Big change in our pigs behaviour

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loveisdivine

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We have 2 girls, Gloria and Moe. We have had them for about 2 months now and were originally keeping them outside in a hutch, they settled in really well and loved being cuddled and would even fall asleep on us. They always bickered a little between themselves but nothing major.
About 2 weeks ago we moved them inside because it got too cold outside for them, the hutch doesnt fit in our room so we had to get a playpen type thing. They loved it at first cos they have loads of extra room and were popcorning around most days. But the last week their behavior has changed dramatically, they have become much harder to catch, they wont sit still on us for more than a few seconds. They just wanna run all over the bed, and then when your try and pet Gloria on the bed, she kicks her bum in the air to get you off. Gloria bit me today too :( we were just sitting like normal and she just bit me. Moe has started teeth chattering LOADS!

I'm just worried because today it got to the point where they wouldnt let us touch them at all, especially Gloria. It feels like we have took a huge step back.

Anyone got any ideas as to why? Could it be because they are in a new "hutch"? Even thought they seem to love being in it. I hoped after they had moved into the room they would become less skittish because they would get used to all the noises, but they have just got worse.

Sorry for the long post but I'm just really disappointed and confused. 8...
 
Two months is still quite early; they may not have got the idea that you want to touch them out of affection. I wonder if they really liked being petted before, or whether they were still too nervous to object at first.

try:
- picking them up for lap-time when they are settling down after a period of activity
- give food while stoking them, so they associate it with something nice.
- don't stroke one pig if it's just been harassed by the other one, it won't think you're being nice.

If they bite, give them a prod back IMMEDIATELY so they know you won't let them get away with it. (if you don't get back immediately, don't bother because they won't associate it with the bite).
 
I think the reason may be that when they have a new house they may well both be wanting to be the boss of it. Some guinea pigs have very loud characters so may be trying to prove to the other one that they own the new house. If I were you, I would put them in a place which none of them have been in before as supervise them to see if they get on in a small place. If everything seems to be going well, give them some treats and start to stroke them. That may make them feel very relaxed. When you feel they are more calm and can be left by themselves, clean out their living place very well so there are no scents in there. When you have done that give them a gentle wash with guinea pig shampoo but put them in together when they are bathing. Give them a good dry and one last cuddle before putting them back in their house. Then there will then be no scents so they will get on with each other after the boss has been elected.

As an extra bit of advice always give them lots of food when they are getting used to each other as they may think that they have a reason to fight.
I hope that helps.
 
I let a tricky customer sneak under my pullover and settle there (ideally relax or even fall asleep - although that is courting leaks). That way, they can connect me to warmth and cosiness. Try to cuddle them ever so gently when they are a bit sleepy.

Food is always a surefire motivator, as is praise, like you would do with a dog!

New surroundings equals new, possibly hostile, territory and can trigger another bout of dominance displays. It will take time for them to settle down again.

Perhaps you can find some tips or ideas in here?
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239
 
Thanks for the replys. Unfortunately things have took a turn for the worse overnight. Gloria has been rumblestrutting pretty much constantly for the last 24 hours. When Moe is out of here sleeping bag thing she chases her and ruimblestrutts all around her, then they have a squabble and go back to eating for a few minutes, then its straight back to the fighting. When Moe is in her beg, Gloria jumps on it and trys to get in the bag with her and rumblestrutt. Throughout all of this Moe protests with vrey loud wheeks. Me and the other half have been awake since 4am because of the noise. I dont know whether to seperate. It seems to be Gloria initiating everything.

I can see why it might be because of the new surroundings, but I'm sure the initial dominance displays were never as bad as this.

I just dont know what to do.
 
Is it safe to assume that if they get along in the neutral area (bathroom) then whats happening in the hutch is just a dominance thing, and its not that Gloria has decided she hates Moe? We will try the bath thing and see how it goes.

We dont really have the space or resources to seperate them without putting one back outside so I have no idea what we are gonna do.
 
I'm hoping someone who is experienced in sows will come along soon for you, I have no experience whatsoever sorry :(!

Has there been any blood drawn, wounds inflicted? Can the wee one still eat? Do you weigh your pigs?
 
It sounds like Gloria is in season if it's got worse. If they aren't actually fighting then i would leave them.

i was worried about 2 of mine for a while after bringing them in as gypsy was always teeth chattering and rumble strutting with Bessie and sometimes bessie would squeek really loud although she never had any injuries. But it used to freak me out. It took a while but they stopped doing it and are great now. But when Gypsy was in season she was always meaner than normal.

if there are no injuries leave them to it.

