Fighting My piggies have a love/hate relationship.

[The Pigs]

*sigh*

My guinea pigs.

Oh, my piggies.

Sometimes they are cuddling, so sweet,

Then sometimes they fight each other so bad one of them gets so stressed out they have seizures and almost die.


Ok. So my guinea pigs keep fighting. My oldest one, Momo, is not showing dominance enough and Apple, my younger one, is seriously hurting and bossing around Momo. I don't know what to do!!!

But now, whenever Apple is in her wooden house, I hear a screaming noise sometimes, and I look and Momo is sticking her head in the house. I suspect she is biting Apple. (And, YES I know it's Apple screaming. She has a more high-pitched squeak.) I don't know what to do and honestly I feel like sobbing. All I want is happy, friendly piggies but they always fight. I have to keep them separated in their indoor cage which I put them in during nighttime before bed, winter, and rainy weather and just any times it's no time to be outside. I don't want to hurt either of them. What should I do? Please reply ASAP.

 

[Thunder]

Sometimes guinea pigs don’t get along. They could also be going through puberty. What size it the cage? Do you have 2 hides with two openings? You also need two hides, two water bowls, two pellet bowls, two piles of veggies, and two hay areas depending on the size of the one you have. If you have a small hay rack they could be fighting over that. If they are seriously hurting each other they may never get along. I would keep them separate until someone more experienced has a suggestion on what you should do.

 

[bpatters]

How big is the cage?

And any hidey with only one door is a good place for a pig to get trapped, and the trapping pig to get its face slashed. Every hidey in a guinea pig cage should have at least two openings.

 

[ItsaZoo]

I would keep them separated where they can still see each other. Obviously they are not enjoying each other’s company when they are together. It sounds like their stress levels are pretty high. As the fighting and biting continues to escalate, someone will end up with a serious injury.

Once they’ve been separated for a while, you will probably find they feel safer, eat better, and are more relaxed.

 

[The Pigs]

How big is the cage?

And any hidey with only one door is a good place for a pig to get trapped, and the trapping pig to get its face slashed. Every hidey in a guinea pig cage should have at least two openings.

The indoor cage in which they are seperated is 28 inches for one pig, and yes I know that is WAAAAAAAY too small, but I only keep them in there overnight.

Both of them are 4 feet and 7 inches long, the indoor cage is 1 feet and 1 inch wide, and the outdoor cage is 2 feet and (7?) inches wide. In the outdoor cage they are unseparated and in the indoor cage they are. They have 1 food bowl for each piggy inside and Momo's food bowl outside also Apple's water bottle is outside. I use plastic pigloos and a wooden house that has a ramp for climbing, and a hay rack on the side and I use it for Momo's side of the cage. She doesn't bite Apple anymore but she sometimes forces Apple out of a hidey so she can sleep in it. I have 2 plastic pigloos and have switched to leaving the wooden house inside and instead taking the 2 pigloos outside. I didn't know you needed to have 2 doors, however I am going on a shopping spree for my piggies after quarantine. I will remember to pick up things with 2 doors! Thanks for your information.

 

[The Pigs]

I would keep them separated where they can still see each other. Obviously they are not enjoying each other’s company when they are together. It sounds like their stress levels are pretty high. As the fighting and biting continues to escalate, someone will end up with a serious injury.

Once they’ve been separated for a while, you will probably find they feel safer, eat better, and are more relaxed.

Yes, they have been separated with another grid (it's a custom cage with cable ties and iron grids). They do feel safer but the other day, I gave them each 4 cucumbers and Momo had finished hers but Apple still had some and Momo stuck her nose through the grid and tried to get Apple's. I don't know if that's a problem but she couldn't reach, they didn't fight and it was fine. Still thought I should mention that. Also I am 10 and live with my parents so I can't really get a bigger cage or more things for them. But luckily my parents really love my guinea pigs so that's good they're sometimes bringing things home for them. I also share a room with my 14-year-old sister. She doesn't really like the guinea pigs however she's the one who wanted to get Apple.

 

[The Pigs]

I have 3 hideys, all with 1 opening unfortunately, 2 water bottles, 2 pellet bowls, 2 piles of veggies and food when it's feeding time, 2 hay areas. I don't know much about guinea pig puberty, I know that Apple is going to be a year old in October, and we got Momo when she was a baby in December of 2016, so she's 3 years old.

 

[bpatters]

Long and narrow cages are not preferred, as squeezing past each other can be an occasion for a squabble. Guinea pigs need large, flat areas to run around.

If you've got a pigloo or other hidey with only one door, you can cut another door and sand the edges so they're not rough.

@The Pigs, the reason your pigs aren't getting along is very likely because those cages are WAY too small, even for one pig, much less for two. Two pigs need a minimum of eight square feet (that's 2 feet by 4 feet, or some arrangement thereof), and they really need more. You're just inviting them to fight if you keep them together in smaller areas, especially if you've got a lot of cage furniture in there.

 

[ItsaZoo]

I have a plastic pigloo and I cut an entrance in the back using a heavy-duty kitchen scissors. Then I sanded the edges smooth with sand paper. A less-expensive idea is the stack and nest storage bins sold at Dollar Tree. Just flip these over and they can hide and pull them around to rearrange their furniture.

 

[DenCollins]

I have a plastic pigloo and I cut an entrance in the back using a heavy-duty kitchen scissors. Then I sanded the edges smooth with sand paper. A less-expensive idea is the stack and nest storage bins sold at Dollar Tree. Just flip these over and they can hide atv pull them around to rearrange their furniture.
View attachment 87116

What an awesome idea! Look at this turtle

 

[The Pigs]

I have a plastic pigloo and I cut an entrance in the back using a heavy-duty kitchen scissors. Then I sanded the edges smooth with sand paper. A less-expensive idea is the stack and nest storage bins sold at Dollar Tree. Just flip these over and they can hide and pull them around to rearrange their furniture.
View attachment 87116

Sorry for the late reply me and my siblings had to get end-of-school testing done >//<

That is a really good idea i'm heading for the dollar tree right now! I showed this to my mom and she even agreed to get them! Plus your piggy looks like a little turtle uwu

 

[ItsaZoo]

Her name is Lacey and this is by far her favorite hidey. She hunches her shoulders and drags it with her, pops her head out to have hay, and back she goes. If I put two bins in the cage, she lines them up parallel so she can go around the cage and through each one, or sometimes she lines one up behind the other for a long tunnel.

 

[The Pigs]

Thank you everyone for your help! The piggies no longer fight! There is an occasional rumblestrut here and there but other than that these tips helped! Thank you everyone!

 

[ItsaZoo]

I’m so glad your piggies are getting along better! Thanks for the update!