It’s the worst when your pets aren’t getting alongside! Even regular guinea pig behaviors could be anxious for people to look at, as we fear about them feeling unhappy or getting harm.
Guinea pigs are fairly tough with each other, so behaviors like humping, chasing, and enamel chattering are all regular. Combating guinea pigs would possibly elevate their heads at each other, “yawn” or naked their enamel, spin round in a twister, pull out one another’s hair, or draw blood.
They shouldn’t be separated until they’re harming each other, equivalent to when blood is drawn or they’re preserving each other from accessing sources for an prolonged timeframe. Within the latter case, attempt offering extra sources earlier than giving up!
Maintain studying to learn to inform in case your guinea pigs are combating, why it occurs, and 5 issues you are able to do to cease it.
Are My Guinea Pigs Combating or Enjoying?
Generally it may be troublesome to know if guinea pigs are actually being aggressive with each other, or in the event that they’re behaving usually.
Regular habits, or “play,” consists of chasing one another round, humping, purring, and gnawing on the identical toy. When guinea pigs love each other, you’ll see them collectively typically.
What’s Guinea Pig Dominance Habits?
Guinea pigs additionally are likely to have a hierarchy, which is established via dominant behaviors. These can look scary to these new to guinea pigs, and infrequently individuals will separate them once they actually need time to work issues out.
Dominance behaviors embody:
- Humping
- Chasing
- Enamel chattering
- Lifting their heads excessive
- Sniffing the opposite’s butt
- Muzzle punching (which might look just like biting, however is completed with a closed mouth)
Throughout bonding, dominance habits would possibly get fairly aggressive. Nevertheless, the bond hasn’t failed until they draw blood on each other or they cease each other from accessing sources for an prolonged time frame. A piggy repeatedly shedding weight after a bond is an efficient signal that they need to be separated, as an example.
We’ll speak extra about when to separate, and when to not, under.
What Does True Combating Look Like?
Some indicators your guinea pigs are actually combating embody:
- “Yawning” or baring enamel
- Pulling out fur
- Spinning round and going after each other in a “twister”
- Biting or drawing blood
These are indicators {that a} bond isn’t going properly, or it could be breaking if the guinea pigs have been collectively for some time.
If blood is drawn, separate your guinea pigs instantly and completely.
Why Are My Guinea Pigs Combating?
There are numerous causes guinea pigs battle. Listed below are some potentialities:
They Don’t Have Sufficient Area
Try our cage calculator to see how large your guinea pigs’ enclosure ought to be. Bear in mind, the minimal isn’t sufficient for all guinea pigs. Males particularly generally can’t get alongside until given a cage that’s bigger.
In case your cage is under minimal necessities, you’re asking for fights to happen! Your guinea pigs also can endure from boredom, lack of train, and even despair.
They’re Territorial
Take note of when and the place your piggies battle. Do they each like the identical hidey home? Are they moving into it by the meals bowl? Remember to present considered one of every merchandise within the cage per pig, as this can typically (although not all the time) cut back territorial habits.
They Aren’t a Good Match
Generally guinea pigs merely don’t like each other! Each would possibly need to be the piggy in cost, and when nobody provides in, issues are likely to escalate. Or, perhaps one piggy is only a bully and doesn’t like the opposite!
This doesn’t imply they should stay on their very own, however that they should attempt dwelling with different guinea pigs as a substitute.
One Guinea’s Scent Has Modified
If one piggy has been to the vet, groomer, or simply had a shower, they may not scent like themselves. Most occasions this can resolve as soon as the international scent goes away, however generally it might probably break a bond.
One method to keep away from that is to maintain your guinea pigs collectively every time attainable. You would possibly take each to a vet appointment, as an example, even when just one is being seen.
They’ve Been Separated
When you’re always separating your guinea pigs, they’ll must reestablish their hierarchy and bond every time. This tends to wreck their bond, generally irreparably.
Many individuals will misguidedly introduce guinea pigs briefly classes, separate them, after which introduce them once more. Whereas this works for animals like canine and cats, it doesn’t work properly for guinea pigs.
What to Do if Guinea Pigs Are Combating
1. Guarantee They Have been Bonded Correctly
Correct bonding of guinea pigs consists of:
- A scent-free, impartial place—not someplace both guinea pig has lived earlier than, equivalent to their cage and even their playpen for flooring time.
- New or freshly cleaned objects—once more, we don’t need any guinea pig scent on these!
- A big space—not so large that they’ll ignore one another the entire time, however ideally at the very least as large as their cage.
- A hay pile—guinea pigs want fixed entry to hay, and this additionally provides them one thing to do collectively and as a distraction.
- No hides or double-entrance hides—some choose having no hides at first, then including double-entrance hides because the guinea pigs start to get alongside. This lets you see every little thing clearly. Others choose to provide them locations to cover, which can provide your piggies extra safety. By no means use single-entrance hides, as the doorway could be blocked, resulting in fights.
- A towel or oven mitt to guard your fingers in case of a battle—guinea pigs don’t are likely to chew individuals, however you might be bitten making an attempt to get between them.
