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Dominance Guinea pig wont stop mounting new one

faculae.angel

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So I got my one male guinea pig, Thor, about a month ago. I just today got a new baby, Loki. I?m not really sure how old either of them are because I got them both when they were babies, but there?s a clear age and size difference between Thor and Loki. Thor will not leave the baby alone and keeps mounting him every second for the past two hours since I got Loki. I know Thor is just trying to show that he is the dominant one but Loki is crying so much and he sounds so distressed and I can?t really do anything. I?ve been checking Loki and he doesn?t have any bites on him so I don?t think Thor is necessarily hurting him that bad but I hate the sound of Loki crying and I need to know how long this will go on for. I tried looking up as much as I could but I couldn?t seem to find any clear information. Should I be interfering and pulling Thor off of Loki or should I separate them and what about leaving them over night?
 

Steffy

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So I got my one male guinea pig, Thor, about a month ago. I just today got a new baby, Loki. I?m not really sure how old either of them are because I got them both when they were babies, but there?s a clear age and size difference between Thor and Loki. Thor will not leave the baby alone and keeps mounting him every second for the past two hours since I got Loki. I know Thor is just trying to show that he is the dominant one but Loki is crying so much and he sounds so distressed and I can?t really do anything. I?ve been checking Loki and he doesn?t have any bites on him so I don?t think Thor is necessarily hurting him that bad but I hate the sound of Loki crying and I need to know how long this will go on for. I tried looking up as much as I could but I couldn?t seem to find any clear information. Should I be interfering and pulling Thor off of Loki or should I separate them and what about leaving them over night?



Hello!
Sometime ago I was considering getting a new baby Guinea pig. I was told that I had to introduce him to my older Guinea pig slowly, during supervised playtime (for several days) to make sure the little one would be safe. I was told not to leave them in the same cage until they were ready. Even if the older one is not hurting the baby (physically) right now, it could still happen. It must be horribly frightening for the baby guinea pig to be there right now.... :-(
 

Soecara

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Sometimes during introduction the guinea pig that is being mounted will cry, not because they are being hurt, but rather as part of submitting. One of my girls used to cry at the top of her lungs if one of the other girls simply touched her bum with their nose, she stopped doing it so much after about three weeks but she is still a bit of a drama queen. It sounds terrible to us but you should not interfere at all.

It will continue throughout introductions, and will continue when you move them into the cage, but should calm down after a day or two of being in the cage together. You may continue to hear it throughout their "puberty" phase (until they are over 1 year old), but as long as no one is bleeding leave them to work it out on their own.
 

bpatters

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How did you introduce them? Was it in a neutral area, or did you just put the new pig in Thor's cage?
 

faculae.angel

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I took Loki out a few moments after posting this and he’s in a different cage. I did stick him into Thor’s cage and I realize that that was a mistake. I’m going to give Loki a week alone in his cage, which is next to thor’s to just get used to being here before I have them out together for floor time. After they get used to each other during floor time I’ll movie Loki into Thor’s cage. Does that sound like the good thing to do?
 

Soecara

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Don't let them have floor time together if you aren't intending to put them in one cage together. Every time you put them together they have to start establishing dominance from scratch, the more times you put them together and split them up the more stress they will experience. Introductions should be a one and done event, have a read of this page https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

For now leave Loki in his own cage until you have enough time free to do full introductions. It is ideal to do introductions when you have a several hours free (or ideally a whole day free), to keep an eye on them.
 

faculae.angel

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Don't let them have floor time together if you aren't intending to put them in one cage together. Every time you put them together they have to start establishing dominance from scratch, the more times you put them together and split them up the more stress they will experience. Introductions should be a one and done event, have a read of this page https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

For now leave Loki in his own cage until you have enough time free to do full introductions. It is ideal to do introductions when you have a several hours free (or ideally a whole day free), to keep an eye on them.

Well I do want to keep them together because Thor?s current cage is very big, double or maybe triple the size of the one Loki is in. I am going to keep Loki in the other cage for a week and I want to see if I can get him a check up to make sure he isn?t sick before as well. Thank you for letting me know, I?ll definitely clear a day for introductions between them.
 

Soecara

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Sorry, what I meant was don't let them have floor time together until they are living together. Until they are properly introduced only let them have floor time seperately.
 

CavyMama

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Sorry, what I meant was don't let them have floor time together until they are living together. Until they are properly introduced only let them have floor time seperately.

I think what you meant to say is "don't let them have floor time together until you are ready for them to start living together". Once they are living together, they are already in the same cage. Living in the same cage should only happen after they have been properly introduced.
 

