Girl Guinea Pigs Fighting

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Fletcherandmilo

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ive got 2 female guinea pigs I got the first one to go with my boar for when he is neutered but she seemed lonely so a couple of days later I got her a friend ( who was in the pet shop with each other) but they really don't get on, they seem to stay away from each other constantly and never spend any time together, the dont chat to each other like my boys did, and when I'm cleaning the cage out I put them in a dry bath on a towel and this is when they sort of fight, daisy doesn't let poppy in the hides house and poppy makes a lot of noise (squealing but not hurt kind of noise ) and today when I went to check on them after cleaning the cage there was a bit of black fur (Poppy's) because daisy is cream. I don't think they need separating as such because when they are in the cage they both have their own claimed space ( daisy does not let poppy up the loft under any circumstances ) and poppy sleeps downstairs in her own hidey house, so they just stay out of each other's way and it's only when I'm cleaning the cage out that they really test each other, but I don't know what to do, keeping 2 guinea pigs that don't get along, in the summer they might have to go in the run at different times and I think it could get quite lonely for them both. Can anyone suggest any advise?
 
It doesn't sound like your two girls are very happy with each other; that is one of the risks when to just get piggies without leeting them decide whether they get on. The squealing is submission and a fair bit will be dominance behaviour. it sounds very much like very dominant Daisy doesn't want her around!

I would recommend to wait until your boy is ready to join the girls. Then you will have to see whether Daisy accepts him or not, ot whether he and Poppy will just be happier as couple with Daisy on her own as a next door neighbour. I assume that you have already two cages next to each other anyway?

Please weigh all your guinea pigs weekly, but especially Poppy to make sure that she is not bullied. Make sure that the girls have two of each, including access to hay, all spaced well apart from the other.
 
I've just been observing them both, and watched what could be going on when I'm not there ( they didn't know I was watching) daisy doesn't let poppy get food if she wants it, she doesn't let poppy in her own hidey house if she is watching and at one point daisy was at the other end of the cage and literally just launched herself to the other side and into poppy, this is all very different to when I had the boys, they followed each other round, shared food, slept in the same place, huddled together. And they actually popcorned which I haven't seen neither of the girls do since I got them, so I really don't think they are getting on well at all, although I havent got concerns that poppy might get massively hurt ( because she is quite submissive) I wonder if they will both be happy all round if they were separated, it makes me really sad to see them both like this, I got poppy because I wanted daisy to have a companion like the boys did and didn't want her suffering and living alone but I think I may have got poppy too soon and maybe daisy would have been rather happy on her own.
 
It sounds like Poppy is getting badly bullied. Personally, I would separate them. You can test whether that is the right way by doing a little overnight separation by dividing the cage. If Poppy perks up noticeably when away from Daisy, you know that the bond is not working. if she wants to go back with Daisy then you know that they want to be together.
 
Thank you I think I am going to seperate the cage and hopefully give poppy a break, it's just seems constant and they have never got along, it's a shame but I think trying it out won't hurt, I have. 2x6 c and c cage and a couple of spare grids so it won't be hard separating them, my only problem is that when daisy and fletcher ( my male ) were separated in that cage daisy and fletcher kindly took to chewing the bars constantly all night, I really don't want that to happen again, have you got any suggestions to stop that or divide it with something else?
 
IF Poppy wants to go back, she'll probably start gnawing pretty straight away, but I dought that that will happen, to be honest. Have you got some spare correx or cardboard you can tie to the separating grids?

PS: How long until Fletcher is ready to go with girls?
 
I have wrapped at towel around it for now, so it means that they carnt see each other but it doesn't look like its bothered them at all, I will try and get something so that they can see each other though, maybe like you say get abit of correx but not too high that they can still see each other, my friend has got fletcher at the moment because he was rather frustrated having daisy around ( but I really do miss him ) she quite likes having him around so we're not sure if he is going to stay there, if he doesn't I have to wait a couple of months before I can get him neutered ( he's only 12 ish weeks) and then he could go on with them, do you think this could settle Daisy's dominance down?
 
I would rather think that he and Poppy may make a match, to be honest.
 
And daisy stay solo? I carnt say for sure because I don't know her personality too well but by the looks of things she's quite happy with her own company rather than Poppy's, and getting another piggie that she could quite possibly bully isn't an option now I have 3 that have all got to live separately
 
Maisie is definitely a piggy to take dating at a rescue so you won't come home with any more piggies that she won't get on with, but she may turn out be one of those few piggies that are happier if they have their own territory with next door neighbours for stimulation.
 
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