my guinea pigs are rumbling each other

[Fluffycavies]

Hi, i need some help and advices for my guinea pigs cuz there are not many solutions and well-enough advices in my country's guinea pig forums or communites.

i brought 2 female guinea pigs which are the siblings, now they are 3 month and 3 weeks old.
community recommended bring the same gender of sibilings are the best that wont be make problems-like fight with each other.- but bigger sister one is keep make rumbling sound(its seems like rumbling-strutting) to other one, and keep pushing othet sister away from the food tray and so on.


they are not really friendly like other guinea pigs, always makes rumbling sound but sometimes not(they are not sleeping in same place but sometimes eat together, but in the other hand again makes rumbling and pushing her again). they didnt fight or hurt each other yet, what should i do for them?
i really cannot bring the other group of guinea pigs, and i dont want to give one of them away to other ppl or seperated them.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

What you are seeing is totally normal behaviour for guinea pigs - you do not need to do anything you certainly don’t need to separate them. This is the kind of behaviour they are always going to display as it is their natural way to communicate and form a hierarchy. They absolutely are being friendly to each other. It is very normal for them to not sleep in the same place and not to cuddle with each other - most piggy pairs dont.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Piggies&buns]

Make sure you weigh them both each week as part of routine care - this is the only way to ensure they are both eating enough hay and growing well.
Make sure you have two hay piles in the cage so they both get plenty of opportunity to eat freely.

To add for information, being siblings or being the same gender does not mean they won’t fight. Two piggies need to be character compatible to form a successful bond and if they aren’t compatible even siblings can and do fall out.
However,, from what you are describing your piggies sound to be fine for now (as long as the smaller piggy is being allowed to eat hay and is gaining weight at each weekly weight check).

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[Fluffycavies]

thanks, this advice helps a lot.
actually big one is keep pushing smaller one away from the hay and I'm trying to keep eyes on them, also trying to make the smaller one can eat more and enough.
the thing that i was afraid is big one is looks so greedy and it seems to take away all of the food from her sibling. maybe i'll make another bag of hay for small one, or just put large food tray for them. is there something else that i can do more for them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

thanks, this advice helps a lot.
actually big one is keep pushing smaller one away from the hay and I'm trying to keep eyes on them, also trying to make the smaller one can eat more and enough.
the thing that i was afraid is big one is looks so greedy and it seems to take away all of the food from her sibling. maybe i'll make another bag of hay for small one, or just put large food tray for them. is there something else that i can do more for them?

You need to make sure there are multiple areas for hay. I would suggest you don’t use hay bags and instead just put in loose piles of hay on the cage floor - it can make it easier for them to eat as they can remain at the same pile but with some distance between them. The multiple piles means they don’t even need to eat at the same one if they don’t want to. Also, they can play in the hay which is fun for them - hay is more than just food, it is a source of enrichment - they can sleep in it, run through it and generally make have fun with it.

It is very important that you use normal kitchen scales and weigh both piggies each week (or weigh them daily if you have health concerns about them). You cannot tell that they are eating enough hay just by watching them.

You should also make sure their cage is big enough as lack of space can cause problems. For two female piggies the cage should ideally be 150x60cm but 120x60cm at a minimum.

If one piggy consistently refuses to let the other piggy eat, and the smaller piggy loses weight and becomes withdrawn and depressed then that can be bullying which would mean their bond is failing and they would need to be separated. I don’t think you are at that stage though.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

The behaviour is very normal and at the very core of a functional guinea pig society. Please take the time to read up about dominance behaviours and seasons in our sow guide so you have a better understanding of what is going on.
Young piggies at an age when they actually still very much rely on the guidance of their elders can feel a bit overwhelmed and insecure in having to lead a group by default and can over-compensate their lack of confidence with more apparent dominance as she is setting up her own group in a place that is very alien to her.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours

I would also recommend that you sprinkle feed your veg and your 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day around the cage. It eliminates the dominance pushing and at the same time acts as enrichment since it promotes natural foraging behaviour. Please make sure that you have in two places as it makes over three quarters of the daily food intake. If you can have a corner with soft meadow or orchard hay to romp, sleep in and toilet in, then that is another great enrichment for them.
Please take your time to read up on our guides; bookmark the link to our New Owners collection. Over 15 years of forum experience with many tens of thousands of questions and up to half a century of practical ownership from some of our members have gone into our guides where we can provide a comprehensive list of all the little how-to advice and more in-depth information about the why things are as they are; since we are all doing this for free in our own free time, we just can't repeat it all in every single thread. It usually takes me several days to write a guide and make sure that it covers all the bases. But you will find those guide links very helpful; they are as practical, precise and easy to follow as we could make them.
Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

 

[Free Ranger]

Hello and welcome
My dominant girl rumbles the other just to show her dominance. I have more than one food pot, water bottles, hay areas and snuggle tunnels. The girls take turns because they know there is always somewhere else to hide or eat. Sometimes they want their own space - mine will doze in the same area in the daytime but at night my dominant one wants to be alone. It's what she's used to. Mine also don't snuggle together but to be honest in many years of keeping pigs most of them have liked their own space to spread out and sleep when they've had a choice.
We use fleeces - mainly to keep the hay off the floor!