Rileigh09
New Born Pup
Hello!
First time guinea pig owner and I'm having some concerns about whether or not I should keep my two together. The pigs are Jane (bigger, wants to be in charge) and Zelda (the one kicked out of hides), both are females as far as I and the shelter are aware.
For background: They were strays picked up by the animal shelter (not sure if they were found together or not) and were there about two weeks in the same cage before I picked them up. I have been reading the threads about dominance behavior and trying to be patient because there hasn't been any serious fights and I don't want to interrupt the process since they did just have a major environment change.
However, although the behavior is mostly just chasing with submission squealing, pee squirting, rumble strutting and some quiet chattering they never seem to willing want to be in the same place as the other except when I'm handing out food or treats. I see them occasionally tap noses, but other than that they never groom or sleep near each other. It's been two weeks and I'm not sure what to do or how long I should wait. Any advice is very much appreciated.
Note: I have hay placed in two separate places and two water bottles and usually hand feed veggies to make sure even distribution. They are in a 4 x 2 C&C cage as well.
First time guinea pig owner and I'm having some concerns about whether or not I should keep my two together. The pigs are Jane (bigger, wants to be in charge) and Zelda (the one kicked out of hides), both are females as far as I and the shelter are aware.
For background: They were strays picked up by the animal shelter (not sure if they were found together or not) and were there about two weeks in the same cage before I picked them up. I have been reading the threads about dominance behavior and trying to be patient because there hasn't been any serious fights and I don't want to interrupt the process since they did just have a major environment change.
However, although the behavior is mostly just chasing with submission squealing, pee squirting, rumble strutting and some quiet chattering they never seem to willing want to be in the same place as the other except when I'm handing out food or treats. I see them occasionally tap noses, but other than that they never groom or sleep near each other. It's been two weeks and I'm not sure what to do or how long I should wait. Any advice is very much appreciated.
Note: I have hay placed in two separate places and two water bottles and usually hand feed veggies to make sure even distribution. They are in a 4 x 2 C&C cage as well.