Help please!

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landess

Hi I am new here and wondered if you could give us some advice. We are not first time guinea pig owners but this is the first time we have had two pigs together.

3 days ago we bought two male guinea pigs from a well known pet store. I was told they were litter mates about 6-8 weeks old and that they were both male. These were my four year old daughters first pets and she really loves them. They are both very tame (compared to our pigs in the past).

Our problem is tonight when they were out having floor time they both started nudging under each other and nudging at each others back ends. One started to wee every where and there was lots!! of pooing. Then the larger of the two started to "hump" the other he kept doing this (getting the wrong end each time). We split them up and went into panic that we had a male and female. I've checked them both and have looked at pics on the web and think! they are both boys but one does seem more developed than the other.

Is this normal behaviour?
Is it possible that they are not litter mates (they are very different colours and markings)
What should we do? I don't want to put them in separate cages as this was the point of getting two, our last lone guinea pig always looked so fed up.
My other half wants me to take them back to the pet shop to be checked and possibly swapped. But my daughter is so upset she loves them both already.

Help please. Our bonking boys are a puzzling us and i don't know how to answer that question "mummy what are they doing?" :D
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. :)

Petshops do mis-sex. This is normal male/male behaviour. They have been put in a new environment and they will mount one another a lot. I've had two boars together for 4 days and they are still mounting. As long as their is no aggression, teeth chattering or biting then don't worry.

If you are concerened about them being male/female then I would take them to the vets to be sexed I did this with my 3 boars and I wasn't charged. :)

Louise
 
Phew thanks for that. So should the mounting each other calm down as they get used to the new surroundings?

Theres no aggression or teeth chattering, I think they quite like each other and snuggle up alot, its just the larger of the two (Fluffy sorry was named by a 4 year old!) likes poor Chico a bit to much at the moment! Think I will just nip them to the vet to be sex checked any way just to be sure.

Thanks again for the advice, no doubt I'll be back asking questions again.
 
Just wrote this so am posting it anyway! :)

The mounting thing is normal - Garry and Minty have been together forever and now they are 9 months old and Minty still mounts Garry (normally the wrong way round too!) on occasion, normally when I put Garry back into the cage or am cleaning them out... 98) I've told him he doesn't like it, but Minty doesn't take a blind bit of notice... ::)

Nudging each other's back ends is also normal...all part of the piggy mentality! Am trying to think of a way to explain the 'dry humping'...I guess it's just a case of saying that it's the piggy's way of showing who is boss pig... :-\ :D
 
Cute names! :smitten: They will calm down over time, may take a week or more or less. :) Sounds like they are doing well. My boar Twinkle is almost 1 and Milo is only 7 weeks and they lurve one another but then they'll do the mounting, rest and start all over again! So funny to watch! :)
 
Thanks for reassuring me :) The Garry and Minty bit had me LOL. ;D

Ok so now how do i answer the question "mummy what is Fluffy doing to Chico?" ;D :o The last time i had to answer anything like that was 10 years ago when my twins asked me " mummy why is Lucy rabbit bonking Misty rabbit!!" :o Yip good old pet shop had sold us a boy and a girl and along came seven baby rabbits!! Hence my panic this time. :(

Mind with a name like Fluffy its no wonder hes trying to be the dominant male, poor wee man must be having a real identity crisis LOL ;D ;)

Thanks again everyone fab site.
 
Yes, all normal part of introducing 2 newbies. My 2 males mounted for a month :( All is fine as long as they don't fight/bite. You might want to get a water spray bottle and give them a little spritz of discipline when they do these unwanted behaviours.
 
Thing is, it's natural behaviour for them so I don't see how spraying them with water would help the pigs - it won't stop them! It's a bit like shouting at them if they wee on you or something - they just wouldn't understand what they've done - it's not wrong in their eyes.

Like I said, I think all you can do is explain to your little girl that it's a guinea pig's way of showing the other who is boss...even if it doesn't explain things fully, it might keep her quiet for a while (and hopefully they'll settle down in the meantime!)... ::)

Boys huh....?! :o :smitten:
 
When my boys see the water bottle, they immediately stop what they are doing. I don't even have to spray then anymore. They understand that water bottle means stop.
 
Personally I feel it is wrong to use the water bottle as punishment, and feel it is even cruel to use it when they are only displaying natural behaviours. (But that is just my feeling and I am not saying I disapprove of anyone.)
 

I have 5 boars & mounting isn't unusual at all! My younger pigs in particular get 'hormonal' & start humping anyone sat still in front of them (pigs, not human or the dog!)! ;D ;D ;D

I know when Pippin is hormonal as I hear a certain squeak & squeal from Jerry (his usual target!) Poor Jerry gets chased round the cage, under it, in the hall & lounge! If he stops, Pippin is in position. I tend to leave them to it. the only time I intervene is if Jerry has been chased for a couple of hours. then I pick him up for a rest! But, as soon as i put him down Pippin finds hm! Although that could be because Pippin seems to know I have him &'circles' the sofa waiting for me put Jerry in the firing line again! 2funny :smitten: 2funny

I find that the boys like to change whose the boss & as I said, I let them get on with it - & clean afterwards as required! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
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