Unhappy girls?

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Gingergnome

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Hi, I'm a bit puzzled by some of the behaviour of my guinea pigs and would love some advice. I've had the two girls for just over two weeks and we bought them from the same shop within a day of each other ... they were in the same pen in the shop.

For the past couple of days I've noticed them rubbing their heads on each other, just behind the head. They do it from time to time and don't seem agitated at the time. On other occasions they chase each other round and round the cage squeaking and grumbling. It generally seems to be the slightly bigger girl that does the chasing. They've got a good sized cage and having time out of it every day running around in a pen. I spend time with them each day but noticed Fluffy (the bigger girl) got really agitated when I picked her up whereas Pringle settled quite quickly and relaxed. When I was in the pen with them yesterday Fluffy kept running about jumping.

Any advice? My main concern is that the shop hasn't sold us two girls after all but I've not been able to take them to the vet yet ... I'm planning to do that this week. I do have the written notes that the shop gave us confirming each one was a girl.

Thanks :-) GG
 
The running about and jumping is called popcorning and they do it when they're happy - enjoy it. :)
If you're unsure about the sex it's always worth getting them checked out a.s.a.p ( you can post pictures on the forum) and having bought them from a shop I'd recommend a general health check at a vet anyway.
Girls do display dominant behaviour, not just boys but it would be wise to get their sex confirmed a.s.a.p.
 
I definitely agree with Andreajane, please post an in focus picture of each piggie's bits on here and we can try to sex them. If one is a boy he will need removing ASAP.

My girls can be quote stroppy with one another, especially Ruby and Tia. They are both quite dominant piggies and do a lot of chasing and nosing off at times, more often when one is in season, but it has never progressed to fighting.

Please keep a close eye on them to ensure one is not getting pushed away from the food etc and that there are no injuries. It does sound like normal dominance behaviour though, they are still getting used to living with each other so you may see this behaviour for a whilr.
 
Agree 2 of every thing and a huge pile of hay!
Some vets can sex piggies for free so give a few a ring and see :)
Do they have exercise time out of their cage/hutch?
 
Don't panic! I sounds like very normal dominance behaviour for me. Eventually it should mostly subside unless one of the girls is in season. Guinea pigs also popcorn for fun - racing and jumping and crashing into each other.
Here is more about sow behaviour: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?38561-Sow-behaviour

I would recommend letting them have a hidey and a bowl of their own. Dominance is about priority access. Guinea pigs are group animals. Establishing a hierarchy is vital for them. As much as they like to snuggle up at times, they also enjoy being able to get away from each other.

How big is their cage? I know that p@h sell what is basically a hamster cage as "starter cages" for guinea pigs. The minimum RSPCA recommendation for two guinea pigs is 2x4 ft (60x120cm).

With shop piggies, it is always advisable to have your guinea pigs gender and health checked by a good vet. We have a UK recommended piggy savvy vets locator on the bar underneath the forum logo. Most vets will do a first check for free or at a reduced rate.
Here is a good website for sexing with lots of pictures: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
Alternatively, you can post pictures of the relevant bits in our pregnancy section. Please angle the piggies towards a good source of light and use the macro/flower symbol option if possible. The sharper the picture, the better. it is always good to have peace of mind. Mistakes have happened!
Here is our tutorial for how to post pictures via a free uploading website like photobucket:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...ial-Posting-Pictures-In-Threads-(Photobucket)
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?89796-Posting-Photos-From-iPhone

PS: Please weigh your piggies once weekly, preferably at the same time. if you find that one or both girls are putting on an increasing amount of weight week after week, please post in our pregnancy section for support. Normal is a more or less stable weight gain during the first few months; growth happens in stages between looking fat at one point and then stretching again. Shop guinea pigs are not gender separated during the transport from rodent farms on the continent to the shops. I have been caught out that way with one of my own first piggies. Needless to say that I have gone strictly rescue since! :(

We also have lots if information on diet and all aspects of guinea pig care at the top of our subsections in the Care section as well as in our reference section. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have.
 
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Thanks everyone. I meant to say that the store we got them from had a vet on-site who did a health check on the girls which came back OK. We had them in a wee cage at first that had been given to us but they're now in a 2x4foot cage. There are three separate hideyholes in the cages and two food bowls but I've been putting pellets in one bowle and veg in the other. They seem happy to share bowls but sometimes think that the leaf the other one is eating is better and try to pinch it. At the moment they're in their pen with my youngest son (being watched by his Dad) ... they're quite happy running round him and have taken a treat each from his hand. I'll phone our vet first thing tomorrow and make an appointment.

Thanks for all your advice. GG :-)
 
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