# help-my guinea pigs fight!



## darkangel6976

Hello to all
Hope everyone is enjoying a great sunday.
I'm Rachel, married with 2 children.We have 4 pets which include a gerbil,a chinchilla and 2 guinea pigs and that's where the probem lies!
Bought a smooth haired 9 wk old female agouti last week and she seemed lonely so yesterday afternoon we bought a female smooth haired english(common cinnamon type) but from a different pet shop. Both aren't related etc. The 2nd guinea pig is about the same age the pet shop owner said but she is a little bit bigger.
Came home and put them in a neutral place with food and water. They frze for a while but then the new one came and got food and then the other did, they sniffed each other's bottoms and then both made the cooing noises but then the new one started getting naughty-she would push the other one outa the food bowl so we put 2 in, she took 1 of the two apples and would eat it and then if the first one came she would move her and get aggressive. She pushes her outa the way and makes her do the shrieking sound but then it stops and they do the cooing again but it all starts again-2nd one seems to pick on her and does it inside the covered hut we have too. 
She is doing it again right now.
We had to split the cage in two last night so they wouldn't fight.
Any advice would help-will they always be like this or is it normal because Pets at home said introduce them first not in the cage and they are suposed to be friendly and sociable creatures! The other pet shop said the said.
Now what do I do!!???
Help!
ps not sure if this is where it should have gone.


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## colliemerles

hi. sorry to hear about them fighting,, i used to have two together, but they got on really well, and lived in the same hutch,, if we took one out, they used to coo to one another,, i hope someone on here can help you,, i am no expert, but i thought that guinea pigs lived better together, maybe im wrong,,?????


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## Angel

HI there

I have 4 guinea pigs 2 males in one cage and 2 females in another. I recently got another female to add to the one we had as she was on her own. I haad no problem introducing them and they got on really well.
I was told by the pet shop that they might not get on and that i might have to keep them in a seperate cages. Its just luck really.

Thats my experience. There are people on here who know alot about guinea pigs and have had them for years so im sure they will be along soon to give you some advice.

I think introduce them slowely for a little while over several days.


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## swinnk8

Number one advice, as an experienced pet owner with 20 years g'pig keeping experience,do not believe what pets at home tell you about her age.I have a lot of experience with their bad information, but luckily have the experience to know when they are wrong.
She is more than likely older and will be more dominant . You may have to take this really slowly by introducing for short peroids of about 15 minutes supervised. 
Was she taken from a group of G'pigs at the store or by herself?? If she was by herself this was probably a re occuring problem.
It is a touch and go situation. It is more of a problem with unrelated and related mature males than females. another thing you can do is rub some of her soiled bedding into the none dominant females coat so they smell alike and feed them fresh food at the same time to get them use to eating together.


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## steveakam

you could try putting a mild perfume on their bottoms, (pet friendly of course). if they smell the same they may accept each other more easily.

If that dosnt work give them a bath to gether. they wont like this and will cling to each other for comfort.


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## Chikadee

I dont kno if anyones said this already, because I cant be bothered to read the replys lol but guinea pigs can often fight wen they r going through puberty, mine did, and it is literally the same phase that teenagers have, so if its only occasionally theres no need to worry but if its all the time then seperate them for a little bit and then try puttin them back together again. Im no expert, but it worked with mine =)


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## guineapigqueen

I have been keeping Guineas for nearly 9yrs now and I only have one sow on her own due to her attacking everyone else, she acts like a boar. Are you sure you have the sex correct on both your sows and they aren't infact to boars? 

When guinea pigs fight, they chatter their teeth and a 'war dance', what you are describing is a dominant sow showing the other one she is the boss.This is a typical behavoir when introducing any pigs together. The wheeking sound the less dominant pig made is a scaried noise but she will get used to the other sow being around. All I suggest is you keep trying and putting the together, put plenty of food around the cage, not specifically in the bowl because the dominant sow is defending that.

Emma x


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## reva

Mine are fighting tooo!!!!help
I have 2 male brothers they are fine with each other 1 year olds. Bought another male piggy (kids insisting) and now the wee new one is causing fights chattering teeth and trying to be dominant and he is only small and 3 months old. My older ones have had enough and so have we ....need ideas options or may need a new home for the wee american agouti


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## CharleyRogan

If, there is no blood shed, then chattering is fine. Its just them trying to sort an order out.


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## Gimli

Hello everyone, 
I have had my guinea pig Gimli from the age of 2 months old, I got him to be paired with my other guinea, G who was 2 years old and they got on great, hit it off straight away and became the best of friends, but after about a month of them being together, G died, sooo Gimli was on his own and have been for about 8 months until about a week ago, when my cousin gave meee hers as I thought he could do with someone to talk to and interact with, but they dont seem as if they are going to get on as they both keep chattering their teeth at each other, there have also been occasions where they are lunging at each other and they have also fought but there were no teeth involved, then they carry on eating together, sooo I dont really know what their doing, if they will be able to live together and what I need to do next to successfully achive this, as I really want this to work out otherwise I dont know what I will do, because I dont want to give any of them away.

Any advice will be appreciated, 
Thank you


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## Cherpi

Gimli said:


> Hello everyone,
> I have had my guinea pig Gimli from the age of 2 months old, I got him to be paired with my other guinea, G who was 2 years old and they got on great, hit it off straight away and became the best of friends, but after about a month of them being together, G died, sooo Gimli was on his own and have been for about 8 months until about a week ago, when my cousin gave meee hers as I thought he could do with someone to talk to and interact with, but they dont seem as if they are going to get on as they both keep chattering their teeth at each other, there have also been occasions where they are lunging at each other and they have also fought but there were no teeth involved, then they carry on eating together, sooo I dont really know what their doing, if they will be able to live together and what I need to do next to successfully achive this, as I really want this to work out otherwise I dont know what I will do, because I dont want to give any of them away.
> 
> Any advice will be appreciated,
> Thank you


In my experience I think this is normal for one to, not bully, but be more dominant over the other. There may be what we think fighting at the start but they're just sorting out who's the boss. They to introduce them slowly in a neutral environment and if you need to you can buy little pots of this cream type stuff from pet shops that will make them both smell the same, rub a bit between their ears (as they can't reach it here) and they will both smell the same. Introductions can be hard, I'm trying to introduce degus at the moment and there are mixed results.

My two males Bumble and Rolo sometimes have little squabbles, I think Rolo likes to remind bumble that he's the boss and bumble should respect him haha.


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## Gimli

Thank you, Cherpi
Sooo should I let them carry on fighting but when teeth become invovled then seperate them? Sooo at the moment I'm seperating them too soon?


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## blade100

You should always take your own guinea pig to pick who he wants to live with.
I did this with my 6 month old boar at the time and took him to our local RSPCA and he chose a 6 week old boar himself. He had the choice of 7 but he liked teddy.

Here is a link to signs of dominance and behaviour it may help.
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs | The Guinea Pig Forum

But once they've fought and blood has been shed that's it! You can't neuter them fir aggression like you can with rats.

Teddy often rumble struts to wiggy, but he just ignores him and they've been together for 7 months now with no problems at all.


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## Cherpi

Yes id say if it gets too violent, like blade said, theres no going back. Good luck!


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## Gimli

Thanks blade, the link really helped.


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