Help I think my guinea pig is bullying her cage mate?!

[Milpal13]

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some advice

I’ve got 2 baby girl guinea pigs, 6 months old. One of them, Phinny, is extremely confident whereas Peanut is still very shy around humans. They’ve been getting on well, a few scraps here and there but not properly fighting. This last week however Phinny has been doing loads of low purring/grumbling and swaying her hips around when Peanut is near, as well as kicking her. She will also guard the tunnel to their hide box so Peanut can’t get in. I’m a bit worried about putting them in the hutch tonight because they’ve been arguing over the dark sleeping section.

On top is this behaviour towards Peanut she is also displaying behaviours to me. This evening she turned around and bit me when I picked her up to put her on the floor. She will also spray me with wee when I pick her back up to put her in the Hutch.

I have been wondering if getting a third girl pig would lessen this arguing/dominance or if adding another piggie would be a bad idea?! Any ideas welcome, I would love some advice xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some advice

I’ve got 2 baby girl guinea pigs, 6 months old. One of them, Phinny, is extremely confident whereas Peanut is still very shy around humans. They’ve been getting on well, a few scraps here and there but not properly fighting. This last week however Phinny has been doing loads of low purring/grumbling and swaying her hips around when Peanut is near, as well as kicking her. She will also guard the tunnel to their hide box so Peanut can’t get in. I’m a bit worried about putting them in the hutch tonight because they’ve been arguing over the dark sleeping section.

On top is this behaviour towards Peanut she is also displaying behaviours to me. This evening she turned around and bit me when I picked her up to put her on the floor. She will also spray me with wee when I pick her back up to put her in the Hutch.

I have been wondering if getting a third girl pig would lessen this arguing/dominance or if adding another piggie would be a bad idea?! Any ideas welcome, I would love some advice xx

Hi and welcome!

Please be aware that you have two sows right at the height of the teenage months; that is the time when seasons are often at their strongest. A certain amount of dominance is normal, and what you report is well within expected bounds.
I would certainly not add more guinea pigs into the mix; it only leads to more and not less dominance behaviour as a new hierarchy needs to be workes out. With trios you are also much more likely in danger of ending op with an outsider situation of some sort.

Please take the time to read these guides here in order to understand what is going on:
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

These guides are part of our very useful new owners guide collection, which addresses specifically the areas we get the most questions and concerns about. You may hopefully find it both very helpful and interesting!
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides