How Do You Know When They Are Friends?

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Roclibrarian

Roclibrarian

Teenage Guinea Pig
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My 2 girls are litter mates, but they argue quite a bit and I'm never quiet sure if they are friends or just tolerating each other? They certainly don't snuggle up together, but they will lie down within a couple of inches of each other. Sometimes they will eat side by side, but mostly they take it in turns to grab veg and run off with it. I did catch the dominant one either licking or barbering the other one briefly. They are only 4 months old, so I'm putting the arguments down to teenage hormones! Nothing serious, just grumbling and rumble strutting when the dominant one is on heat.

What are the signs that they like each other rather than just putting up with them?
 
Roclibrarian said:
My 2 girls are litter mates, but they argue quite a bit and I'm never quiet sure if they are friends or just tolerating each other? They certainly don't snuggle up together, but they will lie down within a couple of inches of each other. Sometimes they will eat side by side, but mostly they take it in turns to grab veg and run off with it. I did catch the dominant one either licking or barbering the other one briefly. They are only 4 months old, so I'm putting the arguments down to teenage hormones! Nothing serious, just grumbling and rumble strutting when the dominant one is on heat.

What are the signs that they like each other rather than just putting up with them?
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Don't worry, they are well bonded! It is a persisting myth and a gross misconception that goes hand-in-hand with the image of piggies being animated cuddly toys that guinea pigs are inseparable and snuggling up all the time; especially not if they have got enough space to get away from each other if wished!
They will lay next to each other from time to time if they are friends, but at meal times, it is generally every pig for themselves and making sure that their morsel of choice cannot be snatched away from them.

The behaviour of your girls is very normal and healthy.
Sow Behaviour
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
 
As an example, my girls are also litter mates (as far as I know), and have been with me for 3.5 weeks. They definitely seem to be friends but they also dont really snuggle up together.
Patches is the dominant one. As a result, she gets first dibs on everything. When I put fresh hay in, she's first in and will chase Nia out if she tries to go in. Nia has to stand next to the hay box eating what she can from there, until Patches is finished, only then is she allowed in. Same with pellets - I put the bowl inside a hidey house. When I top it up they both come running. But patches goes in first and won't allow nia in until she's done. Same with veg - if nia takes something patches likes the look of she'll try take it out Nia's mouth. Nia puts up with it all fairly well. We had a lot of dominance displays the 2 days they were in season (first nia then 2 days later Patches), but generally nia accepts her position and goes with it. They often sleep and/hide together in their main hidey house, but they don't snuggle up to each other. But when I take patches out for lap time (she's by far the most confident), after a few min she starts calling for nia
Same with when I take nia out, a few min later Patches calls for her.

So you, they're not all snuggly together all the time etc, but they definitely get along and seem happy together. Patches just makes sure nia knows who's boss and nia seems fine with her position (except when she's in season then she tries to take over).

[Just a brief aside - I have watched carefully and although patches chases her out both the hay box and pellet house, she does still get her turn and get to eat fine, patches just insists on going first, but nia is free to go when patches is done]
 
My 2 aren't cuddly pigs either. They get on well, but do bicker every now and then. They will happily eat hay next to each other but when it comes to the last bit of pepper it's last pig standing! Sometimes they'll lick each others eyes and have a little kiss but in general they're happy to do their own thing
 
Thanks guys, sounds like mine are pretty normal then. They have plenty of places to sleep away from each other, but they prefer to sleep near each other. I'm now taking this as a sign they like each other :love:
 
My 2 girls -Buffy and Willow- are the same. They don't often cuddle up together but prefer to sleep in their own pigloo. They sometimes bicker and rumble at each other, and Willow will sometimes jump on Buffys back but she tells her when to get off and after they both popcorn! Most of the time they get along and do their own thing, so I guess it's normal behaviour.
 
2016-08-15 21.31.45.webp
Just to show me up, they both decided they wanted to be together on my husbands knee last night. Ginny (ginger) abandoned my knee, climbed up there, and lay down together, with Luna sitting on Ginnys head at one point! guess I just need to stop being paranoid!
 
A lot of pigs don't snuggle up together or spend every moment together, but it doesn't mean they aren't bonded. The pair I have now get along very well, but still don't snuggle up or eat side by side (actually, the submissive pig runs away so that the dominant pig doesn't take her stuff, so they basically eat across the room from each other whenever possible! They are bonded, however... they never fight and the older pig, Sundae, gets really anxious when her companion pig isn't there (even more so now that she has cataracts and doesn't see well.) I think your pigs are probably just fine together!
 
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