Newbie with 2 piggies

[Chunky]

Hi All
I have two piggies which are great to have, we decided to buy one after our holidays in July which our daughter named Emily she was fine on her own but after a while she never used to bother coming out of her bed so we thought she needed some company, so after discussion we decided to buy another which again our daughter name Angelina.This is were all the problems started, we introduced them to each other (outside the cage) and they seemed fine but lately( two weeks later) Emily has started chattering at Angelina, outside the cage they are fine, we leave the cage open for as long as we can (most of the day usually) they can come and go as they please.Emily now most of the time sleeps outside their bed with Angelina inside but if Emily is inside and Angelina wants to go in Emily starts to chatter at her, she has also taken to having a quick nip at Angelina whilst she is trapped in a corner and Angelina .Please can someone give me any advice as i would hate to have to give one up as we love having them both.

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Welcome, Chunky!

How big is the cage? Perhaps they don't have enough space and are getting tetchy at being cramped. Is there two of everything in the cage - 2 water bottles, 2 food dishes, 2 lots of hay and 2 hideys? That makes a difference to the way pigs get on also.

Nipping, mounting, teeth chattering, chasing, butt-sniffing and nose-offs are perfectly normal dominance behaviours and you should not intervene unless they draw blood. My pigs get cornered and nipped too but nothing ever comes of it - it's just a way of telling the other pig who's boss.

[Chunky]

The cage is big enough for two we have been told but only one of everything we have been informed that if we remove the bed (pigloo) during the day they will get used to us more quickly and probably settle down with each other quicker, as one would be in and the other be out, now they would both be out.The older one (Emily) stands infront of the younger chattering and waving her bum about, seems funny really, but serious.They don't get to the point of drawing blood or anything but I just don't like the bullying of one on the other. How long will the dominance battle last?

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Did a pet store tell you this by any chance? Pet stores are notorious for giving out false info.

No pet store cage is big enough for one pig, let alone 2. You need a 2x3 C&C cage which is the minumum for 2 pigs. See www.cavycages.com for information on building a C&C cage.
Pigs should have hideys all day and night in my opinion. If they don't have anywhere to hide they stay scared - simple as that.

The butt-swaying is rumblestrutting - another dominance issue just like the chattering.
There is no reason to separate them unless blood is drawn or the pigs won't let each other eat.
Dominance behaviours will be around every single day; it is always more intense for the first few weeks together and then it usually settles down to just an occasional rumblestrut or nip.

What diet are your pigs on?

[Chunky]

We are thinking of building a C&C cage but we can't decide where it will fit, we only have a small house, can you tell me the overall dimensions.We do exchange the bed with a tunnel big enough for both of them.We feed them on Gerty guinea pig food with plenty of fresh cucumber, we keep trying them with different things such as green peppers( ate a few ) red pepper (ate none) Brocolli( ate none) ah yeah some of the plants from our little garden area in our yard( cheeky minx)

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Okay. I have a few ideas for you.

1. Stop feeding Gerty Guinea. It is full of additives and seeds which are a health hazard for piggies. Are you in the UK? If so, try Burgess Supa Guinea Excel - much, much better for piggies than mixes.

2. Hay is absolutely essential. Unlimited hay is vital for piggies' digestion and to keep the teeth from overgrowing.

3. Cucmber really needs to be cut down. Too much of it can cause diarrhoea.
Every day, you can give your pigs:

Lettuces - all types but not iceberg or round
Peppers
Coriander/cilantro
Tomatoes - not the green bits mind
Baby carrots - not really regular as they are too high in calcium and vitamin A.
Courgette/zucchini

Twice a week I advise:
Fruits - apple, cucumber, plum, melon etc. Not banana though - if any at all only a miniscule slice.
Other herbs - thyme, mint, basil, dill, chives, and parsley
Cabbage
Celery - chopped up
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweetcorn

Be very careful of what plants your pig eats - some are poisonous to piggies!

About the cage - can you put one on a table at all? That way you don't have to worry about taking up floor space with the cage. If you are a UK member then I can let you know where to buy supplies to build a C&C cage. Look at the table on the Cavy Cages homepage (www.cavycages.com) - that tells you the dimensions of different C&C cages.

[VoodooJoint]

To really solve the problem you need to build a bigger cage.

Emily is chattering at Angelina because Emily seems to be the dominant pig. If Emily gets into the cage first she will try to keep Angelina out of her territory. Angelina needs to go into the cage first and then put Emily in. If you need to remove Emily from the cage, put Angelina in, then replace Emily after a few minutes, then do so. Otherwise Emily may attck Angelina.

[Chunky]

Sorry forgot to add hay (lots off) will hopefully find someone in uk that does the cages will try all the other stuff also thanks for all the help i will tell you how we get on


Thanks again

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Glad I could help you.

If you get stuck finding somewhere to buy supplies in UK then just search the UK forum on Cavy Cages and you'll find plenty of info. there.

[Becky cavy mad]

I have 3 guinea pigs, baby our oldest pig sister died so we got two more. she chatters at the little ones when they get too close she's just saying I'm the boss.