Behavior New guinea pig owner

[Kiwi_girl]

Hello everyone, my husband and i just bought 2 new female guinea pigs from the pet shop 6 days ago. A black one namef petunia who is about 2 and a half months old and a white one named squeakers that is about 1 and a half months old. As new guinea pig owners we are very eager to make sure they are happy and getting a long. Petunia has been making a loud purring sound that we arent sure is meaning contentment or if she is rumble strutting. During this time she will move a little but not much. They also run around the cage alot and we are not sure if they are chasing each other or playing, squeakers will make lots of noise but they will both be popcorning and will stop for food or drinks. Often times during a break petunia will start rumbling. Is this happy behavior or domance/aggresive behavior? They both get their fare share of food and cuddles but they havent been introduced to floor time yet because we dont yet have a quarentined area where they cant get away. Any information would be great we just want them to be happy and healthy. Thanks

 

[bpatters]

Welcome!

Here's some reading for new guinea pig owners:

Here's some reading material for new guinea pig owners:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...nea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...ur-guinea-pigs!

Rumbling is almost always dominance, but it's normal.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Welcome!

Here's some reading for new guinea pig owners:

Here's some reading material for new guinea pig owners:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...nea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...ur-guinea-pigs!

Rumbling is almost always dominance, but it's normal.

Thanks for the information, we have done a lot of reading, we now definitely know that petunia is rumbling not purring as she has been trying to mount squeakers regularly, how long is this supposed to last? She wont leave her alone. The weird thing is they are both still popcorning, so are they happy?

 

[BeckieL]

The rumblestrutting will continue for a long time. My piggies were introduced 3 weeks ago and the dominant one still rumblestruts when I clean the cage (I think it's to re-assert dominance after his smells are gone!) and any other time he seems to feel like it. If they aren't biting/drawing blood then they should be safe. Just continue to watch them both closely! The mounting has mostly subsided, although I understand it can come back when they reach puberty. Apparently a dominant female may try to mount when she's in heat.

how big is your cage?

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Yes, both of mine are females, thanks for the tips We got a connectable rabbit cage it's 2 and a half feet by 3 and a half feet and we are getting a second one that is 2 feet by 2 and a half feet so we can connect the two and give them some more space to run around. We also are going to be starting floor time today in a large runaround cage that is meant for a dog. We will be able to sit in there with them and let them play, the plan is to do that every day so I'm not concerned about the cage being on the small side.

 

[bpatters]

They're fine, and the popcorning and mounting can go on for a long time. It'll calm down relatively soon, as they're both sows. Or are they? Have you turned them both over and compared the pertinent parts to make sure? I wouldn't trust a pet store employee to correctly sex a guinea pig as far as I could throw an elephant.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

We have not compared them yet to check their sexes but that is our next step. Thanks for the information! We've never really had pets before and just really want them to be happy together

 

[bpatters]

Well, you need to check NOW. Pregnancy and delivery are very hard on guinea pig sows, and the death rate is high. They're also prone to a number of painful and expensive genetic diseases. If they're different sexes, they need to be separated until you decide whether to rehome one and get another of the same sex, or to neuter the male. The fact that one of them is constantly trying to mount the other one suggests that he may be a male.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Thank you for the info, we will be getting a second cage this afternoon and checking tonight with the help of a friend, if need be we will separate them once the cage is set up tonight

 

[Kiwi_girl]

New question... if Petunia turns out to be a male and we decide to keep them together and get the male neutered will they be able to live happily together without fighting or attempted mating?

 

[lissie]

They should be able to live together after being neutered. They would still mate, but won't produce any babies. You'll have to keep them separated for about a month after neutering.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

My friend and I just checked them both and we are fairly certain that petunia is a girl! thank goodness. At first we weren't sure but once we compared the two we realized that they both look the same, so that is good news! We are still going to get a second cage so they have more room to run around in and hopefully the dominance issue is resolved quickly and they get back to just enjoying each others company Thank you to everyone who helped us out today and I look forward to being a part of these forums in the future

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Well, for some reason I cannot find out how to post a new thread so I guess I'll just post on here and hope someone sees it lol. So my guinea pigs have seemed very happy and the mounting and rumble strutting has already calmed down. We have been holding them everyday and having floor time which they love! They are so happy in fact Squeakers is sleeping curled up with her eyes closed in her hutch right now . However today I saw Petunia sit at the back of the cage and pee on the lip of it, it was milky coloured and then she turned around and drank it all up. Is this normal? They have ample water, hay, pellets and veggies. I hope someone will be able to give me an answer

 

[bpatters]

She's fine.

To post a new thread, pick a forum and click the "Post a New Thread" button.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Great thanks

 

[Shieme]

Okay, why is that behavior okay? I've never heard of that before! Poop eating yeah. A lot of animals do that. But pee drinking...

 

[bpatters]

Depending on what she'd eaten, it might have had a taste she liked.

 

[madelineelaine]

They're fine, and the popcorning and mounting can go on for a long time. It'll calm down relatively soon, as they're both sows. Or are they? Have you turned them both over and compared the pertinent parts to make sure? I wouldn't trust a pet store employee to correctly sex a guinea pig as far as I could throw an elephant.

Bpatters, I really REALLY want to see you throw an elephant LOL lol

The only pee drinking I have seen is when my girls pee and lick the fleece right after where they peed. Not quite the same but similar.

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Shieme]

Depending on what she'd eaten, it might have had a taste she liked.

Good point. I can see that.

 

[Kiwi_girl]

Hello again everyone, i have a new question. So our piggies seem to get along well most of the time but the younger one (squeakers) always seems to steal the older ones (petunia) food. There might be a whole bowl of food and she will chose to steal what petunia is already eating. Also on a separate note they have each sprayed each other out of frustration during different times, are these things normal?