it around the cage and amongst hay. This can stop/reduce food hogging
 
Piggies&buns said:
Do you have multiple areas of hay around the cage?
If you are using food bowls for pellets and veg I would recommend you stop doing so and instead scatter feed it around the cage and amongst hay. This can stop/reduce food hogging
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Yes I have two of each now that she started that and the pellets I put in the hay and morning veggies as well, this is a lot more stressful than I expected lol the articles are extremely helpful I think my main concern is that bc my first was alone for a little bit she has became very attached to me and now there’s a jealousy issue
 
I would weigh the under piggie everyday to see if she is losing any weight, if not she is more than likely finding plenty of food and hay. It can take a little while for them to settle down (up to a couple of weeks to sort out)) Once they’ve settled you can give bath piggies attention and love, just leave them to settle for now, I don’t think jealousy is at play
 
Bill & Ted said:
I would weigh the under piggie everyday to see if she is losing any weight, if not she is more than likely finding plenty of food and hay. It can take a little while for them to settle down (up to a couple of weeks to sort out)) Once they’ve settled you can give bath piggies attention and love, just leave them to settle for now, I don’t think jealousy is at play
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Ok yeah my new girl is pretty much good it’s my original piggy she’s just bouncing off the walls it seems like but I came in just a few minutes ago and they were sleeping together I just hopes she stops the bullying
 
It will take two weeks for them to fully form their relationship.

You need to be very careful not to confuse bullying with dominance.

Bullying is a set of sustained behaviours which will result in the bullied pig becoming withdrawn, depressed and losing weight through not being allowed to eat enough.

Dominance is normal and to be expected.

i really don’t think it has anything to do with jealousy.

How big is your cage?
 
Piggies&buns said:
It will take two weeks for them to fully form their relationship.

You need to be very careful not to confuse bullying with dominance.

Bullying is a set of sustained behaviours which will result in the bullied pig becoming withdrawn, depressed and losing weight through not being allowed to eat enough.

Dominance is normal and to be expected.

i really don’t think it has anything to do with jealousy.

How big is your cage?
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Ok yeah it’s only been a day, it just seems very aggressive lol, I have a 50 by 25 one of those ones you can add to
 
TheLittlePig said:
Ok yeah it’s only been a day, it just seems very aggressive lol, I have a 50 by 25 one of those ones you can add to
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Make sure you have hay in two separate areas at opposite sides of the cage.

If you could explain a bit more about what you are actually seeing then it may help us. To us normal dominance may seem a bit much but to then it is just how they communicate.

I assume you mean c&c cage and that those are measurements in inches, so that comes to 127x63cm and converts to 8 sq ft which is just minimum size for two sows. While that is fine as it meets minimum welfare size, they can benefit from more space so if you can add to it then it might help to do so if they are just feeling a bit cramped.
 
Oh ok yeah I’m still learning, I got a lot of info from the pet shop so I’m very happy to have you guys as you know what you’re talking about and the pet shop will say just about anything to sell an animal, yes the c&c cage and I did plan on purchasing the extension for it, I do have two ares of hay water and veggies when it’s veggie time, they have multiple hiding places. But for how she was acting she was doing the normal dominance stuff the chinning, mounting etc and then started pushing her away from the hay and blocking exits and chasing and it seemed to get worse when I would be right there but watching from afar she would groom her sleeping together eating together that’s why I had thought it may be a jealousy thing I did have her alone for weeks and I kind of stood in as her companion but she’s actually calmed down alot today so I think it’s just me over reacting lol but man they are rough I felt so bad for my new girl
 
TheLittlePig said:
Oh ok yeah I’m still learning, I got a lot of info from the pet shop so I’m very happy to have you guys as you know what you’re talking about and the pet shop will say just about anything to sell an animal, yes the c&c cage and I did plan on purchasing the extension for it, I do have two ares of hay water and veggies when it’s veggie time, they have multiple hiding places. But for how she was acting she was doing the normal dominance stuff the chinning, mounting etc and then started pushing her away from the hay and blocking exits and chasing and it seemed to get worse when I would be right there but watching from afar she would groom her sleeping together eating together that’s why I had thought it may be a jealousy thing I did have her alone for weeks and I kind of stood in as her companion but she’s actually calmed down alot today so I think it’s just me over reacting lol but man they are rough I felt so bad for my new girl
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Ah if you’re saying you can purchase a specific extension for it then it won’t be a c&c cage. It sounds more like a commercial cage
.
 
Sometimes they're not bullying, they're just pulling rank. Our boss pig is the most gracious, unaggressive, non-bullying boss pig you could imagine, but he will still turf his first officer out of bed or away from the bowl just to assert his dominance.

Hierarchy is very important to guinea pigs, and this kind of behaviour reinforces it and means that, in an emergency, everyone knows their place and their job. It's a survival thing. If they're showing other signs of being contented together, I really would not worry about this at all.
 
Cheekypigs said:
Sometimes they're not bullying, they're just pulling rank. Our boss pig is the most gracious, unaggressive, non-bullying boss pig you could imagine, but he will still turf his first officer out of bed or away from the bowl just to assert his dominance.

Hierarchy is very important to guinea pigs, and this kind of behaviour reinforces it and means that, in an emergency, everyone knows their place and their job. It's a survival thing. If they're showing other signs of being contented together, I really would not worry about this at all.
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Yeah I think I was definitely over reacting lol because they are good as gold now playing eating out of the same dish snuggling grooming, I can’t believe how harsh they are lol I’d be in the corner crying if someone treated me like that 😂😂
 
Just an update, we have had no full on fights, there has still been a lot of rumblestrutting and now Miss Piggy is getting nippy, Fuzz, my new addition, is settling in well even though Miss Pig is not being very nice, at least in my eyes, I have to remember they know what’s going and don’t worry lol, I catch Miss Pig initiating play time with Fuzz witch is cute 🥰 Fuzz is warming up to me as well she loves a good belly rub she rolls over and all and her wheek is absolutely adorable ☺️
 
Miss Piggy has been a little different towards me, not as trusting, very hesitant to approach me and get pets but I am assuming it’s just because everyone is adjusting so I just keep interacting while spot cleaning, refilling hay and water, veggie time, etc.
 
TheLittlePig said:
Miss Piggy has been a little different towards me, not as trusting, very hesitant to approach me and get pets but I am assuming it’s just because everyone is adjusting so I just keep interacting while spot cleaning, refilling hay and water, veggie time, etc.
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Yes, everyone is adjusting to the new dynamic, give her time. If she's working on asserting her dominance, she may be reluctant to be petted while in the cage, in case it makes her look less senior to the submissive pig. Our dominant pig really lets himself be petted in the cage, though he loves it when he's out for lap time.
 
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