Maseo
New Born Pup
Hello, I currently have four guinea pigs, James (6 years old), Milo (1 ½), and recently Gus and Shawn (6 months). James I've had the longest since he was six months old and Milo for a little over a year after James' original partner had died. Recently I upgraded the two to a 2x6 Kavee C&C cage and thought that since the cage was so large for just the two of them, one extra guinea would be beneficial to them. I had planned on adopting only one new guinea pig but there were no options close to me so I went to a pet store. Again, I only planned on getting one but the only two there were Gus and Shawn and they were a bonded pair, so I took both.
After the initial quarantine period, the bonding between the four seemed to go well. They were all calm with each other, and while Milo chased the two around occasionally, they seemed like they were getting along. However, when I moved them all into the same cage, even after completely cleaning it, Milo still seemed very territorial and chased Gus and Shawn quite often. No blood has ever been drawn and the two little ones don't really fight back, they just give a squeak and Milo leaves them alone for a bit. Gus and Shawn still moved around and got their share of hay and vegetables but did not seem at all happy to be chased every 30 minutes. Milo would nip at them, pull out pieces of their hair while chasing them, and squeak constantly and occasionally chatter his teeth at them. James has no issue with the two but it seems like Milo really takes pride in chasing them into a corner. After three days in the same cage together, I had hoped things would have calmed down a little, but the chasing still continued.
Currently, they are all in the same cage but separated by two panels from their outdoor playpen. I have only seen Gus and Shawn popcorn when they are away from Milo though they sniff at him and James through the panels. Milo squeaks loudly and sniffs the two and bites at the bars when Gus and Shawn get near the panels. I am not sure if the frequent chasing and squeaking is dominance-related or if Milo just does not like them.
Should I remove the barrier and continue to let them sort it out or keep them separated? Thank you in advance.
After the initial quarantine period, the bonding between the four seemed to go well. They were all calm with each other, and while Milo chased the two around occasionally, they seemed like they were getting along. However, when I moved them all into the same cage, even after completely cleaning it, Milo still seemed very territorial and chased Gus and Shawn quite often. No blood has ever been drawn and the two little ones don't really fight back, they just give a squeak and Milo leaves them alone for a bit. Gus and Shawn still moved around and got their share of hay and vegetables but did not seem at all happy to be chased every 30 minutes. Milo would nip at them, pull out pieces of their hair while chasing them, and squeak constantly and occasionally chatter his teeth at them. James has no issue with the two but it seems like Milo really takes pride in chasing them into a corner. After three days in the same cage together, I had hoped things would have calmed down a little, but the chasing still continued.
Currently, they are all in the same cage but separated by two panels from their outdoor playpen. I have only seen Gus and Shawn popcorn when they are away from Milo though they sniff at him and James through the panels. Milo squeaks loudly and sniffs the two and bites at the bars when Gus and Shawn get near the panels. I am not sure if the frequent chasing and squeaking is dominance-related or if Milo just does not like them.
Should I remove the barrier and continue to let them sort it out or keep them separated? Thank you in advance.
So I'll be getting them their own 2x6 as well.
