Behavior Just Introduced my old pig to a new pig, need help! - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**xBigPigx** · #1 10-18-09, 10:36 pm

Hi there. So I own a 2 year old male pig. I just got a new younger male (approx 8 months old). I bought a new cage, and new hiding spots (igloo, tube, etc). Everything is new, so its all neutral territory.

So i introduced them in the new cage together and they seemed to get along at first. They smelled eachother out and so on. After about a half hour, my older guinea pig started to chase the younger one around. It looked as if he was biting the younger one in the butt. He would chase him around while the younger one would squeek really loud. At first I thought they were playing, but then it became pretty obvious that the older one was abusing the younger one.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHAT I CAN DO? I'm likely going to return my young piggie back to where I got him from. Is it worth trying a different guinea pig, or will my older pig just abuse another one. I was thinking of maybe an older male guinea pig. It seemed as if this young one was getting bossed around because he was half the size of my older one. ANY SUGGESTIONS would help. THANKS!

**Ly&Pigs** · #2 10-18-09, 10:39 pm

It's normal behavior. Leave them alone and let them work it out. Only separate if there is actual bloodshed. What you are seeing is part of what happens when they establish dominance. He's not abusing the other pig, he's only letting him know that he is the boss and he will continue to do it until the new pig submits.

Where did you get the new pig? And for future reference, you should have done a 3 week quarantine in a separate cage in a separate room.

Read over this page: Guinea Pigs Social Life. It will explain the behaviors and tell you what is and isn't normal.

**xBigPigx** · #3 10-18-09, 10:45 pm

I got him from Petsmart...There is only one local petshop in the small town i'm from and they rarely get a good group of guinea pigs. So I had to settle for the big company.

As of now I have them seperated in seperate cages because my older guy was bossing the newer guy around. Would it be better to have more than one igloo's? Maybe two of everything? Or should I keep it how it is (One Igloo, One Tube, One Food Dish, One Pile of Hay in the corner). So I should put them back together, even though the older one is bossing the younger one around.

And fyi, there is no blood or bite marks on the young one.

**Ly&Pigs** · #4 10-18-09, 10:48 pm

You shouldn't have separated and yes, you need two of everything and a large enough cage.

What type and size is the cage?

In the future, please don't buy guinea pigs in petstores anymore. There are thousands of homeless pigs sitting in rescues/shelters that need homes. By purchasing pigs in petstores, you are contributing to guinea pig mills and a bad cycle of abuse. The only way to end the cycle is to stop purchasing them from petstores and breeders.

**xBigPigx** · #5 10-18-09, 10:55 pm

The cage is 45 inches by 23 inches with two stories. Its pretty big, and the lady at the pet store said it is more than enough for 2 pigs.

So I only have one igloo and one tube for now (pet store is closed). Should I put the pigs back together even though I cant get two of everything until tomorrow?

And I understand the problem of buying from petstores. The only problem is i love in a tiny town of 350 people and the nearest town is about a half hour away and they just happen to have a petsmart. I highly doubt there is a breeder or rescue person within hours of me

**xBigPigx** · #6 10-18-09, 11:15 pm

Also should I wash the old igloo and then put it in the new cage so there isn't a scent tied to it? That way they could have two igloos for tonight.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #7 10-18-09, 11:35 pm

Never listen to anything the pet store tells you.

Your cage is not big enough. It is only about 6 square feet. That is smaller than a 2 by 3 C&C. And for two males, having a 2 by 4 C&C i.e. 10 sq feet is best, preferably with a loft.

Introductions should never be gone in the cage but on neutral territory.

Then you clean out the cage and rearrange everything before putting them in together.

Putting two of everything in that cage is recommended but only going to make it more cramped.

Some pigs do better without pigloos - can you get tunnels or hideys with more than one opening so no one gets trapped?

If there is a big town and a petstupid nearby, there are homeless guinea pigs that need adopting if you look hard enough.

Are you sure both pigs are males?

**xBigPigx** · #8 10-18-09, 11:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

Never listen to anything the pet store tells you.

Your cage is not big enough. It is only about 6 square feet. That is smaller than a 2 by 3 C&C. And for two males, having a 2 by 4 C&C i.e. 10 sq feet is best, preferably with a loft.

Introductions should never be gone in the cage but on neutral territory.

Then you clean out the cage and rearrange everything before putting them in together.

Putting two of everything in that cage is recommended but only going to make it more cramped.

Some pigs do better without pigloos - can you get tunnels or hideys with more than one opening so no one gets trapped?

If there is a big town and a petstupid nearby, there are homeless guinea pigs that need adopting if you look hard enough.

Are you sure both pigs are males?

Well I did introduce them on neutral territory because it was in a new cage. Everything was new in the cage too. Therefore it was neutral.

Well I put them back together and they seem to be doing better together. I cleaned the igloo that was in the older cage and put it on the 2nd floor of the cage. (HOwever they are yet to discover the 2nd floor).

And I feel bad about getting them from petsmart. I really do. The thing is I don't have a car (i'm only 20 and dont have the money for a car). I had to get a friend to drive me to the petsmart, and I don't feel like making my friend drive me hours to find a breader.

**Dav423** · #9 10-18-09, 11:52 pm

The cage probably has metal bars for the second story, doesn't it? Guinea pigs need firmer footing than that.

Edit: Also, they weren't talking about breeders(most of which are just as much cruel as pet stores). They were talking about people who have guinea pigs but are trying to rehome them. Craigslist is a good site for this.

**Dichotomy83** · #10 10-19-09, 12:27 am

Please consider buying/building a bigger single story cage for your pigs. You can make a C&C cage that is MORE than big enough for two boars for less than $50 dollars. Two boars are less likely to fight if there is more than enough space for the two of them. I have my boars in a 2x5 c&c and plan to expand even more in the future. Be prepared, the "bullying" may drag out for a bit of time, but leave them be as long as there's no bloodshed. My boys took a couple of weeks to completely sort their hierarchy rules.

**xBigPigx** · #11 10-19-09, 12:39 am

They are back together in the same cage and so far no fighting! Its making me so darn happy. They were even eating from the same hay pile. The second story is actually a plastic platform with a plastic ramp leading up to it, but i'm going to go buy some soft material to lay over it.

**Peggysu** · #12 10-19-09, 08:18 am

Please consider building an appropriately sized cage.

**fieryone** · #13 10-19-09, 08:25 am

Two males will most likely, if not certainly fight in such close quarters. If you need help finding supplies to make a larger cage, the members here are very helpful. It is in your pigs' best interest and yours to expand. They will be happier and so will you since you'll have pigs that are able to act like themselves and therefore more fun. Also their cage will be much easier to clean and you'll have to do it less often which is always nice.

**distancel** · #14 10-20-09, 07:54 am

My girls did the same thing, very territorial even in a new hutch, because the hutch I had for them was just not big enough. Now they have a 5x2 c&c cage with a loft, and they actually play together and snuggle. I can only imagine that boys would have an even harder time getting along in a small cage.

My first guinea pigs, I bought them what I was told was a 'large' cage from a petshop, and it was just ridiculously small. People in pet shops in general are not knowledgeable about piggies. They just want to sell things. It is quite sad because people trust what they say, because you would assume they know what they're talking about.

It is really worth getting a c&c cage. You can even order them online if you can't get materials near you.

"Thank you, Ly&Pigs, for this useful post," say these 2 members:
horsiecutie (10-19-09), rabbitsncavyluv (10-18-09)

"Thank you, Peggysu, for this useful post," says:
rabbitsncavyluv (10-20-09)