Two best friends teeth chattering!

Maeneth

Maeneth

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Good morning everyone! C:

So, I have two cute boars named Tribble and Onix. Tribble is the dominant mister and I think he will never relinquish his throne!

Now that they are both approximately a year old, I notice a minor shift in Onix his behavior, he starts to retaliate a little. Sometimes I see them do a face off, and they would teeth chatter. It only happens so now and then, and it does not break into a full fight. Is this common for piggies to have a slight mood because of a disagreement, or do I have to worry myself for a major escalation?

Thank you all for reading!

Kind regards,
Maeneth-
 
Hello! Signs of dominance are normal in boars, just be concerned if there is a furball fight or if blood comes out. How big is their cage? Is there a specific place or situation where they always have this behavior or does it happen randomly?

The links bellow can help you clarify several questions.

boureki

Thread 'Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs'

1 List of dominance behaviours in ascending order of aggression
2 What may cause this type of behaviour in boars?
3 When do you see these behaviours in sows?
4 What can trigger fall-outs?
5 Further helpful guide links


I thought it may be handy to have a sticky on typical dominance behaviours for a reference - hopefully it may help humans understand guinea pigs and their behaviour a bit more and hopefully prevent some avoidable problems!


1 List of dominance behaviours...
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Wiebke

Thread 'A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars'

1 Common myths and misconceptions
2 The different ages (including teenage)
- Important biological facts
- The formative 'School Weeks' (3 weeks - ca. 4 months)
- The Teenage Months (ca. 4-14 months)
- The Adult Years (ca. 15 months - ca. 4-5 years)
- The Golden Age (ca. 4-5 years until end of life)
3 What do boars need? (List of boar dos and don'ts)
- Space, space and more space!
- Respecting the hierarchy
- The 'one for each...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment'

- What can trigger a new hierarchy sort-out?
- What can I do to mitigate the impact?

With an average life span of only around 3 years and a hostile environment, wild guinea pig social life is much more fluid and eventful, whether that is losses, births, regular leadership changes, new boars being accepted or changes to the territory due to climate extremes, infectious illnesses, predation and the waxing and waning of group fortunes and the amount of territory they can claim around their denning areas.


What can trigger...
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It sounds like pretty normal teen behaviour, the linked guides are well worth reading.
With boars (especially at this age) it's recommended to do half and half cage cleaning. I know from my own experience that this can make a difference as it lessens territorial issues somewhat.
 
naguya said:
Hello! Signs of dominance are normal in boars, just be concerned if there is a furball fight or if blood comes out. How big is their cage? Is there a specific place or situation where they always have this behavior or does it happen randomly?

The links bellow can help you clarify several questions.
Click to expand...

Hello, hello.

Their habitat is 170x60 centimeters. I've included a photo, and say hello to Onyx! In the far back you'd spot Tribble. Hmmm, I cannot think of a situation that let them escalate to teeth chattering at each-other. I am often too late to analyze the situation accordingly! The only wild guess I have is that one of the bridges you see on the photo has a soft pillow inside (Not on the photo right now, since the pillow was dirty at the time I took the picture) and Trimble absolutely loves to pancake on it, and so does Onyx!

Thanks, I shall have a read! C:

I forgot to add; If I do notice them teeth chattering, I would distract them with something they love, this can be affection or nommies!
 

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fluffysal said:
It sounds like pretty normal teen behaviour, the linked guides are well worth reading.
With boars (especially at this age) it's recommended to do half and half cage cleaning. I know from my own experience that this can make a difference as it lessens territorial issues somewhat.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I always clean their habitat in sections. I never do a full clean. C:
 
Maeneth said:
Hello, hello.

Their habitat is 170x60 centimeters. I've included a photo, and say hello to Onyx! In the far back you'd spot Tribble. Hmmm, I cannot think of a situation that let them escalate to teeth chattering at each-other. I am often too late to analyze the situation accordingly! The only wild guess I have is that one of the bridges you see on the photo has a soft pillow inside (Not on the photo right now, since the pillow was dirty at the time I took the picture) and Trimble absolutely loves to pancake on it, and so does Onyx!

Thanks, I shall have a read! C:

I forgot to add; If I do notice them teeth chattering, I would distract them with something they love, this can be affection or nommies!
Click to expand...
Your boys are beautiful! Great cage size! Hello Onyx!

