fighting females & not feeling the love

Question
My daughter adopted a female piggie about 3 weeks ago and she did nothing but hide (the piggie, not my daughter). She wouldn't come out and talk to us very often. Though she enjoyed being held. So we decided to get another female piggie about a week ago to see if that would bring her out of her shell (or hideout) and make her happier.

I'm afraid I messed up the introductions now that I have read some of the other postings here. I didn't introduce them on neutral ground - I had built a new, much larger, cage for "Mini" a couple of days before and just plopped "Penny" (the newbie) right on in.

Piggie #1 immediately started chasing #2 with the usual sniffing and such. #1 started showing slight aggression, but nothing that #2 couldn't run away from. Any time we pick up #2 for a cuddle, #1 gives her a nip and chases her from the food bowls when she is returned to the cage. We have been keeping our eyes and ears open to make sure nothing serious came about.

Today it did. Although there were no serious injuries, the aggression has escalated greatly and we have encountered many teeth chattering episodes today.  

How should I deal with the jealousy and aggression? Should I seperate? Permenantly or temporarily?

Also, the piggies are running away any time we come near the cage. The only time I'm getting "tweets" is when they hear the produce bags rattle first thing in the morning and they know they are about to get their fruits and veggies (yet they still hide when I bring it to them.)

I'm feeling fairly insecure about my ability to make my piggies happy. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about guineas, but can't find anything on female feuds and very little on how long it will take for my girlies to start trusting me. Help please!

Answer
Hi Teresa

Regarding them feeling secure, they will learn to trust you as you handle them more and more and they will actually become quite tame.

However, the greater problem is the aggression. Fighting between females is quite rare. However, you might want to try giving them both a bath so they smell the same.

Your best plan of action depends on if piggy #2 is actually being hurt at all. If no injuries are being caused, you are probably safe to monitor the situation, which should improve with time. If damage is being caused, it would be wise to separate them now.

Andy