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Guinea Pig Help Needed

Piggies&buns said:
I’m glad they are getting on well.
Do be aware that fighting is very different to dominance. Dominance behaviours are normal but fighting is not and is bond breaking.

Please do look to get them a bigger cage as soon as possible. Being in a cage which doesn’t give them enough space (aside from the fact it doesn’t meet welfare requirements) to get away from each other can cause their bond to come under tension and can cause two piggies to fall out. One strong season without enough space to get away from each other could cause problems. Also ensure you have two hides and multiple of every other items and that all hides have two doors.

Do also check that they are both female. The shop may say they only sell female, but we sadly see so much
pet shop missexing that you should check their sexes yourself rather than rely on what you have been told

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
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They are both females. We checked.
 
Lisa.marie.white said:
UPDATE

I went into the shop where we purchased Daisy from. The employee, Leah, who sold us Daisy said she had the Guinea who had been housed for a month or so with Daisy still. They sell only female Guinea’s. I brought her home! Literally she (Milly) entered the cage and Daisy (who was hiding, depressed) ran out and started licking her all over. She was so excited. Popcorning. They have been thick as thieves since Sunday! Daisy clearly is the Alpha! They have had a fight, sorry, Daisy has set her straight.

We have been feeding them 1 TBsp of pellets a day. Milly is just a baby compared to Daisy. 1 cup of mixed dark greens at supper. Lots of Timmy’s Hay.

We have stopped the vitimin C drops.

I purchased a play pen and tonight they played in the living room with us for a bit. Great purchase.

We have designed and are building a small castle. Beds on bottom, feeding poo doo area over top. With space at a minimum, Current new cage will have to suffice for now.

Lisa & Jordyn

Sorry there has been no fighting @ all. More bossiness. We have two hides now but they sleep in one.
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Guinea pigs always need to reestablish their bond after a change of circumstances, whether this a new bond, after a separation or a change to their territory. This phase lasts around 2 weeks.
You can find a description of the normal dominance behaviours exhibited in our Sow Guide: Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

You may also find our Behaviours guides helpful to understand what is going on:
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics (this guide has plenty of pictures and some videos of key interactions and dynamics)

Please ensure that the cage is big enough. Guinea pigs are ground roaming animals; space is essential for both their long term physical and mental health.

Make sure that you have only hides with two exits and at least the same number of piggies in the cage to help minimise the impact of the dominance phase.

There is a fine but very distinct line between dominance, fighting and bullying. Most piggies are very careful and wary to not cross it in their relationship. It is a pity that the shop allowed the clearly well bonded pair to be sold singly; sadly Switzerland is still the only country where it is forbidden by law to sell or own single group animals (including guinea pigs) and where this law is strictly enforced.
 
I do understand all the comments clearly. We have done what is best for our piggies (after a uneducated purchase).

The advice here has been wonderful. It had made us rethink and change most of our procedures.

That said not all comments should be a teachable moment. Small wins. No disrespect intended. I find this negative and off putting.
 
The forum doesn’t have the means to support videos I’m afraid. If you want to post one, you need to upload it on a third party platform such as YouTube or Vimeo etc. then you can post the link here.
 
I've just caught your inspirational thread and what a wonderful ending to a crazy time for you. The new house looks absolutely fabulous!

I think threads like this are soooo useful because it's a really hard thing to get a pet shop piggy and be told one set of information, like that is the absolute best way, but then do your own research to supplement and find out something completely different. You invest so much time and money and effort only to find out that you need to take a few steps backwards and start all over again. It's such a steep learning curve and so frustrating! But the reward is to see how happy your two girls are - the post where you described their meeting again was so moving 🥲

Thankyou for letting us be part of your journey and for showing other folks in the same position as you were when you started out that actually those few steps back can make such a difference to the lives of guinea pigs everywhere 💕
 
Lisa.marie.white said:
Thank you. We love these two piggies. It’s lovely to see Daisy laying out on her belly like she was on the beach. For those that have insta here is a video of them checking out their forever home. Login • Instagram
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They’re going to love that!

Can I please mention one thing. The grey grid with the holes isn’t suitable for piggies. I would also have something like a grid covering the side of the penthouse. They may not but some piggies have been known to jump down. I’d also remove the cuddly toys so they have more space to zoom or popcorn up there.

Nice furniture etc and hides too. Bet they loved exploring.

PS you can upload a video to a third party site like YouTube then post the link here. Quite a number of members don’t have Instagram.
 
Siikibam said:
They’re going to love that!

Can I please mention one thing. The grey grid with the holes isn’t suitable for piggies. I would also have something like a grid covering the side of the penthouse. They may not but some piggies have been known to jump down. I’d also remove the cuddly toys so they have more space to zoom or popcorn up there.

Nice furniture etc and hides too. Bet they loved exploring.

PS you can upload a video to a third party site like YouTube then post the link here. Quite a number of members don’t have Instagram.
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I have already put a grin on second floor. I had not realized I had forgotten it until I did a count on my grids.

Thank you for the feed back. My piggies are happy
 
Siikibam said:
They’re going to love that!

Can I please mention one thing. The grey grid with the holes isn’t suitable for piggies. I would also have something like a grid covering the side of the penthouse. They may not but some piggies have been known to jump down. I’d also remove the cuddly toys so they have more space to zoom or popcorn up there.

Nice furniture etc and hides too. Bet they loved exploring.

PS you can upload a video to a third party site like YouTube then post the link here. Quite a number of members don’t have Instagram.
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Ps. They love their cuddly toys and often, I think because they are babies, I find them asleep snuggling them. We won’t be removing.
 
Lisa.marie.white said:
Ps. They love their cuddly toys and often, I think because they are babies, I find them asleep snuggling them. We won’t be removing.
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That’s fair. Probably comfortable for them, I don’t blame them 😆 But please don’t use grids of any type. At least not where they’re left exposed.
 
Lovely new cage for them!

If you wish to leave them with the cuddly toys then that’s fine but Siikibam mentions the grid on the litter tray for safety reasons and it would be remiss of us not to mention it if it prevents even one injury. Piggy toes/feet/legs can get caught and injured in such a grids so we do always advise to remove them
 
If you wish to leave them with the cuddle toys then that is fine…. 😵‍💫
Regardless of any decisions I have made based on the advise, I hope you do understand, that I am not asking permission.
That said I do thank you for all the advise… our piggies have come along ways based on it.
 
We weren’t ‘giving you permission’ either, even if that is how it came across. As you’ve said, they like the cuddly toys so you are leaving them in.

However, grids are not recommended for piggies and I had to mention it. I’m sorry if you felt that I was coming at you. But it would be remiss of me not to mention something like that. It is all advice/pointers and you are most definitely not obliged to take it on.

Let’s agree to disagree 🙂
 
I love this site and find it very helpful, the staff/members and everyone involved in running it are ace and are taking time out of their own day to help and advise people,
 
If I am honest, I am not sure why it was mentioned again when it already was. Did it sound different coming from another? I get that this is a place for piggy lovers to enquire, educate themselves and celebrate in wins. That said I do read all advise. I make all my own decisions based on that advise.
I think they call that parenting.
 
eileen said:
Well done for doing your research.stunning piggies.your piggies have landed on there paws coming to a clearly loving home.i look forward to there progress.
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Thank you :). We love how happy they are. We are working out some kinks with placement of pee pads, etc. hay box etc. but it’s been fun. They are so sassy and fun.
 
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