Dominance

[Isobel2407]

Hello

I wonder if I could have some advice on dominant behaviour. We have had our 2 boys for 4 weeks (they are 12 weeks old).Over the past week there has been increased teeth chattering, and chasing, which has been increasing . The one who originally was less dominant, I think has changed to the dominant one and has been chasing the other one on/off this evening for the past 3 hours plus. It is normally worse when I clean out Thier hutch, but today is especially bad. They live in a 2 tier 4ft X 2ft chartwell hutch. There is food and water on both floors and loads of hay. I've taken all the tunnels/hides out. The problem is I think they are even squabbling over the bedroom, I wonder whether even to take the bedroom partition out? know this behaviour is normal but at what point does the chasing get too much for the chased? Obviously if blood was drawn I would separate them.
Also just to add they are in a large run in the garden during the day with tunnels etc and a small wooden hidey with a ramp and hay inside and I wonder whether this may be contributing to the problem as the newly dominant one is also chasing the other out of the wooden hidey as well.

Many thanks in advance for any advice

 

[Siikibam]

It is normal. They have just hit their teens and there will be more hormone spikes to come. Where you draw the line can sometimes be difficult to decide. If the one being chased isn’t retaliating or standing up for himself - essentially allowing himself to be chased and perhaps mounted and humped. If you think it’s becoming too much you could carry out a trial separation. In this case, you’d have to watch the behaviour of the underpig to see how they are with being separated.

If the bedroom area seems to be a bone of contention then do remove the divide so it’s all one area. Make sure all hides have two exits so no pig can be cornered. I would consider adding a second bottle to each floor so there’s no room for dispute, making sure they’re at least one piggy length apart.

Having said all that, the top pig does get pick of the hide. You also have to maintain the status quo by attending to the top pig first, whatever you may be doing.

The other thing is when cleaning them out, leave a small part of their dirty bedding rather than doing a full clean. This latter can sometimes trigger a dominance fest. Once they’ve marked and scented the newer bedding, you can then clean out the other area. This way, it always smells of them.

Have a read of the guide below to see where the chaser is sitting in terms of dominance. It can be quite stressful to experience. I remember when my boys went through similar. There was incessant chasing, rumble strutting, mounting and humping. It went on for several hours with maybe a minute or two of rest in between the chasing etc. It did settle which was a big relief for me as I had to go to work that night and was worried!

Hopefully they will calm down and return to their calmer, everyday piggy. Just be aware it will likely happen again when there’s another spike.

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree with Siikibam - It is normal to see chasing. Cleaning out removes all the scent and can upset them - best to do cleaning in two sittings so bedding still smells of them. Don’t intervene while it is just dominant behaviour but to keep an eye on them.

I remove the bedroom divide for my boar pairs.

I will add though that the hutch is very small for two boars. Being two storey does not double the space - piggies are ground roaming and need their cage to be big enough on a single level. Unfortunately a 4 foot hutch is considered too small for boars, they require a 6 foot hutch to give them enough space and territory each (5 foot at a minimum).

 

[Isobel2407]

Thank you both for the advice.