Why do guinea pigs fight

Of course, when it comes to health, due consideration must be given to hygiene. Clean out your guinea pig cage frequently. Change the bedding every day or two, and sanitize the inside of the cage at least once a week. Additionally, remove fresh food as soon as your guinea pigs have finished their meal. Otherwise, it can rot, and create mold and the like. You can build one of these for your guinea pigs with a large, knock-proof rounded bowl , and some special rodent bathing sand -not to be mixed up with bathing dust, which is too dusty.

Set up the bath away from their litter box, so they do not use the bath for the same purpose by mistake. When it comes to happy, peaceable guinea pigs, the proper sex pairing is key. For instance, two male guinea pigs and one female is inadvisable. Predictably, the males will fight over the female — and the female is caught in the crossfire. Instead, pair same-sex guinea pigs. This also eliminates the need to get invasive spaying or neutering done.

Of course, while same-sex guinea pigs are more likely to get on than opposite-sex ones, it is still no guarantee. Sometimes, their personalities simply clash. Guinea pigs tend to lean toward one of two personalities: dominant, or submissive. Dominant guinea pigs are best paired with those that are submissive. You can pair a young guinea pig with an old one, as the older guinea pigs naturally claim dominance.

The younger, more submissive guinea pig will normally instinctually defer to the older one. The exception is when younger guinea pigs get uppity with age. They may challenge the older one for dominance. Luckily, disputes like this are generally natural and okay.

Should you have the chance to pick from among a few guinea pigs, watch how they interact with each other, and find a pair that seems to be complimentary. This in mind, even if a male and female get along, you will not want to pair them, because they will mate.

Guinea pig pregnancy and birth can be tricky and even dangerous. Ensure that you are not getting mixed-sex pairs, or even a pregnant female, which is another risk. In the wild, guinea pigs have plenty of space to roam around and play. In a cage that is too small or cramped, the free-spirit little guys are sure to become unhappy.

As a general rule, the minimum cage size requirement for two guinea pigs is 7. The kinder choice is a cage that is at least There are also other ways to give your guinea pigs more space. Vertical structures are a great idea.

For example, walkways. Just be certain that they are wide and low enough for your guinea pigs to traverse with ease. Next, include some hideouts. Provide your guinea pigs with private spots where they can be alone. You can make these at home, out of old butter containers, cardboard boxes, etc. Homemade hideouts are cheaper but need replacing over time.

If guinea pigs are happy with each other they will whistle, purr, among other vocal and body language demonstrations.

If your guinea pigs like each other, they will also engage in other games such as running around the cage or playing with toys among each other. If your guinea pig is hiding from time to time, do not worry! The best thing to do in this scenario is to leave the guinea pig alone and assume nothing is wrong. You need to be aware of certain things or consequences to understand whether guinea pigs are fighting or not. First of all, if there is blood or a serious injury, separate them immediately.

This is a direct consequence of fighting behavior. Other fighting behavior can include:. You need to let this natural process happen as long as there is no blood or injury. If that happens, separate them, dominance game or not. There are multiple reasons as to why guinea pigs fight.

Some of them you can control like keeping them in a calm environment to keep stress levels low. The first thing you have to remember, a little fighting where there are no injuries or blood is somewhat necessary at first. Guinea pigs need to determine who is the alpha or dominant one. Guinea pigs act similarly to humans when it comes to bonding.

Guinea pigs rely mostly on personality to see whether they will get along with another guinea pig. The first is cage size. Guinea pigs need big enough cages to move around and exercise freely, as they are active animals. If the cage is too small, guinea pigs will fight each other. The second one is food. The third one and this one is hard to measure, is stress. Guinea pigs need to live in a quiet place, without shouting or loud noises around them. The key is to separate the guinea pigs then until they have a chance to calm down.

And if you can move one of the animals into a separate room, do that as well. You may need to invest in a larger cage or more chew toys so your cavies will go back to being happy housemates, or one of your cavies may be acting out due to an injury that needs to be attended to by a vet. While rare, it is possible for a larger guinea pig to seriously injure or kill a smaller cavy.

Chasing can be a normal part of playing and asserting dominance for guinea pigs. However, if this behavior escalates into aggression and violence, it can then become a problem. Yes, male guinea pigs can happily live together — in fact, same-sex pairings are recommended to reduce the risk of fighting. Guinea pigs are social creatures and do best when they have another cavy to play and interact with. There are plenty of reasons guinea pigs fight. However, by carefully pairing cavies and making sure they have enough space, toys and food, you can remove many common triggers.

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