Biting Older guinea pig biting younger one

pumpkinsowner · Sep 6, 2021

We have to guinea pigs, Pumpkin and Cinnamon, both male. Cinnamon is about 6 months older. Although they love hanging out together, sometimes fights break out and Pumpkin gets bitten by Cinnamon. They get to go outside and explore lots,so I don't think boredom is the problem. Even though it seems like Cinnamon is in charge, they still fight! We really don't want to have to separate them permanently because they are very sad and lonely when not together. Any ideas/tips are appreciated!

Guinea Pig Papa · Sep 6, 2021

First question I need to ask, is how large is their cage?

pumpkinsowner · Sep 6, 2021

Guinea Pig Papa said:
First question I need to ask, is how large is their cage?

It is 46 inches long 24 inches wide. They also spend much time in an outdoor hutch.

figinwhistles · Sep 6, 2021

it might be to assert dominance. if this keeps up you need to separate them or it could get worse or possibly lead to the little ones death. the same thing happened to mine. mine ended up dying. i hope you get the info before its too late<3 best of luck

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pumpkinsowner · Sep 6, 2021

figinwhistles said:
it might be to assert dominance. if this keeps up you need to separate them or it could get worse or possibly lead to the little ones death. the same thing happened to mine. mine ended up dying. i hope you get the info before its too late<3 best of luck

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you... I really hope I can sort something out, but that may be the only option. I'm sorry to hear about your guinea pig.

Guinea Pig Papa · Sep 6, 2021

Your cage is likely a bit too small. Bare minimum for two males is a 2 grid x 4 grid C and C cage, which measures out at around 28" X 56". And trust me that's BARE minimum. Bigger is always better. Squabbles could be over dominance, though that should have already been settled.

Don't forget that the space they have is also likely taken up by "stuff". How many hides do you have, and do they have more than one entrance each? Do you have two of everything else? ie: water bottles, hay piles, pellet bowls, and things of that nature?

While the situation that @figinwhistles experienced is tragic and very sad, it's not necessarily the norm. I have heard of other situations where one pig has sadly lost their life in a squabble.

pumpkinsowner · Sep 6, 2021

Guinea Pig Papa said:
Your cage is likely a bit too small. Bare minimum for two males is a 2 grid x 4 grid C and C cage, which measures out at around 28" X 56". And trust me that's BARE minimum. Bigger is always better. Squabbles could be over dominance, though that should have already been settled.

Don't forget that the space they have is also likely taken up by "stuff". How many hides do you have, and do they have more than one entrance each? Do you have two of everything else? ie: water bottles, hay piles, pellet bowls, and things of that nature?

While the situation that @figinwhistles experienced is tragic and very sad, it's not necessarily the norm. I have heard of other situations where one pig has sadly lost their life in a squabble.

Thanks, I will consider getting them a bigger cage! They have their own hidey-holes but not two of everything... Thanks for suggestions!

bpatters · Sep 6, 2021

Ditto on the larger cage. Your cage is really not large enough for one pig, much less two. And lack of space is a major reason for pig aggression.

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Biting Older guinea pig biting younger one

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