New Piggies Hissing when over excited.

[ash9100]

This week I purchased 2 male guinea pigs. I've spent a couple months prepping, researching and planning to make sure I am doing the right thing.
It's been 5 days now of me getting them settles and I've started to notice one of them (the most shy one - peanut) hissing every now and again. Sometimes they will chase each other and look slightly aggressive (which according to the web is normal).
They eat food and hay together and will play together, sniff eachothers ends and take food from one another but when they get excited and hyperactive whilst popcorning peanut will sometimes hiss.
I am just on edge and TERRIFIED they're going to get into a fight because they're males.

 

[Free Ranger]

'Hissing' isn't a thing with piggies as far as I know... do you think the sound you hear is chattering teeth? You might see the jaw moving very slightly when you hear it and one doing it might trigger the other to do it. This generally is a threat, although a bit of this can be normal - especially if they are still settling in. Two of my girls have started to do it at me in the morning when I'm getting their veg which is a bit freaky as it sounds like a threat but it might also be that they're telling me they're hungry. It's the submissive pig of each pair that does it - the dominant pigs don't bother, they just sit and wait!

Have your boys got enough space? See the guides linked above in the green bar - boars need more space than sows. Make sure there's nowhere one can get cornered - more than one place to hide - tunnels with 2 exits not 1 etc. Two pellet bowls and two water bottles - anything that can prevent friction until they settle. My boy/girl pair took a few weeks to relax with each other. There is a 'cave' area of their cage but I took the side off leaving just the roof, and then covered the side with a pegged bit of towel. This removed door-blocking behaviour as the trapped piggy could just leave through the wall! But giving the piggies enough space is key - so they can choose to be together or apart. You're right about boar fall-outs being dramatic but sows fall out too and one of my girls will not stand my lovely boar and fights him - so they had to be split. Lets hope your behaviour is just settling-in. But I think you know that if they start to fight properly you will have to split them. Fingers crossed for now... x

 

[Siikibam]

As above, piggies don’t hiss. So it could indeed be teeth chattering. Remember that they’ve got to settle into their new home. It can take two weeks to establish the hierarchy, which you also have to respect. How old are they?

Check space and that you have two of everything. Please also check their sexes to make sure you have two boars and not a mixed pair. I suggest you do this soon, given you say you bought them rather than adopted from a rescue. You should also book them in for a vet check in the next week. If anything crops up, you’re within your rights to ask for vet fees to be paid.

Have a read of the guides below. There are a lot so have a read of the behaviour/dominance, sexing guide, feeding guide and how to settle them first.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information

 

[ash9100]

Thank you for the replies, I think it could be more sneezing due to the hay because they get on absolutely fine and run around / popcorn together a lot! I am just over worrying! I've got 2 hay options, a range of hidey places, 2 food bowls (although one seems to steal from the other and retreat with it no matter what) I am waiting for a second water bottle delivery but they both seem to be drinking fine together! I am extending their cage tomorrow when I clean them out!
Going to ring the vet tomorrow for general checks to be booked in!
Thought I had done enough research over the last month and now it doesn't seem like enough!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for the replies, I think it could be more sneezing due to the hay because they get on absolutely fine and run around / popcorn together a lot! I am just over worrying! I've got 2 hay options, a range of hidey places, 2 food bowls (although one seems to steal from the other and retreat with it no matter what) I am waiting for a second water bottle delivery but they both seem to be drinking fine together! I am extending their cage tomorrow when I clean them out!
Going to ring the vet tomorrow for general checks to be booked in!
Thought I had done enough research over the last month and now it doesn't seem like enough!

As you’re giving a cage extension, I would urge you to not clean them out Yet, or not fully clean them out anyway.
Any change in cage size constitutes a change in territory which will cause them to reestablish their relationship and you will see an increase in dominance. When making such changes to territory such as a cage extension, its important that they are still able to see it as their territory. If you clean it out fully, then the cage will no longer smell of them and it may cause issues.
So, extend the cage size but ensure you leave soiled bedding all around the cage ( if you’re using disposable bedding then ensure used bedding is distributed throughout the cage, or wipe a dirty fleece all over a clean fleece so it still smells of them); or change the cage size tomorrow as planned but don’t clean them out for several days until they have restablished themselves in the new territory.

There is a section in the guide below which explains ‘boarsonalising’ the cage
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars