newly introduced guinea pigs together in same house?

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today i introduced my younger guinea pig (gnocchi) with an older one (doppio) (both females, a few months between age difference) and it went well! there were some dominance behaviors given by doppio and a little struggle with taking each other’s food, but they both eventually calmed down with each other. luckily no aggression, and they both were mostly just chasing each other around and squeaking.

at the moment i only have one house for their cage (i don’t remember the exact cage dimensions, but it is a big enough size for two pigs to be safe and happy!) and only about two hours after being introduced to each other, they are both resting in the same house together. doppio was blocking the entrance of the house at first, which i read was a dominance behavior, but now she is laying calmly with gnocchi inside. they are both perfectly calm and resting. is this a good sign? i’m surprised to see this since i thought that them seemingly cuddled together would take a lot longer to get to! i’ve done a fair amount of research in general, but these two are my first guinea pigs ever, so any advice on this behavior would be appreciated :)
 
:wel: and :agr:


It is nice that they are wanting to be together, but please do get another hide for them. They may be happy to be together for now, but it doesnt mean it’ll always be like that.
 
Claire W said:
Hello and welcome. Yes, it's a good sign but does the house have two exits so one piggy can't trap the other inside? Also, please invest in another hidy with two exits so they have a house each. A cardboard box with two doors cut out will do
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thank you so much! the house only has one exit, and i wouldn’t want anymore trapping to occur 😣 the box is a great idea, and i’m relieved to hear they’re doing well regardless :)
 
Hi and welcome
Your girls are currently sticking together for comfort in a rather frightening new environment but they will have to sort out their relationship once they start settling in. So don't be surprised if they suddenly are a lot less snuggly!
Here is how it looks from their side: Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

It takes around 2 weeks to establish a new hierarchical group in any new territory or with new members. You are bound to see dominance behaviour during this time. Even closely bonded piggies do not usually sleep together all the time.
Here is more information on both dominance and seasonal behaviours in sows which you will see in the coming two weeks as both girls will also come into season during this time and they will be likely stronger to help cement their bond: Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Always have two houses or tunnels with two exits in the cage or hutch to give them a chance to get away from each
other. Also please do not serve food and pellets in bowls; that also cuts down on dominance behaviours of which chucking a piggy out of a house or off a bowl is part and parcel. Sprinkle feeding is also enrichment as it encourages their natural foraging instinct and does away with peed and pood on pellets in a bowl.

You may find may find our New Owners very practical collection helpful with all the little and large how-to tips for settling in and making friends with your piggies (including a little course in piggy whispering), learning to understand behaviours and what is normal and not, a good diet for a longer and healthier life, housing tips, so you have as good a start as possible.
Our 15 years experience on this lively forum and our own long term ownership have gone into the guides. We are aware that it is usually more the little things that pose the biggest problems, not the larger concepts.
You can find practical advice for the most common issues that trip up many new owners addressed in the various guides: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

PS: You may want to bookmark the last link, browse, read and re-read at need, as you'll pick upon different things at different levels of experience.
 
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