amber89
Junior Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2019
- Messages
- 150
- Reaction score
- 262
- Points
- 370
Hello everyone.
I am the proud (and very new) owner of 3 guinea pigs: 1 adult castrated boar, called Pufu, and 2 females (one 3 months old, called Cupcake, and one adult, called Muffin). Muffin is a Peruvian guinea pig, Pufu is a short hair and Cupcake is a Silkie, if this is of importance. The exact age of Pufu and Muffin is unknown, but they are close to 2-3 years old, Muffin maybe even older.
I will try to explain as good as I can my issue with my piggies.
I apologise in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes; English is not my first language.
THE ISSUE
We have initially adopted from a local shelter the adult guinea pigs, Pufu and Muffin. They were already a bonded pair when we took them and they were getting along just fine. Every morning having their zoomies around the cage and then sleeping peacefully. It gave us the impression that Muffin was the more bossy one and really the leader of the group. Pufu was more laid back. Of course, there was occasional teeth chattering and chasing, but it always involved the mating, when Pufu wanted to have some fun and Muffin wanted her space and to be left in peace.
Two months later we have adopted baby Cupcake. From that moment on things started to really go south in the Pufu-Muffin relationship. Cupcake was 2 moths old at the time of adoption and she is 3 months old now; so this has been going on for a month already. Pufu accepted the little Cupcake immediately, without much dominance showing. Muffin was more dominant, constantly chasing Cupcake and trying to hump her. Pufu was then immediately chasing Muffin away. After two days Muffin was finished with her dominance asserting behaviour and I observed all 3 of them eating peacefully from the same hay pile.
The peace was though short-lived, because Pufu started to constantly chase Muffin away. Muffin started to become redrawn and stayed mostly only on the upper floor, rarely coming down. Whenever she was down and Pufu got to know that, he would chase her again away. He would, though, at the beginning, rarely come up.
After Cupcake learned how to get up and went there also, Pufu went up whenever Cupcake went up and chased Muffin away. Muffin ended up being banished to the roof of one house. Later on, we have started noticing clumps of Muffin's hair being left in the cage. Three times we have even seen Pufu chasing Muffin away and pulling hair our from her back and then eating it. Whenever Pufu would hear me bring hay and/or veggies to the upper floor, he would come up and chase Muffin away. Yesterday it went one step further, Pufu chased away Muffin from her upper floor hay rack, then from her house, pulled some hair again and even started teeth chattering at her. Muffin ended up without food, banished on the roof of one house.
Muffin started to be very scared and alert all the time. She used to sleep really deep, sometimes not even hearing me announce feeding time. Now she is always alert, like always on the run. Whenever Pufu gets close, she freezes and then runs away. She is even scared of little Cupcake. I am weighting them every week and I haven't noticed any weight loss in Muffin.
Sometimes I am really confused about their relationship, because I have also observed them eating hay together from the outside rack, but those moments start to be really, really rare lately.
The relationship Muffin - Cupcake seems to be really good. I have noticed the two girls grooming each other. Pufu - Cupcake is also great, little Cupcake is full of energy and plays every day with Pufu and goes wherever he goes.
Yesterday I have decided to separate them, Muffin alone and Pufu and Cupcake together. I have noticed that Muffin, after noticing that she is alone, started to be less alert. She is eating all the time and relaxing again. Pufu was after the separation angry and tried for a long time to get back into the cage.
Is it really a case of bond-fallout? Did i do right that i separated them? Should i keep this constellation ( Muffin alone, and Pufu and Cupcake together)? I know that Cupcake would need now to be with an adult female guinea pig, since her teenage period starts.
For now they cannot see and smell each other, but they are in the same room. I am planning to bring a separator that would allow smelling and seeing each other, so that they can still interact with each other, especially Muffin and Cupcake.
CAGE SETTING
Since all cages in from the pet store are way to small, we have built our own cage and play-pen. The cage has 2 floors, each 1 sq meter in area. They also have a play-pen that is 24/7 available and has an area of another 2,5 sq meters. There are 3 hay racks and 3 water areas ( each floor has one, and one for the play pen), 2 pellets bowls and plenty of hiding areas (houses, tunnels and bridges). As playing options, I usually fill paper bags or toilet rolls with fresh hay and they have apple & pear branches. The cage setting is every week a bit differently arranged, to keep things interesting for them.
