Tag Archives: fighting

stop guinea pigs from fighting

6 Things You Could Do To Stop Guinea Pigs From Fighting

How to care for your guinea pig

With two male guinea pigs there can be occasions where you need to separate them. This is especially the case as they get to know each other because there will be plenty of uncertainty and a play for being the dominant guinea pig in the territory.

image wikipedia

Usually when you have two males in a cage there is the usual chattering of teeth and chasing each other around.

This is quite normal for male guinea pigs living together, but occasionally things may escalate and get more serious.

When this happens there are some things that you could do to ease the situation and calm things down a bit;

1. Divide up the cage

If you have a cage that is big enough, consider putting a divider in the cage to give the guinea pigs some time out from each other.

C&C cages are great for this and can easily be divided up if so required.

But other cages can be divided up easily with a bit of creativity and some sturdy dividers that can either be purchased or found around the home.

By dividing up the cage you create an enforced separation so they can scent each other but can’t at each other for a while. The useful thing about doing this is that it will give them some time out and allow them to calm down, it will give them the chance to acclimatise with having another guinea pig around and understand what it is to live with each other.

When you feel the time is right, you can then take the divide out to allow them some time together again.

2. Create hide outs for the guinea pigs

Give the two guinea pigs a place to hide from each other. Giving them hideouts allows them to have their own space. They can be anything from a shoebox to a purpose built pigloo which are excellent for guinea pigs to retreat to.

Guinea pigs do appreciate their own space even though they are herd animals and will look to set out their territory. Having a retreat like this will help them to feel more comfortable in the surroundings.

3. Make sure they get enough food

Try and ensure that there is enough food in the cage so that they don’t fight over what scraps there are. When there is more than enough food, they are less likely to fight over it. Make sure that they have plenty of hay, and vitamin c foods, water and also ensure that they have a good variety of veggies.

4. Put them in separate cages

If you consider the situation serious enough, then it could be worth putting them in separate cages. Like dividing up the cage as we discussed above, putting them in separate cages will allow them time out from each other and to get used to the scent of each other.

 

Your cage may not be the type that you can divide up easily, so this is a good option.

Then consider putting them together again to spend spend more time together, before separating them again. Only put them together permanantly when you are happy that they are not going to fight any more.

5. Clean out the cage often

When you clean out the cage often, it gets rid of the scent partially of the guinea pigs and so will help to de-mark the territory.

This will help to ease tension with the piggies and help them to accept each other more.

Clean it as thoroughly as you can with special antibacterial spray for cleaning out pet cages and refresh it with new hay and newspaper.

6. Give them distractions

Make the cage interesting for them by giving them distractions in the cage.

This will provide some respite for the sparring guinea pigs. Things like branches, logs, tunnels, balls, lots of hay that they can crawl in and hide in and other things such as this provide a welcome distraction for guinea pigs.

These are some suggestions that you could use to stop your guinea pigs from fighting. Do you have any further things that have worked for you. I would love to hear about them.

how do i get my guinea pigs to get along

How Do I Get My Two Male Guinea Pigs To Get Along?

How to care for your guinea pig, , , , ,

This is  an update from yesterday’s post about introducing my two male guinea pigs together and asking the question, ‘how do I get my guinea pigs to get along?’

Two male guinea pigs living together were always going to be one of the most challenging arrangements that I could make as a guinea pig owner.

Consternation in the cage

Having two male guinea pigs in one cage was always going to cause some consternation and this was no different.

I mentioned that they were chasing each other and there was quite a bit of chattering of teeth.

Separating them

I was quite concerned about them and decided to separate them after a day of them being together.

So I put them each in their separate cages last night.

Both cages are attached to the main run and can be closed off.

how do i get my guinea pigs to get alonghow do i get my guinea pigs to get along

This morning when I went to see them, ‘Uno’ was trying to bite his way out of the bars and there was a bit of chattering of teeth when I let ‘Rocket’  out of his cage and into the main run.

Giving them time together again

Even with the chattering of teeth and the occasional rumbling, I released ‘Uno’ and watched them spend time together.

There was a bit of chasing but after a while, it calmed down and they got along with each other just fine.

I was relieved to see that there were no signs of them fighting.

They both made their places to rest amongst the wood in the run and they seemed quite content.

I’m pleased with how it’s going and there are good signs that the two boys are starting to get along.

These things will always take a little bit of time but the signs are positive.

Give them a place to retreat to

What’s important is that you give them their own space to retreat to.

Like many of us, piggies need their own space as well and they value it so make sure there are two separate places to go to where they can retreat to.

Be persistent

If you are worried about the time it is taking for your guinea pig to like the other, or that they are showing signs of not getting along, then do persist as quite often patience pays off and they do grow to like each other in the end.

Sometimes these things just take time!

how many guinea pigs should I get

How Many Guinea Pigs Should I Get?

Choosing a guinea pig, , , , ,

Deciding to get a guinea pig for the first time is an exciting thing.

There are many great things about owning a guinea pig which is why they are one of the most popular pets in the world today and are increasing in popularity.

Their cuteness and amiability are over-riding factors in why so many decide to take on the care of a guinea pig as a pet, not to mention how they are economical, easy to care for and very good for your well being.

Here we look at one of the most important questions to consider when getting a new piggie.

How Many Guinea Pigs Should I Get?

An important question that needs answering before getting a guinea pig is ‘how many should I get?’

The reason is this;

Guinea pigs are very sociable animals and are naturally used to living with one another so if you can help it, it is not good for the guinea pig to be kept apart from others.

There are always exceptions to this, however, as some do prefer their own company. If you are buying two together for the first time, then assuming they have been purchased at the same time, the cavies will have no trouble settling down.

It is always best to keep cavies of the same sex together unless you want to breed them. You will find that two of the same sex will live together just fine.

A good mix is to have one older and one younger guinea pig together of the same sex.

Two older guinea pigs cohabiting can often be difficult. If you do have a male and a female together, then you may want to get the male neutered by a vet.

Usually, cavies do prefer to share a cage but you could give them a separate place to bolt to, such as a box each. The cage does need to be of a good size though, to accommodate them both.

In summary;

If you are going to have male guinea pigs together do be aware of these things;

– Some get on well but others may not get on so good.
– When first introduced there may be some fighting between them and one may attempt to mount the other. This is a show of dominance.
– If they do attack each other you should consider separating them.
– You shouldn’t have this problem if you have two males that have been raised together and haven’t encountered females.

If you are going to have a male and female guinea pig together then be aware of these things;

– The male will attempt to mount the female as soon as possible.
– If the female is not in season, she will reject his advances, however if she is in season she will happily accept him.
– If you have an older neutered male then don’t put him immediately with the female after he has been neutered. Allow some time to pass by so any active sperm will die off in the male before letting share the same cage.

If you are going to have two females together then be aware of the these things;
– Two females will usually get on very well together.
– Do provide a place for them to get away from each other if there is squabbling.