New baby guinea pig being bullied

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yourmajusty

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:45 am


Hello everyone,

I had 3 female guinea pigs and 2 male guinea pigs, sadly one of my females passed away (mammary tumor). When she passed away I decided I would get another female guinea pig. Bean is about 1 year old and Charlie is probably around 4. My new guinea pig, Cinnamon is very tiny and young. She weighs only 310 grams and is constantly being bullied by one of my older guinea pigs, Bean. The two older guinea pigs, Bean and Charlie get along great and there have never been any issues between them. Once I introduced the new guinea pig, Cinnamon, Bean will not let her drink or eat!

Bean will chase her and what appears to be biting (but no blood) until the little pig runs away where Bean can no longer reach her. If Cinnamon comes out of her log, immediately Bean will start chasing her and not let her come out. Cinnamon really wont come out of her log unless Bean is not in the cage, which means I worry about her eating and drinking adequately.

When I received my male boars, their cage was way too tiny, maybe only 6 square feet. I recently built a new cage for my male pigs out of plywood and chicken wire, which is about 15 square feet, and they seem to get along pretty well. My female cage is barely 8 square feet for 3 pigs. I am contemplating building a new cage for them in hopes that Bean my older pig, will be nicer to my new pig Cinnamon.

The girls cage is pretty small but I made sure that all the hideys have multiple entrances and exits. I am wondering if there is something perhaps I overlooked? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have attached some pictures so you can see the female cage, hideys, and gravity feeders, I built for them below:

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bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:42 am


That cage isn't large enough for one pig, much less three. I'd remove Bean and build a much larger cage, pronto. Three pigs need a minimum of 11 square feet, and more is much better.

WICharlie

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:13 am


Ditto to bpatters. They need a much bigger cage. Check out all the cage ideas at guineapigcages.com

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:51 am


I agree, not enough space and Cinnamon is too small to take care of herself. Since the two adults have been pals, I’d get Cinnamon out of there so she can eat and drink. Otherwise, if she’s afraid to eat you will end up with a very sick little piggy. Just my opinion, but I’d rather be alone and safe in a smaller place than fearful and hungry in a larger place.

WICharlie

Post   » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:55 am


The bullying may stop if proper living space is provided. You should be weighing the little pig weekly (all of them really) to track their health. If the baby is losing weight, you might have to separate temporarily.

Just as a note, I do not recommend using chicken wire for a guinea pig cage. Pigs can get their claws caught in it when they put their feet up into the wire.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:23 pm


Big ditto on the recommendation NOT to use chicken wire! It rusts easily, is not strong and is pretty much not good for anything!

yourmajusty

Post   » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:34 am


Thanks for all the replies, I built my 3 three female piggies a new cage. Its made of chicken wire and plywood and about 16 square feet. I read about how chicken wire could be bad for the pigs but my males have had it for a year now and no issues but I will watch it closely. Cinnamon, my youngest pig now seems more outgoing and is eating plus drinking regularly! All my females are now popcorning and seem to be very happy with the change and so am I. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I have attached some pictures of their new cage below:

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Jan 26, 2019 1:20 pm


That chicken wire is so dangerous. Just because nobody has gotten hurt *yet,* doesn't mean it can't or won't happen. Feet and mouths can both get cut on it. Do check out www.guineapigcages.com for ideas on how to build safe, expandable cages using grids and coroplast.

yourmajusty

Post   » Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:37 pm


@sef1268:
I agree with what you said. The chicken wire is dangerous but its the only thing I had lying around, its not permanent by any means. I mainly made this cage to see if the larger cage set up would be helpful with my small guinea pig, Cinnamon, since she was not eating or drinking due to being bullied. Now that I see that a larger cage will work, I can move on to a more permanent and safe wall construction. Although I do like how visible the pigs are in their new home, I will have to change to the grids as suggested. I'll update this thread as soon as I have the grids in place. Thank you!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jan 26, 2019 9:03 pm


Because it is a relatively soft wire, they can chew through it, leaving sharp ends.

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