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Adult male with baby male

21 14:35:22

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I've had my single adult male GP for nearly a year. He's always lived alone until recently. I just bought a baby male gp...he was about 4-5 weeks when I got him. I first introduced them through fence, and they were both squeaking loudly for each other. After about 30 minutes of their squeaks, I removed the fence. The adult (Kobie) immediately began smelling the baby (LeBron) in his anal area. Anyway, it is now about 2-3 weeks later, and I house them seperately w/ the intention of housing them together. I try to give them floor time together every day, but it always starts the same way: Kobie is sniffing all over LaBron, and trying to hump him. This goes on for about 30 minutes, then they both calm down (for the most part) and run around chasing each other. I should also mention that almost the entire time that Kobie and LaBron are together, Kobie is "purring". Now, I just bathed them both and I cleaned out the house (which is 2'x5'). I just put them in the house together for the first time, and Kobie is still purring, but he is relentless in the smelling and humping on LaBron. It seems like LaBron is not enjoying himself; but he doesn't want to be alone either. He is just a baby. LaBron enjoys grooming Kobie, but i don't think Kobie really enjoys LaBron doing it.
My question is this: Is it normal for Kobie to be so relentless toward LaBron? Doesn't he know that LaBron is a boy? And should I trust them alone together all night, or should I seperate them at night?
P.S. I always have a water bottle and a pair of gloves ready in case things go bad between them.
Answer -
Well, you were very smart in getting a baby male. The way this works is that Kobie is trying to assure his dominance over LaBron. That's what all of the humping and purring is. I'm not sure if you've ever seen a male and female guinea pig have sex, but the male purrs so hard he almost vibrates, and will sometimes wiggle his rear in the direction of his possible mate. This is completely normal behavior in two males. One thing I must ask, is are you absolutely sure LaBron is a male? I can't tell you how many people have relied on a pet store to correctly sex their baby, and it turns out to be the opposite from what they said. It could be possible that LaBron is a she instead of a he. But if you are positive on the sex, I'm saying it's a dominance thing. Do the two fight at all, whatsoever, or is it just a bunch of purring and chasing? Has either of them recieved a wound from the other one? I suggest you start slow with having them in the same cage. I suggest a barrier be placed on either side of the cage, so they can see each other at night. Continue to allow them to play with each other daily, and make sure that you supervise them. If you think you can trust them alone together at night in an unpartitioned cage, go for it. If there is any extreme fighting or if one of them is bleeding or upset to the point where he is miserable, or if one male keeps the other one from eating and drinking, seperate them immediately. I'm sorry to say, but if that happens, you should either look into finding a good home for one of the pigs, or you should just look into housing them seperately. I too housed a baby male and an adult together, and after a while, things settled down. It took baby steps and a couple of months, but the two became inseperable. It really all depends on your adult's personality. He could come to dislike the baby immensely or he could absolutely love him. Did you wash the cage out with vinegar, or soap, and water? I find that helps somtimes. Vinegar also neutralizes those pesky crusty urine stains at the bottom of the cage. These things take time, and make sure to keep the water bottle and gloves handy!! Make sure they're thick gloves too! A guinea pigs incisors hurt! Well, I hope this helped you. If not, write me back and I'll try to find another solution for you. I wish you and your pigs a lifetime of happiness and health. Good luck! :)

Yes, I am positive LaBron is a male; I sexed him myself and saw his penis poke out. I thank you so much for your insight. It's good to be reassured that it's just a dominance issue. Oh, and I have never known them to fight EVER. However, I did see both on them on their hind legs together about an hour ago, and after that it was back to normal again. They didn't make any unusual sounds or gestures either; I assume they were playing (?). Since I sent you the original email, they have relaxed away from each other, and now they're doing the same things again. I will take your advise and put a fence between them at night. I feel somewhat safe with them together, but I don't feel totally safe.
So why does Kobie keep sniffing LaBron's butt? Sometimes it appears that he's even LICKING it. Why is that? I sexed LaBron myself, and I swear he's a boy...I saw his penis; and I even showed my 2 children. Maybe I should check again?! I don't know...it just seems so weird. LaBron gets so tired of Kobie sniffing him and licking him; will LaBron ever try to rebel or bite Kobie because he's tired of it? When will Kobie stop doing that to LaBron?  

Answer
I believe Kobie is sniffing LaBron's butt most likely to check him out. Unlike us, Kobie can't just shake hands or hug LaBron. He could also be licking him to check him out. It sounds gross, I know, but that's just the way things are. I believe you when you say he's a boy. The penis definitely pops out on a male. I apologize for not taking under consideration that you knew how to sex pigs. Believe it or not, not many people don't know how to sex pigs, or they mis-sex them. I can understand LaBron getting tired of being sniffed and licked. I would be too! LOL! LaBron may someday rebel against Kobie. It's a real possibility since he's still so young. I even watched my female last night nip at my male because she didn't want him to try to have sex with her. It shouldn't result in a huge fight though. It may just establish dominance on one of their parts. It all depends on whether Kobie would want to fight back or not. I'd say in a few months Kobie should stop sniffing and licking little LaBron. They need time to get used to each other. Just like you might meet a woman to become friends with, it takes time to build a relationship with someone. You must always keep in mind guinea pigs, or any animal is like a human in the fact they need time to get used to change. I'm pretty positive your pigs will settle down in time. Just make sure to gradually introduce them to being in the same cage together slowly. Make sure though that they can see each other for whatever the barrier is that you use. That's important. They don't have the best sight in the world but it's important. Then maybe you could take out the barrier for an hour or so a day, and gradually just let the time gap get longer and longer until you no longer find it neccessary to keep them completely seperated. If they haven't fought brutally yet, chances are they never will, UNLESS a female guinea pig is introduced. Under no circumstances should two males be housed together with a female even in the same room. This can cause them to rip each other to shreds, and sometimes even a barrier partitioning off half the cage isn't enough. Two of my pigs, Carrot and Big Boy shared a partitioned cage for the longest time. Then one day, they caught a whiff of my female and somehow Carrot got on Big Boy's side and bit him and scratched him, giving him an abcess that had to be drained. Just give your pigs time Heather, and I'm sure all will be well. If you have any more questions, let me know. You could write back to me 20 more times and it wouldn't bother me. That's why I do this. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks, and good luck with LaBron and Kobie.