Requesting some info here, please!
Hi! New Piggie Pal here. This is very important to me so please read... I just got two male guinea pigs that have lived together pretty much their whole life. There was a previous owner and that's who I got them from. They are 2 years old, I am told. They seem to be fully grown. They don't have names yet but one is mostly white and the other is black so I'm just going to call them Black and White for now. I got them yesterday and they seemed fine. Now, I just moved them into their new cage, which is plenty enough room for them, and Black is bullying White. Black will chase White around and actually make an effort to attack him when he gets near ANYTHING in the cage. Food, water, igloo, other hidey hole, etc. Black will try and get on top of White, almost like mounting. I've seen him go after White's neck. That's why I'm thinking about dominance. Black has also bit me. Not hard, but just a nibble. I looked online but wanted to see what others say. I am new to this. However, White is skittish. Very skittish. Very scared. I don't know if Black's bullying has screwed him up. Or he's just antsy. But something has scared him. I don't know what. He just wants to hide in his igloo, like he's scared to do anything..Once I hold him, he seems to calm down but I don't know if it's complete calmness. I just hold him and make sure he's nice and comfortable. As one should! White squeaks panicking when Black approaches him or attempts to...I noticed that the previous owner never cut their nails, so I'm working on those a little at a time so they can get back to normal. I have a rabbit so I'm not *completely* oblivious to small animal care. Black hogs everything. food and water and the biggest hidey hole. White is scared to get out of his igloo and it's making me kinda mad. White shows no advances in wanting to be dominant. he scurries to a corner, where Black will try to climb on him or bite near the neck. No bites have occurred to the point of blood, to my knowledge.
On to medical things.
Those are just a few questions. Right now, White is squeaking whenever Black approaches him. Black is exploring the cage. Drinking and eating. White is trying to slowly emerge from his igloo. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thank you so much for reading and I hope I can get some help.
P.S. I also posted this on reddit but here seems to be a good place as well. Just want to get as much info as possible.
Hi! New Piggie Pal here. This is very important to me so please read... I just got two male guinea pigs that have lived together pretty much their whole life. There was a previous owner and that's who I got them from. They are 2 years old, I am told. They seem to be fully grown. They don't have names yet but one is mostly white and the other is black so I'm just going to call them Black and White for now. I got them yesterday and they seemed fine. Now, I just moved them into their new cage, which is plenty enough room for them, and Black is bullying White. Black will chase White around and actually make an effort to attack him when he gets near ANYTHING in the cage. Food, water, igloo, other hidey hole, etc. Black will try and get on top of White, almost like mounting. I've seen him go after White's neck. That's why I'm thinking about dominance. Black has also bit me. Not hard, but just a nibble. I looked online but wanted to see what others say. I am new to this. However, White is skittish. Very skittish. Very scared. I don't know if Black's bullying has screwed him up. Or he's just antsy. But something has scared him. I don't know what. He just wants to hide in his igloo, like he's scared to do anything..Once I hold him, he seems to calm down but I don't know if it's complete calmness. I just hold him and make sure he's nice and comfortable. As one should! White squeaks panicking when Black approaches him or attempts to...I noticed that the previous owner never cut their nails, so I'm working on those a little at a time so they can get back to normal. I have a rabbit so I'm not *completely* oblivious to small animal care. Black hogs everything. food and water and the biggest hidey hole. White is scared to get out of his igloo and it's making me kinda mad. White shows no advances in wanting to be dominant. he scurries to a corner, where Black will try to climb on him or bite near the neck. No bites have occurred to the point of blood, to my knowledge.
On to medical things.
- White has an injury, a scab, near his eye, kind of on his nose, about the size of the top of the small eraser on the end of a pencil. It's scabbing over but I have no idea where he got it from. I don't want to apply any ointment until I get more information. Other than that, I don't see any other issues on him so far, besides his nails, which I am working on. Should I apply salve?
- White has normal looking genitals but Black has a swollen area around his privates, I'm not sure if it's his testicles, I don't know...Maybe it's an 'in heat and ready to mate' thing? Maybe that's why he's acting like this? Like, enlarged. I think he also hurt his nipple on something, as when I go near it or try and see what it is he will pretty much scream and bite. It's not infected or anything, It's a black nipple, but his fur is black so...I don't know. At least, it's in the place of and looks like a nipple. Does anyone know what all this is about? Black has no other medical issues from what I can see or to my knowledge. They poo fine.
- Does anyone know an easier way to cut nails, to get your guinea pig to calm and relax, to bathe them, they need a bath. How do I bathe and what's the best products/materials? Some help with that would really be appreciated. They were never really properly taken care of.
- Also, I hope this isn't me choosing favorites, but I have taken a shine to White. He's a scurry little fella, but once you pick him up he just chills there. If it comes to it, I will adopt out Black because of his aggression and I haven't had a complete bond with him. So, it won't really be a big deal to me. That sounded cold, but, he messed with my little guy and that's an instant nope. What I'm scared of is White being alone. Lonely. Will me handling him more often fix that? Will I need another piggie? I don't want him to be sad. Or lonely. I want what's best. I want him to be happy. He's my little guy. Both of them are my little dudes. Later on down the road, I'd like another. A female. Is there a way they can live together, can I have White "snipped"?
Those are just a few questions. Right now, White is squeaking whenever Black approaches him. Black is exploring the cage. Drinking and eating. White is trying to slowly emerge from his igloo. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thank you so much for reading and I hope I can get some help.
P.S. I also posted this on reddit but here seems to be a good place as well. Just want to get as much info as possible.