- Conserving the guinea pigs collectively completely—don’t separate and reintroduce them, however hold them collectively until they fail to bond. As soon as they go away their impartial house, they need to instantly be positioned in a contemporary, clear cage with no scents from both guinea pig.
- Shut supervision till their bond settles—don’t go away them alone whereas they’re nonetheless attending to know each other, however as a substitute carve out a couple of days the place you may supervise always. Additionally supervise after transitioning them to the cage, as a bond can break throughout this time.
In case your guinea pigs have been tossed right into a cage along with no preparation, they’re going to really feel confused and sure get territorial.
Separating them and doing a number of bonding classes can also be extremely anxious, as they’ll’t actually get to know one another and their place within the new dynamic.
Keep in mind that bonding can take days, and never all guinea pigs can be finest mates. Even those that appear detached to at least one one other or who present dominance behaviors often are benefitting from the corporate of one other guinea pig.
They are going to nonetheless take cues from each other, socialize, and really feel safer as a part of a pair or herd.
2. Broaden Your Cage
Many occasions, guinea pigs will battle as a result of there isn’t sufficient house. First, verify that your cage meets the bare minimum for 2 guinea pigs. If not, it have to be fastened not simply to resolve this downside, however to permit your guinea pigs the house to stay life absolutely.
In case your cage meets the minimal requirement, know that this isn’t sufficient for a lot of guinea pigs. Males, particularly, typically have troubles within the naked minimal quantity of house. It is because, within the wild, male guinea pigs by no means stay collectively. As an alternative, they stay in herds consisting of 1 male and several other females.
When bonding two males, we’re asking them to go in opposition to their very own instincts as territorial creatures. Because of this it’s so troublesome to bond males in comparison with females.
Every guinea pig wants their very own house or “territory” to really feel secure, males particularly. In the event that they really feel one other male is encroaching on their house, fights can get away.
I recommend making your cage as large as you presumably can, given your funds and the house in your house. Guinea pigs can by no means have an excessive amount of house, and a big cage advantages them massively.
Even a couple of additional sq. ft could make an enormous distinction in how a lot they battle, and the way a lot they run round and popcorn!
3. Use Hides With A number of Entrances
In case your guinea pigs are always exhibiting dominance habits or combating, take away any single-entrance hides from the cage. Hides with a couple of entrance will permit guinea pigs to flee from each other, as a number of entrances can’t be blocked by one bully.
Multi-entrance hides are superior usually, however particularly helpful for brand spanking new bonds, fragile bonds, and male pairings.
4. Present Extra Sources
Territorial habits can happen when a guinea pig is defending their sources. These can embody:
- Water bottles
- Meals bowls
- Hay racks or hay luggage
- Hides
To stop territorial habits, have at the very least considered one of these things per guinea pig. If in case you have two guinea pigs, this implies having two water bottles, meals bowls, hay racks, and at the very least three hides.
Further hides give guinea pigs selections, which additional prevents them from selecting the identical favourite place!
You may additionally need to present two of every disguise sort, particularly if one turns into a favourite, and two toys in case you use them.
An alternative choice that can forestall you from having to spend as a lot cash is to scatter feed and supply a hay pile. This implies ditching bowls and hay racks altogether.
Feed pellets and veggies by scattering them across the cage, permitting each guinea pigs to entry them. Place an enormous pile of hay, and even a number of, on the cage flooring or in a litterbox space so it’s not simply guarded.
5. Separate the Guinea Pigs as a Final Resort Solely
Many individuals separate their guinea pigs too early. Or, they separate them once they’re combating and put them again collectively in a while. That is the worst factor you are able to do for his or her bond! Guinea pigs shouldn’t be separated until they draw blood combating or hold one another from accessing the issues they want.
Some examples of this embody a guinea pig staying of their disguise out of concern and never consuming, a piggy blocking entry to the water bottle, or your guinea pig shedding weight after being paired (which exhibits they aren’t consuming sufficient).
Each time you separate and reintroduce your guinea pigs, they’ll should reestablish their bond—which might result in extra combating and extra stress.
In case your guinea pigs have to be separated without end, equivalent to within the circumstances listed above, they’re going to wish new companions. Guinea pigs are social animals and have to be paired with at the very least one different guinea pig.
An alternative choice is to hold them side-by-side with grids between them—however this isn’t preferrred because it doesn’t permit them to work together absolutely. It’s solely steered in case you’ve tried to bond your guinea pig many occasions and located that they don’t do properly with others.
Keep in mind that preserving your guinea pigs separate additionally means double the cage house as they’ll every want the naked minimal. Splitting their authentic cage in half isn’t a everlasting answer until the cage is at the very least 15 sq. ft.
Guinea pig dominance and bonding habits could be anxious to look at, however sadly, it’s a necessary a part of their lives collectively. It’s very important to know when to separate, and when to maintain your piggies collectively in order that they’ll work it out.
Keep in mind that combating habits consists of tornadoes, ripping out fur, and drawing blood. Humping or chasing isn’t a purpose to fret and is totally regular.
