Quarantine Unwell piggie and male behavior

[Rowe2728]

Hi everyone and please help me as a new member....

I am the owner of 4 beautiful boys who were bought up together. Never had any problems, one of my pigs peewee is dominant but not aggressive with percy, monty and maverick. This morning percy was quiet and had put himself in a corner and didn't come out for his fresh veg. Later I caught the other three humping percy aggressively, his head everywhere, to point I had to seperate the three from percy who was very weak. Percy has developed a tilt with his head and his balance is poor. He is eating, occasionally grinding his teeth but not right! Why would the other males do this... They know he's well and being dominant?
Please give me your thoughts

 

[bpatters]

They do it because guinea pigs often "attack" one that is sick.

His symptoms sound like an ear infection, which will require a vet visit quickly to prevent the head tilt and balance problems from becoming permanent.

Unfortunately, having had to separate them, you may or may not get them back together. It will require full re-introductions, and you may wind up with one solo pig. Or possibly you can pair one of the others with him and have two pair. It's a sad fact of guinea pig life that removing one pig from a group for any length of time can destroy the group dynamics, and you've got a whole new pig set up.

 

[Rowe2728]

They do it because guinea pigs often "attack" one that is sick.

His symptoms sound like an ear infection, which will require a vet visit quickly to prevent the head tilt and balance problems from becoming permanent.

Unfortunately, having had to separate them, you may or may not get them back together. It will require full re-introductions, and you may wind up with one solo pig. Or possibly you can pair one of the others with him and have two pair. It's a sad fact of guinea pig life that removing one pig from a group for any length of time can destroy the group dynamics, and you've got a whole new pig set up.

I darent put him back they would have killed him by being over sexual. Ive googled and thought ear infection, I've seeed vet advice online and they say parasites... I don't believe it.
There is nothing viable wrong with ear and happened very quick

 

[bpatters]

First, you never just "put one back" into a cage where other guinea pigs are living. You have to introduce them in a neutral space, and then put them in a thoroughly cleaned cage. It takes a lot of time. See https://www.guinealynx.info/introductions.html for how to do it.

Humping by the others is a dominance behavior, not a sexual one. It's done by both sexes, and it's almost always done by all the others when one pig is sick, regardless of whether they're male or female.

His symptoms do not suggest parasites. And parasites don't cause a pig to be ill unless there's a very bad infestation, and you'd be seeing lots of scratching and hair loss if that were the case. Also, all of your pigs would be infested, not just one.

What do you mean by "there is nothing viable wrong with ear?" You can't see an inner ear infection, and they can come on with surprising quickness. They're also painful, so if you care about your guinea pig, you need to get him to a vet for some antibiotics.

 

[Rowe2728]

I'm taking him to vets in morning, first available appointment as couldn't see him today.
Introduction again possible then... Or he will have to be honed seperately? How long before u have to start introduction process again? He's been seperate since this afternoon.... Or the three would have killed him

 

[bpatters]

It's hard to say how long is too long to be out of the cage. Sometimes you can reintroduce within a few hours, but you never know.

However, if he's still not feeling well and if they put him on an antibiotic, I'd keep him out of the cage until he's feeling better. That will definitely mean you'll have to reintroduce, but if he's still sick, they're very apt to attack him again.

What I'd do is try putting him back with the others, but I'd stand there by the cage with something to separate them if they really go at it. Don't try separating with just your hands -- those teeth are like razor knives.

 

[Anawilliam850]

Hi everyone and please help me as a new member....

I am the owner of 4 beautiful boys who were bought up together. Never had any problems, one of my pigs peewee is dominant but not aggressive with percy, monty and maverick. This morning percy was quiet and had put himself in a corner and didn't come out for his fresh veg. Later I caught the other three humping percy aggressively, his head everywhere, to point I had to seperate the three from percy who was very weak. Percy has developed a tilt with his head and his balance is poor. He is eating, occasionally grinding his teeth but not right! Why would the other males do this... They know he's well and being dominant?
Please give me your thoughts

It's possible that the other males were trying to assert their dominance over Percy, despite his existing relationship with Peewee. However, the aggression may also be a sign of sexual behavior, as mounting is a common part of guinea pig courtship and mating. The head tilt and poor balance that Percy is exhibiting could be signs of an injury sustained during the aggressive behavior or an ear infection, which can cause these symptoms as well. It's important to take Percy to a veterinarian as soon as possible to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. In the meantime, it's best to keep the males separated to prevent any further aggression and ensure Percy has a safe and stress-free environment to recover in.