Is It Normal?

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guineagirl84

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Hi, I have had my little group of 7 sows together for about 6 weeks now and most of the time it is all going well. From what I can tell, 3 of the piggies are on the dominant side and occasionally will have a little squabble - nothing serious and doesn't even last a minute, they'll then happily sit together and eat. Unfortunately it seems that one of the piggies isn't quite part of the herd and I was wondering if this is normal, I know that they have a hierarchy where there is a dominant piggy but is there always an underdog, so to speak? She seems to get picked on alot and I am getting a bit worried about her, but if I did remove her from the group would the behaviour then pass on to another piggy. Am I just seeing it with too much human emotion? I want all my piggies to be happy and am sad that she seems so withdrawn, always sitting separately, not sleeping with the others and being so quiet. They were all on the grass yesterday lying together chattering and bubbling away at each other and she was on her own, in a corner, silent :( I do check for any injuries, she hasn't had any on her body but her ears have been nipped, there's a relatively large chunk missing from one now and I have seen the other piggies take mouthfuls of her fur. I don't know whether to keep a close eye and see if it improves or whether its just a personality problem - or even if this is normal for a group of guineas?
 
Bullying and outsider problems can sadly happen in a group; some piggies can come with a larger personal sphere than others, but yours unfortunately rather looks like a case of bullying. sows can be pretty sneaky about it. :(

In your case, I would seriously consider slitting her off and finding her a character compatible friend of her own. Please weighyour piggies weekly to keep an eye on their weight. Bullying can express itself by weight loss or not gaining weight as quickly as the others.
Are you in the UK? In this case, it would be worth trying to find a rescue that has got neutered boars. It is standard practice with the RSPCA and some of our recommended guinea pig rescues also have a neutering policy. Ideally you date her at the rescue if that is an option, otherwise choose the most laid back and gentle boar on offer. Age is by far less important than mutual liking. Cross gender bonds often work out better with a tricky pigsonality as hierarchy is not so much an issue and they can be very loving.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/

We all would like to have our piggy groups working out well, but unfortunately, with such strong individual personalities things can go haywire occasionally! I've got a nice collection of t-shirts in that respect - I had to split up my big group at the beginning of the year due to persisting bullying issues and have now got two stable middle-sized ones plus a pair of teddies who won't get on with anypig else... :(

PS: With members from all over the world, it is much easier for everybody if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county or general area to your details. That makes giving appropriate recommendations and exchanging suitable experiences much easier! Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location.
 
I also had to split my large herd due to bullying and now have them as 2 groups. One of the groups has a neutered boar though and the other doesn't and I am considering looking into a neutered boar for them if they continue to have dominance battles as they are at the moment.
 
Thanks for the advice, I think it is looking like she will have to be separated. Is it best to get a neutered boar or just to try her with a sow out of the existing group that doesn't seem to bother her - although I'm worried that if I did that and it didn't work out the group might not welcome the other sow back and I'd be left with 2 separate guinea pigs :( i'm a little concerned about changing the group dynamic.
Also is it best to sort a separate cage and find a boar before separating her or remove her now? I do have an 'emergency' cage but it is an indoor one and the group is housed outside at the moment, so she would not be able too be housed near them. What is more damaging to her - continued bullying or loneliness? Obviously she'd get lots of cuddles off me but I know I'm not as good as another guinea pig for companionship.
 
i have to have two groups because i have a dominant sow in each group
 
Funnily enough, the 3 dominant ones don't seem to have much of a problem with each other, there's the occasional argument but it soon settles, it just seems to be this one that they've taken a dislike to and keep singling out, although sometimes they do sit relatively close without a problem
 
I'm having problems also... Rambo occasionally bullies Patch. Witnessed it today too... Started chattering at her then chased after her and took a tuft of hair out. I checked her over she was a little rattled and scared... No open wounds thankfully. I have Rory going in with my girls soon ... I'll see if that helps if not she can live in Rory's home depending where he wants to go. They'll have access to two in closures.
 
Well I've separated Dot from the other's and she actually seems alot happier, bubbling and purring - she was never very vocal before. Strangely it seems to have affected the rest of the herd too, they seem much calmer and better bonded now that she's gone, I wonder if she was the catalyst for alot of the scuffles? She went in the garden today and they didn't seem to acknowledge her shouting, yet if I take one of the others out they all squeak at each other. At least it looks like I've done the right thing :)
 
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