Not Sure What To Do With Girls

[Catrino99]

I have two female piggies, Buffy and Willow. They are both from the same litter and are around 5 months old now. They have never been snugly or close and often do their own thing with the he occasional rumble at each other nothing serious. When I came down this morning they started rumbling at each other but it progressed in to them both lunging at each other, I threw a towel over them both but left them to see what would happen. They both wandered off but then came back to each other and started again. Buffy then ran upstairs as she knows willow doesn't go up there and is still there now. Willow is hiding under the fleece. Not sure if I should leave them to it as no blood has been drawn yet or whether I should try a separation, they have a large c &c cage 3 X 4 with loft area so I suppose I could always make an upstairs separate bit for Buffy. I always thought willow was the dominant pig as she is bigger and tends to boss Buffy about a bit.i will monitor them today and see what happens. But any advice would be greatly appreciated. It seemed to come out of nowhere.

 

[GPcrazy]

I would leave it for a day and see how they are tomorrow. my 2 did similar the other day and I'm fairly sure it was because the underling was in season and trying to take over as leader. Also included lunges and looked a bit scary but next day they were back to normal.
Day after there was a bit more rumbling and teeth chattering (I think the leader was in season) but they've been totally fine since then.

 

[Wiebke]

I have two female piggies, Buffy and Willow. They are both from the same litter and are around 5 months old now. They have never been snugly or close and often do their own thing with the he occasional rumble at each other nothing serious. When I came down this morning they started rumbling at each other but it progressed in to them both lunging at each other, I threw a towel over them both but left them to see what would happen. They both wandered off but then came back to each other and started again. Buffy then ran upstairs as she knows willow doesn't go up there and is still there now. Willow is hiding under the fleece. Not sure if I should leave them to it as no blood has been drawn yet or whether I should try a separation, they have a large c &c cage 3 X 4 with loft area so I suppose I could always make an upstairs separate bit for Buffy. I always thought willow was the dominant pig as she is bigger and tends to boss Buffy about a bit.i will monitor them today and see what happens. But any advice would be greatly appreciated. It seemed to come out of nowhere.

It sounds like your undergirl may have been in season. Lunging is not actually directly aggression - it is the strongest possible way a guinea pig can say "stay away from me". At that age, sows can be rather hormonal as are boars, but as it usually does NOT lead to fights and bites, it is much less well known and many people are surprised.

It is also a wide-spread misconception that guinea pig with plenty of space will always sit together and that siblings are best friends (most of my sister pairs or triplets are on the squabbly side). In fact, guinea pigs normally live their own lives and prefer their own spaces to spend time away. They are still firmly bonded and will exchange signs of affection from time to time and sometimes lay near each other. But they are not the snuggly, cuddly living toy pet that they are portrayed as rather than a much more complicated and fascinating group animal with a very intricate social life.

Hopefully, things are calming down again today. You may see the occasional flare up when one of the girls has got a strong season.

Sow Behaviour
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics

 

[Catrino99]

Thanks Wiebke. They are staying apart for now, when Buffy -the undergirl- comes downstairs they start rumbling again and she just runs back upstairs. I've only had adopted adult pigs before, never young ones so this is new to me. I just hope they work it out.

 

[Catrino99]

Any time Buffy tries to come downstairs now Willow chases her back up again, she still seems happy though as she is popcorn get upstairs. Willow seems to be bullying her a bit.

 

[GPcrazy]

As long as no blood is drawn give it until tomorrow.
When it happened with mine nia was chasing Patches our of the hay, out of the pellets hidey, out of the sleeping hidey, also totally looked like bullying and I felt really sorry for her. But the next day they were back to normal. Being in season brings put the worst in them but thankfully only lasts a day.

 

[Wiebke]

As Buffy is still happy in herself, I would not worry too much. Willow is throwing her weight around, but she is not bullying. there is a crucial distinction.

 

[Catrino99]

Update: fed the girls their breakfast veggies and put in fresh hay, lots of popcorning from both of them and all seems settled again. Both eating out of the same bowl and running around near each other. Thank you for the advice, will this happen every time they come in to season or will it settle as they get older and less teenagery?!

 

[Catrino99]

Update: it has gone back to Willow chasing Buffy back upstairs every time she tries to go downstairs, its got to the point where I've had to put an extra food bowl and water bottle upstairs for her. She still doesn't seem distressed however has very limited space up there. I'm going to give it a couple more days but if it doesn't settle I'm going to have to split them jut so buffy can have the room she needs. Do you think they would be ok on their own next to each other or would i have to look at getting them each a mate?

 

[pig in the city]

Update: it has gone back to Willow chasing Buffy back upstairs every time she tries to go downstairs, its got to the point where I've had to put an extra food bowl and water bottle upstairs for her. She still doesn't seem distressed however has very limited space up there. I'm going to give it a couple more days but if it doesn't settle I'm going to have to split them jut so buffy can have the room she needs. Do you think they would be ok on their own next to each other or would i have to look at getting them each a mate?

You could consider getting a neutered boar to go with them. In my experience it can help to settle down girly arguments, but not guaranteed! I wouldn't rush to split them, maybe prevent her from accessing the upstairs and just put lots of tunnels and arches in the main part of the cage plus two food bowls and water bottles. If she can't escape it may help them to sort out their relationship. Alternatively /ideally put them in a neutral area as if you were bonding them until their behaviour settles.

 

[Wiebke]

Update: fed the girls their breakfast veggies and put in fresh hay, lots of popcorning from both of them and all seems settled again. Both eating out of the same bowl and running around near each other. Thank you for the advice, will this happen every time they come in to season or will it settle as they get older and less teenagery?!

Things should ideally settle down over time. I agree with the tips that @pig in the city has suggested as things you could try. Pig in the city fosters for BARC rescue in Barnsley if you ever wish to adopt piggies - she is a safe pair of hands for dating to make sure that you come home only with a companion that is accepted and has rehomed to forum members Manchester way.