Hi all! I became a guinea pig mama two weeks ago and am new to the forum. We have two year-old boars - Tango and Hieronymous. They have always lived together however they are not related (I understand they were bought as a pair from pets at home). We got them from a family who were away often and wanted them to go to a family where they would get more attention. I thought that they would be the perfect pets for my 8 and 6 year old and indeed, they love them.
The guinea pigs came with their own, very large cage (I thought that this was great as it would minimise disruption for them and they would have a familiar environment and smells) it is a wooden pets at home cage with two levels, not sure of exact dimensions but approx 1.5 meters by 0.5m on both levels.
When I went to meet the piggies I held them and spoke at length with the previous owners about their personalities and care (fave foods etc). Tango was introduced as the brave and dominant male and Hieronymous the total scaredy-cat. "Tango is very much the boss." Heironymous enjoyed being held after he calmed down a bit and Tango was just very chill and content to be held and have tummy tickles.
Note: One weird thing about the cage setup was that the previous family used the bottom layer for storage of the guinea pig supplies and the hatch which would usually have a ramp has been patched over with plyboard. Apparently the piggies were too scared to go up and down the ramp and refused every attempt the owners made to get them to go down. In the end they just boarded it up and left the bottom as storage.
PLOT TWIST! After having the boys for two weeks and watching (and learning!) their behaviour, either the old owners got it completely wrong or the dynamic has changed considerably (I think the prior). Although Hieronymous is extremely jumpy and bolts for the hidden "bed" area when we approach the cage, Tango just sits there and doesn't move an inch. I have been watching them from afar and I now know that Tango isn't necessarily brave, it's just that Hieronymous doesn't allow him into he bed area. This means that the poor little guy spends his days in the wire section huddled up in the corner come heatwave or drizzle (I have an insulated cover for rain, so at least he's not damp).
I have also noticed that Hieronymous hogs (pardon the pun!) the food and when he approaches Tango, Tango lies down and shows his tummy in submission. I now wait by the food until Tango has eaten half and then go away so Hieronymous can come out and eat his. I noticed that Tango has a bite mark on his back and today when I came to put out food Hieronymous was chattering his teeth at me and "staring no me down", which I know is a warning and territorial move.
Basically I am very concerned that Tango has been misunderstood by the original family from the start and has in fact been suffering bullying from day one and they just haven't realised. I'm so sad to see the little guy huddled up and living like this. I know that there will always be a dominant male but I cannot stand this behavior and want to try and make the situation better for Tango, so he can have a happy, fearless (if still not dominant!) life.
From what I have read their problem could be a lot down to limited space and boredom. The top level of the cage clearly isn't big enough for the two of them to happily coexist.
My plan is to go tomorrow to the home store and buy some wood to make a ramp with. I have read that they are sometimes scared to go up and down ramps because they don't have enough grip, so I'm going to add carpet to the ramp to make it easier for them. I'm also going to go to the pet store and buy another water bottle, hidey-hole and toys to stimulate them for both levels.
My theory is that if I can get one on each level they will be content (hopefully running up and down!) and still see and hear that the other is there and have more room to play and socialise but have an escape if they want some relaxation time. I hope that this would kick start the bonding process. The plan to get them up and down the ramp is a. the carpet and b. FOOD trail!
If they are still not getting on with the ramp then I may try putting one guinea pig on each level and let them have their own space. From there I can monitor their moods and behaviour and see if life gets better. My only concern with this plan is that it becomes "my space" and "your space" and actually prevents bonding.
Ultimately I would like for Tango to have a relaxed and happy life where he has a bed and food without being bullied and for Hieronymous to chill out with the aggression and feel like he has his own space. I got these guys to give them a happier life than the one they had previously (which still seemed lovely - they just want more attention!).
Even though I have done lots of research I am totally new to guinea pigs so I wanted to give as much info as possible! If anyone has any experience or suggestions for getting these two little guys bonding (not sure they'd appreciate bonding baths..) it would be really helpful!
Thank you so much!
The guinea pigs came with their own, very large cage (I thought that this was great as it would minimise disruption for them and they would have a familiar environment and smells) it is a wooden pets at home cage with two levels, not sure of exact dimensions but approx 1.5 meters by 0.5m on both levels.
When I went to meet the piggies I held them and spoke at length with the previous owners about their personalities and care (fave foods etc). Tango was introduced as the brave and dominant male and Hieronymous the total scaredy-cat. "Tango is very much the boss." Heironymous enjoyed being held after he calmed down a bit and Tango was just very chill and content to be held and have tummy tickles.
Note: One weird thing about the cage setup was that the previous family used the bottom layer for storage of the guinea pig supplies and the hatch which would usually have a ramp has been patched over with plyboard. Apparently the piggies were too scared to go up and down the ramp and refused every attempt the owners made to get them to go down. In the end they just boarded it up and left the bottom as storage.
PLOT TWIST! After having the boys for two weeks and watching (and learning!) their behaviour, either the old owners got it completely wrong or the dynamic has changed considerably (I think the prior). Although Hieronymous is extremely jumpy and bolts for the hidden "bed" area when we approach the cage, Tango just sits there and doesn't move an inch. I have been watching them from afar and I now know that Tango isn't necessarily brave, it's just that Hieronymous doesn't allow him into he bed area. This means that the poor little guy spends his days in the wire section huddled up in the corner come heatwave or drizzle (I have an insulated cover for rain, so at least he's not damp).
I have also noticed that Hieronymous hogs (pardon the pun!) the food and when he approaches Tango, Tango lies down and shows his tummy in submission. I now wait by the food until Tango has eaten half and then go away so Hieronymous can come out and eat his. I noticed that Tango has a bite mark on his back and today when I came to put out food Hieronymous was chattering his teeth at me and "staring no me down", which I know is a warning and territorial move.
Basically I am very concerned that Tango has been misunderstood by the original family from the start and has in fact been suffering bullying from day one and they just haven't realised. I'm so sad to see the little guy huddled up and living like this. I know that there will always be a dominant male but I cannot stand this behavior and want to try and make the situation better for Tango, so he can have a happy, fearless (if still not dominant!) life.
From what I have read their problem could be a lot down to limited space and boredom. The top level of the cage clearly isn't big enough for the two of them to happily coexist.
My plan is to go tomorrow to the home store and buy some wood to make a ramp with. I have read that they are sometimes scared to go up and down ramps because they don't have enough grip, so I'm going to add carpet to the ramp to make it easier for them. I'm also going to go to the pet store and buy another water bottle, hidey-hole and toys to stimulate them for both levels.
My theory is that if I can get one on each level they will be content (hopefully running up and down!) and still see and hear that the other is there and have more room to play and socialise but have an escape if they want some relaxation time. I hope that this would kick start the bonding process. The plan to get them up and down the ramp is a. the carpet and b. FOOD trail!
If they are still not getting on with the ramp then I may try putting one guinea pig on each level and let them have their own space. From there I can monitor their moods and behaviour and see if life gets better. My only concern with this plan is that it becomes "my space" and "your space" and actually prevents bonding.
Ultimately I would like for Tango to have a relaxed and happy life where he has a bed and food without being bullied and for Hieronymous to chill out with the aggression and feel like he has his own space. I got these guys to give them a happier life than the one they had previously (which still seemed lovely - they just want more attention!).
Even though I have done lots of research I am totally new to guinea pigs so I wanted to give as much info as possible! If anyone has any experience or suggestions for getting these two little guys bonding (not sure they'd appreciate bonding baths..) it would be really helpful!
Thank you so much!
