Mounting What is normal dominance behavior?

[Isamal]

Hello Everyone!

This is my first time posting (I’m a first time owner) but I need some advice on some behavior I’m seeing with my new piggies.

I adopted a pair of boys about a week and a half ago. They are about a year and a half years old. They have been doing pretty good since I brought them home. I have them in a C&C cage that is the required 10.5 ft. I noticed last night that the dominant piggie is becoming very vocal and is constantly rumblestrutting. The submissive piggie is pretty timid to begin with but he has started squeaking when his brother gets near him.

The dominant is also constantly trying to mount his brother who just pushes him off. The submissive has started to fight back because I think he is getting annoyed. When his brother approaches to mount him he will kind of snap at him.

Is this normal behavior that the boys will work out or do I need to get involved and separate them for a bit? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

 

[4boipigs]

They may bicker in a new space; if they are not full on fighting or drawing blood, leave them. They will sort it out. If they start having actual fights - balls of fur and hurting each other to the point of drawing blood and wounds, then you need to separate. It sounds like you have a 2x4 c&c which is a good size, but for two young males it will not hurt to go bigger. You can buy an extender on the Guinea Pig Cages site.

 

[Mousewife]

I have two boys. They aren’t really brothers, but they were born 2 weeks apart and have been together their entire lives (I got them at 6 and 4 weeks).

For the first few months, we just assumed the older/bigger one was dominant. When they hit puberty, the younger, more outgoing one hit his stride and took over. There wasn’t much of a fight. A bit of humping.
They purr and rumblestrut around each other even now.

The submissive one, 8bit, will squeak at Gaffer when he’s annoyed. Sometimes Gaffer will listen. Sometimes he doesn’t.

Two things really helped bond them. Their mutual hatred of baths, and their mutual hatred of floor time.

When they start squabbling, I get out the biggest blanket I can find and put them on it with a bunch of lettuce and other goodies.
They eat the lettuce… then they ball up together and stare through my soul until I put them back in their cage
(Honestly, I’ve never seen a pair of pigs like the floor less than these guys)

But squeaking and purring at each other is completely normal guinea pig behaviour, even when dominance is fully established in a fully bonded pair. They will very likely do it their whole lives.

It’s how they communicate with each other.

 

[janarbeth]

Some rumbling and mounting can be normal as they establish their dominance hierarchy. You can try providing multiple hideouts and food dishes to give them each their own space and reduce competition.
It's also important to ensure their cage is large enough, which sounds like yours. Providing ample space for exercise and play can help reduce stress and aggression.
I hope this helps! And if you ever have anymore questions or concerns, check out https://pocketpetcentral.com for more guinea pig care tips and advice. Good luck with your piggies!