We have since put a neutered boy in with them and it's stopped completely. Don't know if that's a coincience or not as it was quieting down anyway.

loveisdivine said:
Thanks for the replys. Unfortunately things have took a turn for the worse overnight. Gloria has been rumblestrutting pretty much constantly for the last 24 hours. When Moe is out of here sleeping bag thing she chases her and ruimblestrutts all around her, then they have a squabble and go back to eating for a few minutes, then its straight back to the fighting. When Moe is in her beg, Gloria jumps on it and trys to get in the bag with her and rumblestrutt. Throughout all of this Moe protests with vrey loud wheeks. Me and the other half have been awake since 4am because of the noise. I dont know whether to seperate. It seems to be Gloria initiating everything.

I can see why it might be because of the new surroundings, but I'm sure the initial dominance displays were never as bad as this.

I just dont know what to do.
Click to expand...
 
It sounds like Gloria is in season - she seems to be a very dominant girl! Hopefully, she will relax more when she is settled and her hormones have as well (once she has stopped growing).
 
I have to say, I knew piggies would take a lot of looking after but I never expected this!
Anyway, there havent been any wounds that I can see, just nipping followed by a loud squeak and chasing I think. There is no blood to be seen. When I filled the food bowl up earlier they both sat together at it eating. I can see them now, Gloria is eating from the bowl and Moe is a little further away eating hay.
Literally as I'm typing Gloria is rumblestrutting, and in between the rumbling she jumps up and kinda flicks herself around.

I will do the bath thing and hopefully that will help them bond. I also think she must be in season, and as this would be the first time she has been in season since we brought them in, its the first time we are seeing her behaviour during it. Hopefully in a cpl of days she will calm down a little. It might be something we have to go through every cpl of weeks!
 
The jumping up and flicking round thing is a good thing. It's a sign of a happy guinea pig. So she's okay.

I did bath mine but only because they had lice. Still had the same issues afterwards though although like i say it's stopped now.

Good luck! Keep us informed i'd love to hear how they do.
 
Thankfully, girls tend to calm down after a few months, once they are past the worst of the hormonal stage (it goes parallel to the boys, but is not always as pronounced). My Minx (who was as bad as your Gloria at the beginning) positively mellowed with age!

PS: Nipping/squeaking and rumblestrutting are pretty normal and you need not fear any fight or fall-outs.
 
Well they had a bath together earlier and cuddled up in the towel after, we cleaned all the cage thoroughly and so far its been very peaceful in there :) No rumbling! I'm not expecting it to stop all together, that would be silly of me, but it would be nice for her not to do it every 15 minutes, including at 4 am!

I am much happier with things this afternoon, and it would appear that they are too. I will let you all know how things go overnight :)
 
glad to hear that things have settled down a little bit, hope Gloria stops being such a little madam soon x
 
When I pick my pigs up to cuddle them I always hold them in a fleece blanket. It gives them somewhere to hide and they don't feel threatened enough to attempt to bite.

It does sound as if this behaviour is hormonal. My girlies took a long time to settle down when I first got them and then there was a lot of unrest when their sister died. I too settled the problem by introducing a neutered boar and they all seem a lot happier.

Let us know how it goes! The basic rule is that as long as no blood is drawn you can let them get on with it.
 
I had a lot of squabbling between my 2 girls when they were introduced. they've been together a month now and have more or less settled. there are still dominance displays - rumblestrutting, head lifting and arguments over food sometimes but it's much better than it was.

I think you just have to let them get on with it.
 
Do you weigh them weekly ? The stress of the bickering may make them lose weight or stop eating.
 
No I dont weigh them, but the food bowl is almost always running low when I get up and I see them both eating regularly and we feed them fresh veggies during cuddle time so I think they are eating plenty.

Just thought I would update you all. Ever since we did the bath thing everything has gone back to "normal" Weve had no rumblestrutting at all, just the usual nudging and abit of playful chasing/nipping :D All in all they seem vry happy, they make lots of little cute chirpy noises in the evening when they are snuffling around which is super cute!

I get the feeling that in another week or so when Gloria comes into season again, we may have a repeat of what happened before. But if it does, at least I know that it is just a hormonal thing, and nothing more serious :)
 
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