Hey guys, I've never posted on here before because usually I can find all the info already, this is a great source! I'm writing now though because my guinea pigs, Bubbles and Wiggles, are starting to worry me. I've had them for around a month and a half and supposedly they were cagemates in their last home, they're two years old now. Bubbles has always been a little more aggressive and gets in Wiggles' face sometimes but I've always found it harmless. Today though I let them have floor time in my room while I cleaned their cage and Bubbles went CRAZY. He keeps humping Wiggles and I know that's normal but it also looks like he's trying to bite his ears and Wiggles gets really upset and it breaks my heart. I thought if I let them be for a few minutes they'd figure it out but Bubbles won't stop. I know they need to bond but it's weird because I've never seen him do this before and I was home basically all day the first month. I'm separating them for a little bit and I'll try again later but I was wondering if this is normal to happen out of nowhere? Or maybe it's because they were in my room instead of their cage and it was a territory thing? Thanks for any tips/explanations!
Why's my guinea pig suddenly so aggressive toward his brother?
- Thread starter eminems
- Start date
Welcome to the forum
Adults get hormone spikes as well as youngsters so it may be that.
If they’ve been together for all their lives, then they are bonded but a new space means they go into a new round of dominance.
Have you let them out into the room before?
If not then it may well be because of that
You say wiggles gets upset - can you tell us exactly what he is doing?
If it is loud high pitched squeaking then that is submission squeaking and is a perfectly normal and correct response. It isn’t him being upset and he isn’t in distress.
You only want to separate if you absolutely have to ie they are about to break into a fight. Separating for normal dominance, which can seem distressing to us but isn’t to them, can be detrimental and not something you can or should do often. Separating unnecessarily can actually destabilise a bond.
If you are concerned their bond is failing, then they would need to be separated for a few days to allow them to calm down. A reintroduction to allow them to decide if they still wish to be together can then be done after a few days. A reintroduction must be done on neutral territory - never reintroduce in the normal cage or by simply removing dividers as this can then be seen as a territory invasion and cause a fight.
Adults get hormone spikes as well as youngsters so it may be that.
If they’ve been together for all their lives, then they are bonded but a new space means they go into a new round of dominance.
Have you let them out into the room before?
If not then it may well be because of that
You say wiggles gets upset - can you tell us exactly what he is doing?
If it is loud high pitched squeaking then that is submission squeaking and is a perfectly normal and correct response. It isn’t him being upset and he isn’t in distress.
You only want to separate if you absolutely have to ie they are about to break into a fight. Separating for normal dominance, which can seem distressing to us but isn’t to them, can be detrimental and not something you can or should do often. Separating unnecessarily can actually destabilise a bond.
If you are concerned their bond is failing, then they would need to be separated for a few days to allow them to calm down. A reintroduction to allow them to decide if they still wish to be together can then be done after a few days. A reintroduction must be done on neutral territory - never reintroduce in the normal cage or by simply removing dividers as this can then be seen as a territory invasion and cause a fight.
