Dominance Eating

[Conniehu]

Recently I just got a new piggie for my other girl. One is around 2 months and the other is 6 months. Sometimes when they eat the older girl backs off when the younger one comes and she seems very very hesitant to approach the bowls when the younger one is eating there. Is this bullying? should I be concerned? Any tips in helping them bond? My cage is a 2x4 cc and I have two of everything. thank you

 

[Peanut_Butter2]

Recently I just got a new piggie for my other girl. One is around 2 months and the other is 6 months. Sometimes when they eat the older girl backs off when the younger one comes and she seems very very hesitant to approach the bowls when the younger one is eating there. Is this bullying? should I be concerned? Any tips in helping them bond? My cage is a 2x4 cc and I have two of everything. thank you

Have you noticed a weight drop from when you got the new piggie?

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[bpatters]

Nobody's bullying anybody. You should weigh the one that's not eating as much daily, and make sure she's not losing weight.

"Bonding" is the biggest crock of baloney in the guinea pig world, IMO. You can't do a single thing to make pigs "bond." You can introduce them, and count it as a success if they occupy the same cage without serious squabbling or aggression. Some pigs will develop an attachment to each other, and will eat/sleep/snuggle together. You could say they're "bonded." Others will occupy the same cage for all their lives with no problems between them, but they never sleep together, and don't appear to notice when the other is out of the cage. Are they "bonded?" Who knows?

 

[Peanut_Butter2]

Nobody's bullying anybody. You should weigh the one that's not eating as much daily, and make sure she's not losing weight.

"Bonding" is the biggest crock of baloney in the guinea pig world, IMO. You can't do a single thing to make pigs "bond." You can introduce them, and count it as a success if they occupy the same cage without serious squabbling or aggression. Some pigs will develop an attachment to each other, and will eat/sleep/snuggle together. You could say they're "bonded." Others will occupy the same cage for all their lives with no problems between them, but they never sleep together, and don't appear to notice when the other is out of the cage. Are they "bonded?" Who knows?

I completely agree what "bonded" piggies really mean is a fuzzy and confusing line.

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[Conniehu]

one of them tries to eat with the other one but the other one keeps jumping around spooking the other. Is that normal? the younger one seems to scare the older one a lot and doesn't let her eat from the same bowl. ALso they have two different hideouts on different sides of the cage. sometimes the older one goes to see the younger one in her side of the cage and the younger one chases her out of her house. then the older one goes back to her own house and the younger one chases her there. the older one seems to be really scared of the younger one. No blood has been shed yet though