barbering

Question
QUESTION: Hi there i have 2 girl guinea pigs they where born in january and are litter mates they mainly live inside at night and outside in the day on the grass and i feed them on a quality grain mix and fresh veg every day plus the grass,the little black one has always been dominant, while my bigger cream female is soft as anything and often gets her food pinched and ears nibbled i was astonished to pick her up for a cuddle tonight and find a huge bald patch and 2 bite marks on her bottom at first i thought mites! but thought it strange how the patch was only in one spot,i picked up the black one who has a full thick glossy coat then realised thati dont think my cream guinea pig could actually reach the spot to scratch or bite the hair out so it must be the black one.i found another bite at the side of her neckthat was a scab too but no fur was missing from here and i have put some skin cream for animals over the bites on her bottom,i wanted some advice on how to stop it if its possible to stop it,ive always ut plenty of toys in for them in there inside cage like tunnels they have 2 and a alphalpha tube they can chew to keep there teeth down i also have brought them bags of wild plant stems and flowers dried thats safe for them to eat and they spend ages chewing them to pieces,there cuddled regualrly and go outside in there run on the grass every dry day they have veg each night as well and i always gave them hay but i must admit i havnt given it to them for a few weeks,we have been offered 2 more guinea pigs and i know the cream one loves contact with others but now am a little worried what the black one will get up to,i know it sounds daft but i dont want to have to seperate them as im worried the black one will pine, they have always been together and are very much inseperable, any suggestions would be great,the patch of hair thats missing is about6x6cm my piggys are quite big also

ANSWER: It sounds like your black pig is more than just an alpha pig, she's a bossy and dangerous pain to the other pig. This is not barbering.  Barbering is when one pig chews on the others' coat. Not taking a bite out of her skin, but just chewing the ends of her hair and giving her a haircut.

What you are seeing is an aggressive and deliberate attack. Since your cream pig is so docile she won't fight back. The result is she will suffer at the abuse of the black one. I   have a sow like that and the only way she can live with another pig is if it's a boar and I want her bred. But she's abusive and aggressive to all the other sows and will draw blood anytime she can.

I think the only solution is to give the poor little cream victim a break and remove her from this constant attack. You're right, she cannot reach the back of her bum to pull her own hair out. You will probably find bites all over her from the shoulders back. That indicates she's trying to get away and is being attacked as she runs. You'll also find her ears torn up as well. The black's attacks are vicious and intentional.  

This behavior has nothing to do with what they're getting to eat. It's just aggression and an urge to fight and hurt her cage mate. Don't feel bad about allowing the black to live alone. Obviously she doesn't want to share her space with anyone else, so she will be just fine all alone.

Don't think that because they've always been together the black will have her feelings hurt when you remove her cage mate. If you had two dogs and one was constantly attacking and hurting the other, would you feel bad about giving the poor beaten up animal some peace and a safe place to live?  Of course not.  So before your gentle cream ends up with abscesses from these bites GET HER AWAY from that environment. She's in harm's way and will be seriously injured if you don't take action to protect her.  

If you want to try to take the other two pigs they just may be the answer for your cream to have a friend to live with. She's a passive pig, so if you get another passive pig they should do fine. And maybe one of them will get along better with the black, although I honestly don't think so.  I think your black is going to cause harm to anyone else she's with and the only answer is to keep her by herself before you end up paying some enormous vet bills to try to save the others lives.

One of the hardest things for us humans to do is to not put human emotions on our animals. They don't think or react like we do. They are far more adaptable than we are. Most animals react by instinct, not because they've 'thought things over and decided to do it our way.'  

The most obvious example of this is when we come home and our dog has torn up something. Our reaction is to say, "What did you do? Did you do this?" Then we're convinced they feel guilty because Fido puts his head down and his tail between his legs and looks sorry. Fido is not sorry. He hasn't a clue what you're upset about. He's reacting to your voice and body language. Period.  

My point is simply that Ms Black will be just as happy (maybe more) not having to share anything with anyone. So don't feel guilty about giving Ms Cream an opportunity to live without fear of being attacked. It will make everyone happier.  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for the advice i did actually seperate them for a day when our friends pigs came to stay i put the cream one in with the 2 visitors and they had a lovely time the black one was on her own,when i returned the cream one to the black one in the evening there where lots of happy squeaks from the black one to have her friend back and as of yet no more attacks but  when i put the black one in with all 3 she went straight for the throat of the largest visting guinea pigs so i think you are right i may have to find another friend for my cream guinea pig i have noticed she has become more nervous and isnt as confident so i will take your advice thanks you so much

Answer
Poor baby, she's feeling like the world is out to get her. I suppose it would be like a kid having to go to school and face a mean bully all day. She'll hopefully regain her confidence and be happy again once she's gotten over the fear of being beat up.

Thank you for letting me know.