Guinea Pig Troubles

[Carol D]

Hello! I am writing because I am concerned about Peanut which is one of my piggies. I have two guinea pigs that didn't get along because of dominance issues. For quite a few months now, they have been living separately in their own cages. These cages are very close to each other and I have had no problems with them living this way. Accept for now. Peanut has a hidey that she moves herself to an area of the cage where she can look in at Butter Cup which is my other piggie. Even if I put her hidey quite a distance away from the cage bars, she on her own puts it back.

The problem I am having is that Peanut will not leave that hidey and stays in there night and day. Is this a territorial issue? I thought it was really cute in the beginning, but, now it seems like there is something going on. Help! Can you please give me a little incite into what may be going on and what I should do. It is so hard to see her just staying in that hidey. She even brings her vegetables to eat in there. Is this ok behavior?

 

[Siikibam]

It sounds like she’s marking her territory, despite the fact they’re living separately. Piggies can often do this and it can be falsely interpreted as wanting to be with the other piggy.

Could you change her hide and give her another? Does she spend every waking moment in there or she’ll come out to eat hay etc?

 

[Swissgreys]

It would help if we had more of an idea what Peanut's full cage is like.
How big is it.
What does it have in it?
How many houses/hides?
Does it have tunnels?
Hay trays pr areas?
How many food bowls and water bottles?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Could you please upload a picture so we can get a better idea of the situation?
You best use the Attach Files button underneath the post when you write it for that purpose as the other upload option do not necessarily work every device.

 

[Carol D]

Hi, thanks for getting back to me. Peanut has a midwest cage. She has one big corner hidey which is on the opposite side of where she has been staying. The one hidey that she uses to stay in and watch Butter Cups cage is very small but she still seems to like it. I had a tunnel in the middle of the cage but she wasn't using it so I took it out so she would have more room. Also, in the other corner of where the big hidey is there is a pretty large pile of hay that she like to go and stay in also. Otherwise, that is it. I have bought Peanut and Butter Cup tons of toys, but, they do not use them at all. I put card board paper towel roll in their cages but only Butter Cup will chew on hers every now and than. I have their food spread out in different areas for them. Both of them do not like treats or any type of vegetable other than cucumbers, carrots, green beans and some leafy greens. Fruit is no no.

When I first had both girls and they were in a cage together I would take them both out and have them play and get some exercise. This didn't work out after awhile because of the dominance thing. We have tried to take each one out separately but all they do is freeze up and do nothing. After trying this many, many times I have stopped doing it. It seemed like more punishment to them than anything. I wish there was something to do that would not make this happen. Also, Peanut now bites when you pick her up and hold her for awhile. I could write a book here. I have a big feeling that both of them are bored or sad. I know they probably need more things in their cage but if they don't use anything I don't know what to do.

I can send a picture if you need more information.
Thanks for reaching out.

 

[Carol D]

Another thing, Peanut and Butter Cup both come out and eat with no problems, but Peanut will now bring food into the hidey that she is staying in. They have one water bottle in the cage and one bowl of pellets. I have noticed that when they are alone they seem to stay in their hideys and don't come out. But if I go in the room, and talk to them, both of them come out.

 

[Carol D]

Here are pictures.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Its very normal for them to not play with toys - most piggies won't.

When it comes to floor time, do you ensure there are lots of hides and tunnels and house available on the floor? Guinea Pigs dont like large open spaces so freezing up and not moving would be expected if the area didn't have plenty of houses for them to hide in and use as safe spots to move from one area to another.
Do you use a playpen or let them free roam? If it was a playpen, you can cover the roof with a blanket as it makes them feel more secure. Particularly as it looks from the cage that they are fully enclosed - so I would think going from a fully enclosed, roofed cage to being out in an open space would be daunting for them.

Just from a health and diet point of view, ensure there are not always pellets available. One tablespoon per pig per day and then remove the bowl once the portion is gone, is enough. Too many pellets aren't healthy.
Also, the hanging sticks on the side of the cage - they tend to contain lots of unhealthy items which shouldn't be in a piggy diet such as honey and and potentially dangerous items such as seeds. We dont recommend using them.

 

[Swissgreys]

Overall your cage set up looks nice - hay and several hides which is great, plus they are a good size for a single piggy. Well done.
There is quite a lot of open space though, which some piggies love, but maybe try adding a few cardboard box tunnels which she can run through between houses and see if they encourages her to come out more.
If you use cardboard boxes with a hole cut in each end then you haven't wasted any money if it doesn't work!