New owner, bonding issues between pigs and with us/ not eating hay much

[Erika9]

Hi all, lovely to join this group!
I got 2 Teddy piggies aged almost 3 months. They been with us for a month now. after couple of weeks they started to fight badly and now they are seperate in 5ft double hutch..pet shop said to start bonding again asap..is that what u would advice too? the other problem is that bond with us and them is still not great and i still cant handle them..they let me stroke, but some days will still be scared after making progress..so i cant get them out to play/bond...at time they make clunking noise with teeth and i am scared they will bite me.
They mainly sit in their houses, i thought they suppose to be active...they been more active but now they not.
i am not sure if they are happy really, i have 3 different kinds of hay, it used to be in trays but they just flatten it and munch a bit, always fancy fresh..now hay is in racks and they just wont go through much..not sure what to do...THANK YOU

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear they aren’t getting on.

If they have had a full on fight, then you cannot rebond them. They fight when they don’t like each other and if they don’t like each other they won’t change their mind. Therefore any attempt to rebond is highly likely to fail and after a severe fight we would not recommend that you try to rebond them.

As single piggies, they cannot live in a double hutch. Their cages need to be side by side so they can interact through the bars. Living one above and one below means they cannot interact with each other will result in loneliness. They may not like each other to be able to live together, but they still need each other for companionship through the bars. This may be part of the reason, you are reporting they are not active - they have no through their bar interaction

As prey animals, guinea pigs don’t like being picked up. That is very normal and for a lot of piggies will never change. I’ve had my boys for three years and they absolutely hate being picked up and having cuddles. If they take food from your hand and let you touch them, they do have a bond with them, but that may be as far as it goes.

When you do need to pick them up to do their weekly health and weight checks, it is best to herd them into a carrier and then pick them up from there. My handling of my piggies is purely for their weekly health checks, they don’t like it but it has to be done!

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

I found mine did not like their hay in racks, they cannot forage through it fully and consequently ate less. To that end, i simply fill their hutch full with hay and then throw more fresh hay on top a few times a day. You will use a lot of hay, and you will waste a lot of hay, but that is part and parcel of piggies! They need lots and lots of it at all times!
They will flatten loose hay down but that doesn’t matter, but having loose hay in the hutch (or in trays) so they can fun through it, lay on it (for warmth if they are outdoor piggies), and forage freely is important.