new piggie owner

[bumblebea04]

Hi!
I just got two new 3 month old guinea pigs two days ago and I’m super eager to start bonding with them. I’ve made it a point to chat with them softly and sit by their cage with my hand resting near the door, and they’ve started eating and drinking in front of me. Yesterday I tried hand feeding and they both came up to my hand and sniffed it. I also caught them popcorning yesterday!
I have some concerns however and I was hoping to get some advice here.
1.) One guinea pig has started chasing the other and the other tends to make high pitched squeaks. I’ve read that this is probably dominant bonding behavior but it just makes me so nervous. Any advice on things to flag as abnormal with that?
2.) Currently they’re in a cage with paper bedding, but I ordered a plastic pen/enclosure and I’m considering fleece bedding, however I’m a bit overwhelmed with how many options there are. What would be the most beginner friendly? Also would it be too overwhelming for them to change cages so soon? (The pen arrives Thursday).
3.) My white guinea keeps sneezing, I can’t tell if it’s just from hay/food or the bedding or something else. Is there anything I can do to alleviate that or find out the cause?
Thank you in advance for any help and I am so excited to bond more with my guinea pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

Please have your guinea pigs vet checked if one of them keeps sneezing. It could be a respiratory infection or an environmental issue. Since a URI (upper respiratory infection) can potentially kill it needs to be treated first and foremost before you look at anything else.
More information on URI in new guinea pigs here: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Your guinea pigs need to establish their hierarchical group in their new territory; it is right at the core of guinea pig society. The dominance behaviour you are currently seeing means that this process is happening. It takes on average about 2 weeks. Please make sure that you have two of everything ideally over a body length away from each other and that any houses have two openings so no boy can be cornered, which is a common flashpoint for (defence) bites and fights; as is keeping an under-piggy off water and food access.
You will find this very practical guide here helpful, which hopefully tells you exactly what you can and what you should at which point in time do and what to expect in terms of behaviours: New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In

All the links in this post are part of our very helpful New Owners Advice and Information collection. Over 15 years with tens of thousands of questions and up to 50 years of personal ownership experience have gone into the various guides. The format allows us to add and update our information at need. I would recommend that you bookmark the link, have a look through, read and re-read at need for a good start and for help with all the most common issues that new owners come up against. We know that it is often the 'little' questions that you encounter that trip you up and that are often glossed over.
Here is the link: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

You are however always welcome to ask any questions you may have along the way in our various Care sections. We are a friendly place that will answer any questions, little or large in a constructive and helpful way.
The Chat sections are there for our lively community, to talk about our piggies, show pictures or videos and everything else.

 

[bumblebea04]

Hi and welcome

Please have your guinea pigs vet checked if one of them keeps sneezing. It could be a respiratory infection or an environmental issue. Since a URI (upper respiratory infection) can potentially kill it needs to be treated first and foremost before you look at anything else.
More information on URI in new guinea pigs here: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Your guinea pigs need to establish their hierarchical group in their new territory; it is right at the core of guinea pig society. The dominance behaviour you are currently seeing means that this process is happening. It takes on average about 2 weeks. Please make sure that you have two of everything ideally over a body length away from each other and that any houses have two openings so no boy can be cornered, which is a common flashpoint for (defence) bites and fights; as is keeping an under-piggy off water and food access.
You will find this very practical guide here helpful, which hopefully tells you exactly what you can and what you should at which point in time do and what to expect in terms of behaviours: New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In

All the links in this post are part of our very helpful New Owners Advice and Information collection. Over 15 years with tens of thousands of questions and up to 50 years of personal ownership experience have gone into the various guides. The format allows us to add and update our information at need. I would recommend that you bookmark the link, have a look through, read and re-read at need for a good start and for help with all the most common issues that new owners come up against. We know that it is often the 'little' questions that you encounter that trip you up and that are often glossed over.
Here is the link: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

You are however always welcome to ask any questions you may have along the way in our various Care sections. We are a friendly place that will answer any questions, little or large in a constructive and helpful way.
The Chat sections are there for our lively community, to talk about our piggies, show pictures or videos and everything else.

hi!
thank you so much for the reply. i’m concerned about the vet trip ruining any bonding progress i’ve made so far, ultimately i will do it because their health matters more, but do you think it will have any lasting affects in that aspect?

 

[Wiebke]

hi!
thank you so much for the reply. i’m concerned about the vet trip ruining any bonding progress i’ve made so far, ultimately i will do it because their health matters more, but do you think it will have any lasting affects in that aspect?

Please take them together. The vet trip will not ruin their bond. By now, exposure to any respiratory bacteria has already long happened (likely before you even got them) so please do not separate; especially not piggies under 4 months - the added stress factor is not helping the recovery. You can find that advice in our quarantining chapter in the New Owners problem link in my first post.

Health has priority before any owner bonding. The experience of getting better with your help will ultimately contribute to gaining trust. Our piggy whispering tips will help you with the bonding process, including the medication. You can find more about that in these guide links here:
Tips For Vet Visits
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

Please take the time to read the links in my posts. We are doing all of this for free in our own free time and cannot explain everything in detail in every post. For the practical how-to details and in-depth information we have created our guides so all the stuff you need is in the links, which are very step-by-step, as clear as possible and as comprehensive as needed to fit in as many answers to regular newbie questions as possible.

Here are our practical tips for vet visits: Tips For Vet Visits