Guinea Pig Behaviour

[Sarah Lane]

I have 3 Guinea pigs that appeared to be happy together, we have had them about 3 months now Daisy and Lilly are approx 7 months old and flower a lilac Guinea pig is about 6 months. Over the las week I have noticed Daisy the smallest of the the 3 spending all her time alone down stairs and running away if the other 2 come out for food. When the are in there run Daisy is always in a separate corner and I have noticed flower and lolly nipping at her slightly. I have checked her over but have noticed no marks or scratches but she just seems withdrawn and scared. Any suggestions? Though maybe I should have brought them in pairs?

 

[GPcrazy]

Is her weight stable? Is she still eating and drinking? It might be worth taking Daisy to the vet as it sounds like she could be ill or in pain or something and that's why she's staying away from the others.

 

[Sarah Lane]

Is her weight stable? Is she still eating and drinking? It might be worth taking Daisy to the vet as it sounds like she could be ill or in pain or something and that's why she's staying away from the others.

 

[Sarah Lane]

She is eating and drinking normally and she will go up to bed at night with them. She has recently been checked by vet and been given clean bill of health so just wondered if anyone else had any ideas as don't want her to be lonely they used to cuddle up together all the time .

 

[Swissgreys]

Firstly I would start keeping a regular record of all of their weights so you can be sure that Daisy is getting enough to eat.

How much space do the three of them have, and do they have a separate food and water bowl each as well as separate hideys for all of them, spread across the cage? My 4 like each otehr but they don't always choose to be next to each otehr or sleep together.

It may just be normal dominance behaviour which is more distressing for us to watch than for the guinea pigs, but it could be bullying, in which case you need to take action to protect Daisy.

 

[Wiebke]

Trios are the most difficult combo to get right in guinea pigs, as you are most likely to end up with some kind of outsider situation.

I agree with @Swissgreys to keep an eye on a developing bullying situation and to weigh weekly. I would also recommend to make sure that your girls have a hidey each, so they can get away from each other; that hay and water bottles should be ideally in more than one location, so access cannot be blocked.

Furthermore, I would recommend to serve pellets and veg in several small portions that can be eaten in one go rather than having a bowl in the cage that can be hogged by the two bigger girls. Serve veg and pellets 2-3 times a day in a bowl each per girl, spaced well apart to make sure that they all get an equal portion. You feed about 50g of mixed per piggy per day and about 40g (2 handfuls) of pellets to young piggies up to 4-6 months old, then you gradually reduce the amount to the half to one handful per adult piggy per day (over 12 months). As unlimited hay should make up to 80% of the daily food intake, your girls won't go hungry in the meantime.

If you are really worried and think that your small girl is severely bullied, you can conduct a trial separation by inserting a divider in the cage. If your little girl perks up noticeably when away, then the bond is no longer functional and you need to find another solution, ideally with a new companion of her choice. If she wants to be back with her mates, then you know that the bond is still holding and that you have to let it run as it is.

Sow Behaviour
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics (includes dominance problems)
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet