When should I be worried

[Isla&Steve]

Hello, so I wouldn’t say I’m worried at the moment, this is more of a advice just in case anything gets worse than it is. We’ve had our boys for almost 3 month now (pet shop piggies so unsure of age) they have adapted to us so so well, they’re so brave, I’ve always thought they’ve had a great bond and there wasn’t a lot of chasing or humping in the first couple of month but it always seemed like Kronk was in charge, however Kuzco is now bigger than Kronk, he was always 50g lighter but he’s slowly overtaken since then Kronk seems to try and hump a lot more and bother him, in return Kuzco has started to lunge at him, this has been happening for about a month, no blood has been drawn and for most of the time they seem to really get on, they eat together and very often sleep together and Kuzco even seems to groom Kronk quite often.

Am I right in assuming this is just normal dominance behaviour and because they got on most of the time that they are fine? At what point should I be concerned? Sorry that this is such a long post for just a general query, it’s just been playing on my mind.

 

[Siikibam]

In general it sounds fine. It may be that Kronk is trying to reinforce his dominance. The lunging is just a little worrying. I How often does it happen? I think it’s a defensive move. Keep an eye on them and see how they are. How old are they?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, so I wouldn’t say I’m worried at the moment, this is more of a advice just in case anything gets worse than it is. We’ve had our boys for almost 3 month now (pet shop piggies so unsure of age) they have adapted to us so so well, they’re so brave, I’ve always thought they’ve had a great bond and there wasn’t a lot of chasing or humping in the first couple of month but it always seemed like Kronk was in charge, however Kuzco is now bigger than Kronk, he was always 50g lighter but he’s slowly overtaken since then Kronk seems to try and hump a lot more and bother him, in return Kuzco has started to lunge at him, this has been happening for about a month, no blood has been drawn and for most of the time they seem to really get on, they eat together and very often sleep together and Kuzco even seems to groom Kronk quite often.

Am I right in assuming this is just normal dominance behaviour and because they got on most of the time that they are fine? At what point should I be concerned? Sorry that this is such a long post for just a general query, it’s just been playing on my mind.

Lunging is not an aggressive but a defensive gesture. It is a very strongly worded 'stay out of my space'.
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Isla&Steve]

In general it sounds fine. It may be that Kronk is trying to reinforce his dominance. The lunging is just a little worrying. I How often does it happen? I think it’s a defensive move. Keep an eye on them and see how they are. How old are they?

It only happens when Kronk tries to hump or climb on him, it never happens out of the blue, I don’t know for certain how old they are, I would say they’re in their teenage phase though

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

They sound ok to me, as long as one of them submits. So if one of your boys lunges, does the other back off? Chasing and humping is normal behaviour. The only time I would be concerned is if it is persistent, to the point where one pig is not getting a break. I've seen this when one of my boys has been ill and another will take advantage of that.

But they sound like they get on quite well. You say they sleep in the same space together? That's quite impressive, and lovely. In all of my time owning boys, they have always preferred to sleep in a hide each (close enough but they wont snuggle). Do you have two of everything for your boys?

 

[Isla&Steve]

They sound ok to me, as long as one of them submits. So if one of your boys lunges, does the other back off? Chasing and humping is normal behaviour. The only time I would be concerned is if it is persistent, to the point where one pig is not getting a break. I've seen this when one of my boys has been ill and another will take advantage of that.

But they sound like they get on quite well. You say they sleep in the same space together? That's quite impressive, and lovely. In all of my time owning boys, they have always preferred to sleep in a hide each (close enough but they wont snuggle). Do you have two of everything for your boys?

Yeah after the lunge Kronk will back away, its never really persistent. They don't sleep together all the time, they will sleep in separate hides or separate areas but a lot of the time they will sleep out in the open together or they will start off sleeping apart and Kuzco will wake up and move to be closer which is so sweet to watch. They have 2 of everything but they don't ever use separate bowls, we separate their food but they will always eat together at one bowl and then move over to the other one together. They're never really apart so that may be why they get a little frustrated at each other sometimes.