Guinea pig bullies the other

Dollyx

Dollyx

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, this would be my first post here. my older guinea pig Dolly, is constantly bothering the younger one, Pigeon. They have a plenty big cage, two 2x4(and a half)s made into an L shape, it is very big for just the two of them. There is 4 hideouts for them, 2 water bottles, 1 food bowl(theyre really good about sharing it), and 1 large hay area. Dolly is not the nicest pig, she is constantly going out of her way to bully Pigeon. Ie: kicking Pigeon out of a hide, to only then follow her into a different hide and kick her out again, chasing Pigeon and bothering her when she is drinking, eating hay, or sleeping. This happens everyday, constantly. However, whenever they are separated (like when I take Dolly out to hold her) Pigeon gets upset. They also seem to do better when I'm not in the room (they're cage is in my bedroom) but that could just be a coincidence. They don't fight and have never drawn blood, but Dolly is always bullying Pigeon, should I put a barrier between them? I have not tried it before as I don't want to make things worse.
 
To be honest, this behaviour sounds pretty normal. So long as there’s no physical fighting, Pigeon is still getting her fair share of food and water I wouldn’t worry. Dolly is just showing Pigeon that she’s boss.

If Pigeon is unhappy when you remove Dolly, she’s obviously a happy pig sharing a cage with Dolly.

I’d just keep an eye on them but I don’t think you need to separate
 
The dominant piggy has the right to the best hides, food etc so for the dominant to chase the submissive out of hides etc can be very normal.
However, there is a fine line between normal dominance and subtle bullying and it’s essential to know the difference before assuming bullying.
Bullying is a sustained behaviour where the submissive piggy is never allowed to rest, never allowed to eat and consequently loses weight, and can become withdrawn. Bullying can be bond breaking, normal dominance is not.

Some questions before we can comment too much further

- Is Pigeon’s weight stable when you weigh her each week?
- how old are they both?
- how long have they been together?
- do all the hides have two exits? You never want single door enclosed hides as that can mean a piggy can get trapped inside by the other and can be A flashpoint for problems

What I would do is have two food bowls or scatter feed veg and pellets. They may be good at sharing, but if there is an issue, ensuring they have their own items can help.
i would also ensure two separate hay areas are available in the cage.
 

Claire W said:
To be honest, this behaviour sounds pretty normal. So long as there’s no physical fighting, Pigeon is still getting her fair share of food and water I wouldn’t worry. Dolly is just showing Pigeon that she’s boss.

If Pigeon is unhappy when you remove Dolly, she’s obviously a happy pig sharing a cage with Dolly.

I’d just keep an eye on them but I don’t think you need to sep
Click to expand...

Piggies&buns said:
The dominant piggy has the right to the best hides, food etc so for the dominant to chase the submissive out of hides etc can be very normal.
However, there is a fine line between normal dominance and subtle bullying and it’s essential to know the difference before assuming bullying.
Bullying is a sustained behaviour where the submissive piggy is never allowed to rest, never allowed to eat and consequently loses weight, and can become withdrawn. Bullying can be bond breaking, normal dominance is not.

Some questions before we can comment too much further

- Is Pigeon’s weight stable when you weigh her each week?
- how old are they both?
- how long have they been together?
- do all the hides have two exits? You never want single door enclosed hides as that can mean a piggy can get trapped inside by the other and can be A flashpoint for problems

What I would do is have two food bowls or scatter feed veg and pellets. They may be good at sharing, but if there is an issue, ensuring they have their own items can help.
i would also ensure two separate hay areas are available in the cage.
Click to expand...
Thank you this helps a lot! Pigeons weight is stable, there hasn't been any change in it, really. The hides consists of two boxes, one has 3 exits while the other only has 1, I've been thinking about adding another exit to it and this might just be a good time now. The other hides are beds/huts that they only sometimes use, mostly Dolly uses those ones. When I got Dolly, I was told she was around 2 years old, and Pigeon was around 6 months when I got her. I got Pigeon back in February this year so she would be older now. I got Dolly back on October (I had gotten her alongside another female Pig that has since passed away).
 
Definitely cut another hole in the box with only one.
Its good her weight is stable. This guide explains a bit more about bullying and how to spot it - Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
If the behaviour isn’t constant, Pigeon is withdrawn and they are otherwise happy, then it is likely just normal dominance but it is important you can tell the difference and know what signs to look for.

I meant to also ask, is this new behaviour or have they always been like?
Does Dolly behave as if she is in season all the time?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Definitely cut another hole in the box with only one.
Its good her weight is stable. This guide explains a bit more about bullying and how to spot it - Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
If the behaviour isn’t constant, Pigeon is withdrawn and they are otherwise happy, then it is likely just normal dominance but it is important you can tell the difference and know what signs to look for.

I meant to also ask, is this new behaviour or have they always been like?
Does Dolly behave as if she is in season all the time?
Click to expand...
When I first put Pigeon in the same cage as Dolly, Dolly did not seem to care about Pigeon's presence for the first week or so. It was when Pigeon got older and bigger that this behavior started, which I know is normal when a baby pig goes through adolescent, although Pigeon never challenged the dominance between them.

There is a clear difference in behavior in Dolly when she is in heat, it only lasts a day and a half and everything goes back to normal. Normal being this dominate behavior. There are long periods of time where they'll go without being bothered by each other and coexist in peace. I have noticed it is usually when I disturb that peace (coming over to the cage and interacting with them) that Dolly will come out of whatever hide that she is in and go bother Pigeon. There are also times where they'll popcorn with each other and have the zoomies together, not often though.
 
Something to keep a close eye on - we can only advise based on what you tell us and of course that’s not the same thing as actually seeing the behaviour
 
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