I have two guinea pigs, I've had them both for about a month. Both are definatly female, and one is about 3 months (Her name is Matilda) and the other about 6 months (Penelope). They used to get along fine until quite recently Penelope has picked up some strange behiviors. She started to chase Matilda around the cage with her nose in the air, shaking her butt and low purring. This really wasn't a problem until now she is no longer allowing her to eat! Earlier today, she attemped to mount Matilda. Matilda kicked her and ran around the pen, but Penelope followed her, slammed her into the gate and attemped again. I quickly grabbed Matilda away and put them both into the cage. It happened again, only this time I didn't interfere. After mounting her for about 2 seconds, Penelope continued to chase her and steal food from her mouth. For the final time she tried to mount Matilda again, I seperated them.
What is this behivior? What should I do to make it stop? Penelope is 2x bigger!
2007-04-01 03:41:34 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Penelope HATES to be seperated. She screams and squeals like the mad women she is!
2007-04-01 03:55:20 · update #1
Your guinea pigs are establishing dominance with each other, and as you have noticed, this behavior can be dangerous in a cage where there is limited food supply and no means of escaping.
When Penelope purs and shakes her butt, it is called rumstrutting. This is not dangerous behavior, Penelope is just telling Matilda who is boss. If, however, Penelope attacks Matilda, there is a problem. You need to be careful to make sure both pigs get enough to eat. Because Penelope is about six months, she has probably recently reached sexual maturity. This change in who is mature and who is not is causing a need for Penelope to establish her dominance over Matilda. Mounting is also a dominance gesture, and is nothing to be concerned about. You may also notice teeth chattering. Don't be alarmed, this is also normal guinea pig commnication.
How big of a cage are you keeping these two in? Guinea pigs need lots of space. I do applaud you for knowing enough to put two female guinea pigs together. Two guinea pigs need AT LEAST 7.5 sq ft of space, but more is much better. If given enough room, Penelope may calm down a bit because she has enough space to mark her own territory, while Matilda has enough space to stay out of her way. Go to cavycages.com for information on how to provide your guiena pigs with enough space. Also, visit the forums to find out about proper guinea pig communication, and how to take great care of your guinea pig.
If you have any more questions, my email is d0rked@comcast.net, and I would be more than happy to help you.
2007-04-01 03:55:44 · answer #1 · answered by Fur and Fiction 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Penelope is demonstrating well-known dominance issues. Placing her nose higher than Matilda's, and shaking her hips while "purring" (this pair of behaviors is called "rumblestrutting"), mounting, and pushing are all common.
The best things to do is to NOT separate them. Let them work it out of for themselves. The best things you can do are:
1 - Increase the cage size. Two guinea pigs should never, ever, be in a cage smaller than ~8 sq. feet, and I personally would never put two in a smaller cage than 10-11 sq. feet (my girls are currently sharing 13 sq. feet, and I hope to expand for a third before the end of the summer).
2 - Make sure that they each have a separate place to hide (hidey houses, wide tunnels, or even a towel safety-pinned to a cage corner). As animals that are pretty defenseless, having a place to escape to is critical, and they really don't like to share cramped quarters.
3 - For now, if Penelope's stealing her food, separate the food in half, and put each half at a different side of the cage. That way, Matilda can at least get in a few bites in relative peace. Use two water bottles, if possible.
2007-04-01 04:53:04 · answer #2 · answered by jtrusnik 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What you should do is feed them by hand or have a larger cage with two feeding areas so they each get their fill. Or feed them by hand. I would also try to train her to be held so you can feed her alone. Gust give them a lot of individual TLC and they will b better in no time!!!
2007-04-01 04:02:49 · answer #3 · answered by ♥ Angie ♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG! that is weird, just buy another cage. my Guinea pigs never do that! if you separate them everything should be okay, or just get rid of Penelope. I feel sorry for little Matilda.
2007-04-01 03:52:26 · answer #4 · answered by Amina 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