Bullying Piggy Problem - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**spiritofthepig5** · #1 10-25-09, 08:08 am

O.K here's the problem, I have three guinea pigs, Pancake, Peaches and Delilah. Peaches and Delilah are perfectly healthy, I would even say fat and happy but Pancake is significantly skinnier than Peaches and Delilah. I've noticed P + D have been stealing food right out of Pancake's mouth. I have a rather large cage(2x8) and I would be willing to divide it if it meant Pancake would become healthier. I am just asking your opinions. Should I divide it to a one 2x3 and a 2x5? Pancake would still be able to see the other girls but I'm still worried she would be lonely without the physical contact of others.

**blackarrow** · #2 10-25-09, 08:26 am

I have no way of knowing from what you describe whether Pancake is unhealthily thin. (I'm guessing it's just a coincidence that the slim one is named "Pancake" but it's ironic!) Have you been weighing them, and if so, has there been any weight loss?

I would certainly not separate them based just on what you've described - you could always give Pancake some additional veggies during lap time if she really is thin.

One of my boars always swipes food out of my other boar's mouth - it just seems to be that he wants a taste tester, LOL. The other boar doesn't even mind - he just picks up another piece of the same thing. (The boar who gets his food stolen is the plumper of the two!)

**Ly&Pigs** · #3 10-25-09, 01:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackarrow

I would certainly not separate them based just on what you've described - you could always give Pancake some additional veggies during lap time if she really is thin.

Ditto. You don't want to separate.

If the other two are "fat" as you describe, then maybe pancake is at a more normal weight. You need to weigh them and see what their weights are before you determine one is too thin.

**music91** · #4 10-25-09, 07:13 pm

I would think you should either get a small cage to put the skinny pig in or devide the cage but i would think you would only need to do this during feeding time. This way she can eat her own food and probably can be put back with the others when shes done as long as they don't pick on her in any other way. And i'd give her extera cuddles!

**akstrohm** · #5 10-25-09, 07:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by music91

I would think you should either get a small cage to put the skinny pig in or devide the cage but i would think you would only need to do this during feeding time. This way she can eat her own food and probably can be put back with the others when shes done as long as they don't pick on her in any other way. And i'd give her extera cuddles!

I don't quite agree with this. Guinea pigs like to eat a little bit at a time all day, not in one sitting, so you can't always have her eating separately. You can ensure she gets more food by having two or three hay racks and pellets dishes. You can give her some extra veggies during lap time too. Hay should make up the bulk of her diet and another pig stealing veggies from her occasionally will not make one pig much thinner than another. Have you been weighing her regularly? Are you sure she's too thin? There's a really wide range of normal weights for guinea pigs.

And sometimes guinea pigs do pick on each other--it's normal dominance behavior. You should not separate them because you think one is getting picked on--you only separate if they are actually drawing blood.

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