Thanks!
I am the proud (and very new) owner of 3 guinea pigs: 1 adult castrated boar, called Pufu, and 2 females (one 3 months old, called Cupcake, and one adult, called Muffin). Muffin is a Peruvian guinea pig, Pufu is a short hair and Cupcake is a Silkie, if this is of importance. The exact age of Pufu and Muffin is unknown, but they are close to 2-3 years old, Muffin maybe even older.
I will try to explain as good as I can my issue with my piggies.
I apologise in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes; English is not my first language.
THE ISSUE
We have initially adopted from a local shelter the adult guinea pigs, Pufu and Muffin. They were already a bonded pair when we took them and they were getting along just fine. Every morning having their zoomies around the cage and then sleeping peacefully. It gave us the impression that Muffin was the more bossy one and really the leader of the group. Pufu was more laid back. Of course, there was occasional teeth chattering and chasing, but it always involved the mating, when Pufu wanted to have some fun and Muffin wanted her space and to be left in peace.
Two months later we have adopted baby Cupcake. From that moment on things started to really go south in the Pufu-Muffin relationship. Cupcake was 2 moths old at the time of adoption and she is 3 months old now; so this has been going on for a month already. Pufu accepted the little Cupcake immediately, without much dominance showing. Muffin was more dominant, constantly chasing Cupcake and trying to hump her. Pufu was then immediately chasing Muffin away. After two days Muffin was finished with her dominance asserting behaviour and I observed all 3 of them eating peacefully from the same hay pile.
The peace was though short-lived, because Pufu started to constantly chase Muffin away. Muffin started to become redrawn and stayed mostly only on the upper floor, rarely coming down. Whenever she was down and Pufu got to know that, he would chase her again away. He would, though, at the beginning, rarely come up.
After Cupcake learned how to get up and went there also, Pufu went up whenever Cupcake went up and chased Muffin away. Muffin ended up being banished to the roof of one house. Later on, we have started noticing clumps of Muffin's hair being left in the cage. Three times we have even seen Pufu chasing Muffin away and pulling hair our from her back and then eating it. Whenever Pufu would hear me bring hay and/or veggies to the upper floor, he would come up and chase Muffin away. Yesterday it went one step further, Pufu chased away Muffin from her upper floor hay rack, then from her house, pulled some hair again and even started teeth chattering at her. Muffin ended up without food, banished on the roof of one house.
Muffin started to be very scared and alert all the time. She used to sleep really deep, sometimes not even hearing me announce feeding time. Now she is always alert, like always on the run. Whenever Pufu gets close, she freezes and then runs away. She is even scared of little Cupcake. I am weighting them every week and I haven't noticed any weight loss in Muffin.
Sometimes I am really confused about their relationship, because I have also observed them eating hay together from the outside rack, but those moments start to be really, really rare lately.
The relationship Muffin - Cupcake seems to be really good. I have noticed the two girls grooming each other. Pufu - Cupcake is also great, little Cupcake is full of energy and plays every day with Pufu and goes wherever he goes.
Yesterday I have decided to separate them, Muffin alone and Pufu and Cupcake together. I have noticed that Muffin, after noticing that she is alone, started to be less alert. She is eating all the time and relaxing again. Pufu was after the separation angry and tried for a long time to get back into the cage.
Is it really a case of bond-fallout? Did i do right that i separated them? Should i keep this constellation ( Muffin alone, and Pufu and Cupcake together)? I know that Cupcake would need now to be with an adult female guinea pig, since her teenage period starts.
For now they cannot see and smell each other, but they are in the same room. I am planning to bring a separator that would allow smelling and seeing each other, so that they can still interact with each other, especially Muffin and Cupcake.
CAGE SETTING
Since all cages in from the pet store are way to small, we have built our own cage and play-pen. The cage has 2 floors, each 1 sq meter in area. They also have a play-pen that is 24/7 available and has an area of another 2,5 sq meters. There are 3 hay racks and 3 water areas ( each floor has one, and one for the play pen), 2 pellets bowls and plenty of hiding areas (houses, tunnels and bridges). As playing options, I usually fill paper bags or toilet rolls with fresh hay and they have apple & pear branches. The cage setting is every week a bit differently arranged, to keep things interesting for them.
Thanks!