Momo, one of my boars, would rumblestrutting inside your hay pile if Bijou (my other boar) appeared. Do you have more hay around? I see it as normal behavior from your two boys, nothing to worry about, boars are more territorial. Maybe you should put a pillow of the same on the other bridge, if one boar has a right to a pillow the other should have one too! Also avoid distracting them when they are in this teeth chattering situation, they are most likely resolving some disagreement that needs to be resolved between them.
 
Keep an eye but unless they actually fight you do need to just let them get on with it. I know it’s hard but they need to be able to function between them.

There is something I would point out.
They have far too many pellets. They should have just one tablespoon each per day only and should never be left with constant access to them.
Pellets serve their purpose in bridging nutrients but they are rather unhealthy and being left with so many and being left with them all the time can mean they don’t eat enough hay. Reduction in hay intake will have health consequences such as disrupting gut and dental health. Pellets also contribute a lot of calcium Into the diet which can risk causing bladder stones.

Also, we don’t recommend the use of any food bowls. Instead it’s best scatter their one tablespoon of pellets and their veg into a hay pile. Doing that means that they are kept occupied
, have mental stimulation by using their natural foraging abilities to find the food.
It also stops the dominant from being able to food hog.
If you are going to use a food bowl then they should be at least one body length apart (so a double bowl like you haven isn’t really suitable).
 
naguya said:
Your boys are beautiful! Great cage size! Hello Onyx!

Momo, one of my boars, would rumblestrutting inside your hay pile if Bijou (my other boar) appeared. Do you have more hay around? I see it as normal behavior from your two boys, nothing to worry about, boars are more territorial. Maybe you should put a pillow of the same on the other bridge, if one boar has a right to a pillow the other should have one too! Also avoid distracting them when they are in this teeth chattering situation, they are most likely resolving some disagreement that needs to be resolved between them.
Click to expand...
Hmm, that makes a lot of sense, I shall order a set of pillows, so each have their own pillow. Aw, hahaha, both Momo and Bijou sound quite the adorable duo, I'd love to see them! Ahh, okay, I shall not interfere again, but I will remain a silent observer just in case.. C:
 
Piggies&buns said:
Keep an eye but unless they actually fight you do need to just let them get on with it. I know it’s hard but they need to be able to function between them.

There is something I would point out.
They have far too many pellets. They should have just one tablespoon each per day only and should never be left with constant access to them.
Pellets serve their purpose in bridging nutrients but they are rather unhealthy and being left with so many and being left with them all the time can mean they don’t eat enough hay. Reduction in hay intake will have health consequences such as disrupting gut and dental health. Pellets also contribute a lot of calcium Into the diet which can risk causing bladder stones.

Also, we don’t recommend the use of any food bowls. Instead it’s best scatter their one tablespoon of pellets and their veg into a hay pile. Doing that means that they are kept occupied
, have mental stimulation by using their natural foraging abilities to find the food.
It also stops the dominant from being able to food hog.
If you are going to use a food bowl then they should be at least one body length apart (so a double bowl like you haven isn’t really suitable).
Click to expand...
Ahh, alright, I could try and sprinkle several tablespoons of pellets in their hay pile. However, they do use the abundant amount of hay as sleeping area and as bathroom. Hopefully it will not create a mess. The pellets I currently get is ''Petlife Oxbow Cavy Cuisine'' and if I have to believe the internet, this is high quality!

Thanks for the advice! C:
 
Maeneth said:
Ahh, alright, I could try and sprinkle several tablespoons of pellets in their hay pile. However, they do use the abundant amount of hay as sleeping area and as bathroom. Hopefully it will not create a mess. The pellets I currently get is ''Petlife Oxbow Cavy Cuisine'' and if I have to believe the internet, this is high quality!

Thanks for the advice! C:
Click to expand...

Yes they are a good pellet but every type of pellet still needs to be kept limited.
They serve a very tiny part (just 5%) of the supplementary diet.

It’s normal for them to use the hay as a sleeping area and bathroom but as long as it is cleaned every day (every other day at most) then it’s not an issue
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes they are a good pellet but every type of pellet still needs to be kept limited.
They serve a very tiny part (just 5%) of the supplementary diet.

It’s normal for them to use the hay as a sleeping area and bathroom but as long as it is cleaned every day (every other day at most) then it’s not an issue
Click to expand...
Ohh trust me. I do give them fresh hay daily, sometimes even twice in a day, haha. :P
 
An update!

Tribble and Onyx seem to have resolved their differences. I do not see or hear them teeth chatter at each-other. Phew, I prefer them happy!

Thank you all for giving me plenty of advice. <3
 
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