Dominance Battle, Territorial, Or Bullying?

[GuineaPiggyPigs]

Hi I new here but I wanted to join so I could ask for a little advice. I have 3 Guinea Pig Sows. Autumn, 2.5 years old and blind in one eye, Summer, 1 year old, and Silver 1.5 years old. When I first got Autumn, I wasn't informed well by the Petsmart about keeping them in pairs (although I did ask when I was them before I got her about whether or not she would need a cagemate and they said no it wasn't necessary. She always seemed fine, but I really wanted her to have a friend because I am not always home to play with her and keep her company. I kept them in seperate cages but they were next to each other so they could sniff and they played together in their playpen. I then got Silver from a rescue and caged her with Summer and they did their little dominance dance for a couple days and were finally content with their little hierarchy of Silver being dominant and Summer being the submissive piggie. When it came to playpen time and cuddle time, Silver and Autumn would ignore each other and Summer would cuddle up to either one of them. *Friday* I finally got a c&c cage that is 2x6 with a 2x2 loft and bathed my piggies and let put them in their new cage with a plate of nom noms (veggies and fruits) and they happily nibbled at it. When the food was gone Autumn (and I say this as I perceived it) attacked Silver. Their was tumbling and teeth chattering and nipping. I put a towel over them and after a few minutes they seemed to calm down enough the let them go about their business. *Saturday* Silver chased Autumn up to the loft and would not let her down unless Silver was sleeping and just didn't notice. As I was worried about her not getting enough water, I stuck an extra bottle up there for Autumn to drink. *Sunday* Silver and Summer discovered that they too could go upstairs and Summer began to join in on the chasing and nipping. *Monday/Today* Silver and Autumn seem to be getting A LITTLE better (no nipping at least) but Autumn and Summer are still having some issues. The past few nights and days I hear Wheeking and I go over to the cage to find Autumn in an igloo with her butt out and Silver and Summer just standing there. I should also mention that Silver has been chasing Summer a bit but that looks normal and they pretty much already remember their places in that relationship


*Items in cage:*
2 Water Bottles 1 in main cage and 1 in loft
2 Food dishes space 3 1/2 feet apart from the other
2 regular sized igloos
1 large igloo
2 litter pans
2 lids in the other 2 corners to cut down on pee messes
1 hay bin. a smaller version of a collapsible hamper to keep the messes down.
1 ball toy with a wood chunk in the middle
2 stuffed animals to cuddle with

My questions.
When do I say enough is enough and put a divider in the cage?
I have been doing my best not to get involved too much in this "ritual" of sorts, but how do I differentiate between dominance dances and bullying?
What should I add to the cage/ take away to make it more guinea pig friendly? I don't quite know if they are just battling for dominance, being territorial, or well, bullying.

 

[1GuineaPig1]

Welcome to the Forum!
If it gets really aggressive, you should separate them. For example, make sure there is no blood or anything.
Here is a thread to show about dominance behaviors: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/.
As for adding things, you may want to get 3 different igloos, three water bottles, three food bowls, ect.
My piggies had and are still having, occasionally, dominance issues.
It wouldn't be considered bullying unless one or two are assaulting the other(s) or blocking them from going to the food/water.
Try to keep an eye on them, put them in a room where you will go often, or go in the room they are in more often. I hope the problem subsides soon!

 

[GuineaPiggyPigs]

Silver claiming dominance over Autumn has included all the normal "Getting-To-Know-You" behaviour as well as nose-offs with loud chattering and nips. I've caught Silver nipping Autumns feet, no blood. I've heard loud rumbling and she literally chases Autumn all over the cage until she is in an igloo and then she walks off and eats hay or something. the whole time Autumn sort of squeals. Summer is starting to do that to Autumn as well. I haven't heard them squabbling in a couple hours (it is 11pm for me) so I hoping they are done for the night. I admit, Silver is not as "mean" as she was 2 days ago, but it is still very concerning to me. Thank you @1GuineaPig1 for your advice. I am adding extra dishes, bottles and toys tomorrow to see if that helps.