Teeth Chattering

[ccowell27]

Hello all,
I am new to guinea pigs as they were purchased for my daughter ( a massive animal lover and they could not have had a better owner ) However this morning she was cleaning up the cage before school and notice one of our male guineas was chattering his teeth at the other. The one chattering his teeth was in the corner of the tank while the other was standing in the entry way to there hut. He seemed to be submissive almost bowing to the other. However he would not get out of the entry way of the hut and at one point they were both in the hut with chins raised. I'm am very unsure how to proceed for the best outcome. My daughter is only 7 and is completely in love. I would greatly appreciate the guidance and the best way to proceed. I have never noticed an issue before. We have owned the boys (Bob and Walter) for about a month now. I am unsure how long they lived at the pet store before we had them. We had to leave the house to get her to school and myself to work. I am a little nervous about what I will come home to. Please help we love our boys!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

The key with boars, and presumably yours are under a year old so are likely teen boars at that, is space, and giving them no reason to fall out.

This means that their cage should be 180x60cm to ensure they have enough territory each - boars are more territorial and need more room. Lack of space can cause problems.

You also need to make sure that all hidey houses have two doors. If a hide only has one door, then there is a real risk, as you have found, of the only exit being blocked. This is then a flashpoint and can cause fights.

It’s also important to ensure that you have multiple of everything - so at least two hides (so is another reason to ensure a large cage so you have plenty of space for everything inside), two hay piles and two water bottles. It can be best to scatterfeed veg (one cup per pig per day) and pellets (one tablespoon per pig per day) around the cage and not use bowls as that way they cannot food hog. Scattering also provides enrichment as they need to search for their food.

Otherwise, mild dominance behaviours are very normal and are to be expected for teen boars (they are teenagers from 4 months until 14 months of age). These behaviours include mounting, rumbling, chasing and teeth chattering. As long as they are compatible - one is submissive and continues to submit, and want to be together then they will not have a problem beyond mild dominance.

The guides below explain everything further but do ask us questions!

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[ccowell27]

Welcome to the forum

The key with boars, and presumably yours are under a year old so are likely teen boars at that, is space, and giving them no reason to fall out.

This means that their cage should be 180x60cm to ensure they have enough territory each - boars are more territorial and need more room. Lack of space can cause problems.

You also need to make sure that all hidey houses have two doors. If a hide only has one door, then there is a real risk, as you have found, of the only exit being blocked. This is then a flashpoint and can cause fights.

It’s also important to ensure that you have multiple of everything - so at least two hides (so is another reason to ensure a large cage so you have plenty of space for everything inside), two hay piles and two water bottles. It can be best to scatterfeed veg (one cup per pig per day) and pellets (one tablespoon per pig per day) around the cage and not use bowls as that way they cannot food hog. Scattering also provides enrichment as they need to search for their food.

Otherwise, mild dominance behaviours are very normal and are to be expected for teen boars (they are teenagers from 4 months until 14 months of age). These behaviours include mounting, rumbling, chasing and teeth chattering. As long as they are compatible - one is submissive and continues to submit, and want to be together then they will not have a problem beyond mild dominance.

The guides below explain everything further but do ask us questions!

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Thank you so much for your help. They have become my daughters babies and We are a house of animals lovers they get lots of attention and love. They are in a large tank ( like a large fish aquarium) as my dog wants to eat them. So space should not be an issue I did notice this morning they were eating and drinking with no issues out of the same bowls it seems to only be the hut. I will have to stop and get one after work and hope that settles our issues.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much for your help. They have become my daughters babies and We are a house of animals lovers they get lots of attention and love. They are in a large tank ( like a large fish aquarium) as my dog wants to eat them. So space should not be an issue I did notice this morning they were eating and drinking with no issues out of the same bowls it seems to only be the hut. I will have to stop and get one after work and hope that settles our issues.

Do check the measurements of the tank and confirm it is indeed 180x60cm (6ft by 2 ft).

Its fine to use bowls and if they choose to share then that is fine but it’s always best to have multiple of everything so you know you have done all you can.

Definitely do ensure every hide has two doors. Even if you have two the same, being single entry point will still cause a problem as they can trap each other inside/stop the one going in/out.