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fighting

21 15:46:23

Question
QUESTION: hi Ann i got 2 female guinea pigs in November and in mid January one gave birth.-quite a surprise. she had 2 boys and 1 girl. we kept the girl but gave away the boys to avoid another pregnancy.
the 2 older pigs seem to bully the younger one and they sometimes fight themselves though not very often. i don't want the younger one to get seriously hurt as she gets dunted very often and sometimes bitten. on one occasion her ear was cut by the older one. do you have any suggestions on what i could do to stop them fighting? they don't fight constantly but when they do its always the younger one who is hurt. i have quite a big cage but could they possibly be crowded?

ciara
ANSWER: Hi,
 That's the first step that I would make. See if you can get a larger cage with a place that the baby could hide. If the fighting continues, then the younger one has to be taken out before she becomes seriously hurt. Sometimes, animals, like people, don not always get along.
Ann

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

QUESTION: Thanks for the reply. i got the biggest cage my local pet store had though so i wouldn't know where to get another one. ill have a look. the cage is made to house 2 large rabbits so its pretty big. i don't want to take her out though because i think shed be lonely. her mum doesn't usually bully her its mainly the other pig. i think her mum just gets fed up with her sometimes and is just letting her know that other than actually trying to hurt her. i think if i took one out id maybe be better with the other pig but shed be lonely on her own too. if i cant find a bigger cage would i be better just getting another ordinary cage and separating them? if so do you think i would have to get another pig to stop them being lonely?
thanks
ciara
ANSWER: Hi Ciara,
  I would now put all three piggies in the larger cage. Watch them closely and see if this helps the situation. If they still hurt the little piggie, then take her out until she grows bigger. Slowly re-introduce them and then, when they seem to get along, put the baby back in the larger cage. If they keep bullying her, then you may have to permanently separate them. In that case, you may want to give her another piggy companion. That piggy companion must be quarantined and slowly introduced, which means that will need to have three cages. Hopefully, the bigger cage will help. Let me know what happens.
Ann

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

QUESTION: thanks i have the biggest cage i can get. i might think about separating them because one of them hurt her again last night. ill let you know what happens soon.
thanks again
ciara

Answer
Okay, Ciara,
  Let me know. One of them may have just made up her mind that she won't accept her. By the way, I have a chinchilla Board that has some knowledgeable guinea pig people on it. You are welcome to join. http://anntwo.proboards105.com/index.cgi
Either way, let me know what happens.
Ann