Coffee chases fluffy around

[Kyubi0302]

Hello there! I'm fairly new here and I have been concerned about my guinea pigs behaviour. We recently saved another guinea pig from pet smart, she came home with so many infections but she is fully recovered! Her name is Fluffy and she s very small, probably about 2 months.

Originally I had 2 guinea pigs coffee and cookie. Cookie is about 5 months , coffee is 8 months. When we introduced fluffy to cookie they got along quite fine. Now the problem is Coffee...
Coffee will.put her face right under fluffy's mouth. I dont really understand what coffee's action indicates. Soon after Coffee would chase after Fluffy throughout the cage. She would chase fluffy out of the huts. There are 3 of everything in the cage.... When Coffee does these types of actions Fluffy would get really scared and start wheeling horrendously. What should I do? Is this normal behaviour amongst guinea pigs?

Also coffee has started purring around the cage while walking. She would go up to cookie and vibrate next to her. Coffee is a gentle soul and is very loving. I read on a forum before that she could be in heat so her hormones and behavior is more aggressive during this period...?

If anyone has experienced the same problem and has found a solution please advise me on what I should do.
During veggie time all 3 guinea pigs eat in a separate cage together and they get along fine...
I just dont understand why coffee has a problem when fluffy joints them in their cage.... right now fluffy is in her own small cage but I know she is lonely. She loves to play with her sisters during feeding time.

Could fluffy be too young? Should I ignore fluffys wheeling and just leave her in the big cage with her sisters? I am in need of help... thank you for reading this thread ❤

 

[Piggies&buns]

How long have you had them? Please do double check that they are all indeed female.

Ensure that you have no enclosed hideys. Each hidey should have two exits so that no piggy can get cornered.

This kind of behaviour sounds normal. When you introduce guinea pigs to each other, they have to establish a hierarchy and this can take a few weeks.

They are all within their teenage months so this kind of behaviour is heightened (teenage months last from the ages of 4 to approximately 14 months).

The loud squealing type wheeks you are hearing is not always fear, it is submission. Fluffy is telling coffee that she accepts that coffee is higher ranking than her.

The purring and walking is called rumblestrutting and is a normal dominance behaviour.

Please don’t separate them at all. Each time you separate then you interrupt their establishing the bond and hierarchy which means that they start all over again when you put them back together. It is important that you leave them to it and sort their relationship out. You only need to separate them if there is a full on blood drawing fight.

Whether guinea pigs get on is down to character compatibility, so if you go out and just get another guinea pig there is always the risk that they won’t like each other.

The links below should help you identify the behaviours you are seeing.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Piggies&buns]

Just to also double check - did you introduce them properly on neutral territory first (ie not in the cage) ensuring that the cage they were going to live in permanently is fully cleaned and wiped down? Or did you just put fluffy into coffee and cookie’s cage?

Just re-reading your post - if you are just putting fluffy into coffee’s cage, then coffee will likely be seeing it as an invasion of territory. You should never just add a guinea pig into another’s cage as it is a sure fire way to set off disputes.

 

[Kyubi0302]

Just to also double check - did you introduce them properly on neutral territory first (ie not in the cage) ensuring that the cage they were going to live in permanently is fully cleaned and wiped down? Or did you just put fluffy into coffee and cookie’s cage?

Just re-reading your post - if you are just putting fluffy into coffee’s cage, then coffee will likely be seeing it as an invasion of territory. You should never just add a guinea pig into another’s cage as it is a sure fire way to set off disputes.

Yes I did introduced them in a neutral territory. They are able to eat veggies together without any issues. But once fluffy enters the cage coffee is aggressive. Coffee will not leave fluffy alone. Fluffy has even showed coffee that she is submissive ...
Today we tried again and we found 2 scratches on fluffys behind if they cant get along what should I do...?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m not entirely clear on the situation. Are you taking them all out of the cage to eat veggies and then putting fluffy into coffee’s cage? Where is fluffy living?
How long did you leave them in the neutral space? Was coffee’s cage completely rearranged and wiped down to remove all scents? It seems maybe the problem is occurring because coffee knows the cage is hers. Coffee is territorial and does not like a newcomer into her space. But, you can’t make piggies like each other and this is always the risk when you go out and buy a new piggy, you have no idea if they are going to be compatible.

if they are fighting, you say you’ve found scratches on fluffy, then they will need to be permanently separated. Fluffy will need a cage of her own and then a new friend to live with. The best way to get a new companion is to go to a rescue centre who will then find a character compatible piggy so that the bond is successful.