faculae.angel

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So I figured I?d make a follow up post regarding this since it?s been a month now and I?m still having problems. I?ve done a tone of research and everything pretty much says that in my situation they should be bonded by now but I think I just unluckily got two very dominant guinea pigs. I kept Loki quarantined for a little over a week. I got him a new cage as big as Thor?s and put their cages next to each other so they could see each other. I introduced them on neutral ground. They pretty much just kept mounting each other and chasing each other around (not really in a playful way) I decided that I?d do that everyday instead of sticking them in a cage together. It helped a little bit. After a while, I had Thor in my lap by Loki?s cage and they were trying to get to each other through the door so I decided to open the door of Loki?s cage and see what they?d do and Thor went in as Loki pretty much followed him around despite being the smaller one and kept mounting him. So I started doing that twice a day and that really helped. They fell asleep together in Loki?s pigloo (its a giant one for rabbits) and they slept together for a while so naturally I figured they were fine now because they were together for five hours so I took the screen off of Thor?s cage and combined their cages (together the cages are about 1.5 square meters so it?s a fairly big cage for them.) But then they started chasing each other again, and not in a playful way as I said before. It was pretty late though so I didn?t trust them alone while I was sleeping so I put a divider between the cages. I took the divider out when I got home from work and they chased each other again but then they slept in the pigloo together a few times. I kept them together over night since they weren?t getting rough and it went well I think. The only issue though is that they still haven?t asserted dominance and I?m worried that they never will. I personally can?t even figure out which one is the dominant one. Thor is much bigger than Loki, but Loki refuses to back off and follows Thor around with his nose up his butt. Thor also ends up just following Loki around with his nose up his butt. They stopped mounting each other as much but I know they still haven?t figured out who?s dominant. They aren?t drawing blood and Loki was nipping at first but he stopped. I don?t think I have to worry about them really getting hurt, but I think Loki gets pretty stressed when Thor is chasing him around. Plus they still rumble strut at each other all the time in the cage. Also, Thor wasn?t letting Loki eat at first but now he?s stopped. I also have multiple food bowls and hay racks in the cages just in case. Do you think that they?ll figure out this dominance thing soon or are they constantly going to be rumble strutting and chasing each other around?
 

lissie

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You're not supposed to put divider between them. If you keep doing that, they have to start the process all over again every time they're back together.
 

faculae.angel

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You're not supposed to put divider between them. If you keep doing that, they have to start the process all over again every time they're back together.

I only put a divider between them once and I wasn’t planning on doing it again, just for that night. And from what I’ve seen, putting the divider up between them that night didn’t really change anything. They could still see each other through the divider.
 

bpatters

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Either put them together and let them work it out, or separate them entirely. What you're doing is like putting them down for a race and moving them back to the start line every time they get a few feet down the track.

Here's the bible on introductions: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

And I don't know what you're looking for when you say "bonding." Many, many pairs of pigs never sleep together. If they can co-exist in the same cage without actual fighting, I'd take that as a win.

You have, I hope, turned them both over and compared their private parts to make sure they're both male? If they are, the rumbling and mounting is going to go on until they're out of puberty, which can take months or years.
 

faculae.angel

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Either put them together and let them work it out, or separate them entirely. What you're doing is like putting them down for a race and moving them back to the start line every time they get a few feet down the track.

Here's the bible on introductions: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

And I don't know what you're looking for when you say "bonding." Many, many pairs of pigs never sleep together. If they can co-exist in the same cage without actual fighting, I'd take that as a win.

You have, I hope, turned them both over and compared their private parts to make sure they're both male? If they are, the rumbling and mounting is going to go on until they're out of puberty, which can take months or years.

Yes, I?ve of course checked to make sure they?re both male.

And I didn?t really want to keep separating them, but Loki acts very stressed when Thor is chasing him around and I didn?t want him to get too stressed.

Now that I have their cages together, I don?t plan on separating them again unless one of them starts to draw blood.

I wasn?t aware that most Guinea pig pairs don?t sleep together and such. When I said ?bonding? I was referring to them not chasing each other around and rumble strutting constantly.
 

bpatters

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In all the years I've had guinea pigs, I've never had two that slept together. The ONLY time two ever snuggle is if they're in the same carrier going to the vet.
 

faculae.angel

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In all the years I've had guinea pigs, I've never had two that slept together. The ONLY time two ever snuggle is if they're in the same carrier going to the vet.

Oh okay, thank you for letting me know. I read somewhere that boars usually act like long lost brothers after they are bonded so I just assumed that they usually are very cuddly with each other.
 

lissie

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Another thing to consider is removing the pigloo. Since it has only one door, it can cause them to fight. Either cut out another door or remove it.
 

faculae.angel

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Another thing to consider is removing the pigloo. Since it has only one door, it can cause them to fight. Either cut out another door or remove it.

I don’t think the pigloo is an issue actually. I’ve been watching them while they’re in it and keeping a close eye on them and they don’t really go in it unless they’re going in there to sleep together. I was planning on finding some type of hut or two that have more than one entrance but like I said they don’t seem to be having an problems in it and it’s also giant so there’s plenty of space even when they are both in it.
 

faculae.angel

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Guinea pig doesnt want to be touched now

Thor and Loki have been getting along wonderfully now, they?re practically inseparable but I noticed something about Thor since they?ve been together. He doesn?t want anything to do with me anymore and it?s really making me sad. He used to love being pet and he?d run to me as soon as I got near his cage and he would stand up and stretch for me until I put my hand in and he would lick my hand and wheek. Now whenever I try to pet him he runs. He doesn?t act like he?s scared though. Whenever I see him sitting at the wire of the cage looking at me I?ll go over and stick my finger through the bars and he will lick my finger or nibble on it but that?s about it. He still eats and takes food out of my hand. During floortime he?d also jump up in my lap and let me pet him but now he just goes off with Loki. Does it have to do with him just wanting to be friends with Loki now? He?s like this with my mom too. He used to love being pet by her but now he runs from her. Is he just going to not like being pet anymore because it?s his personality or something or later on will he possibly enjoy being pet again because he?s only 5 and a half months old. Also, Loki dislikes being pet as well but he never liked being pet in the first place so now I have two pigs who hate being pet.

on a side note I rescued a 2 year old Abyssinian guinea pig from a home where he was being mistreated and I took him to the vet and got him all fixed up and he likes being pet so maybe I?ll just have to settle with one pig who likes being pet!
 

CavyMama

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Just make sure you do the full 21 day quarantine. Separate room and behind closed doors. As long as you don't intend for all 3 boars to live together in the same cage, you should be fine.
 
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