Guinea pigs are very social pet animals, and in the wild, they travel in herds, but sometimes these tiny creatures start fighting with each other. Why guinea pigs fight with each other if they are social pet animals?
There are numerous reasons that why guinea pigs fight. Sometimes guinea pigs consider each other enemies and start fighting. However, sometimes issues are accessible, that you can solve them quickly. For instance, the guinea pig’s cage is too small not to live together, mating or boredom issues, and sometimes dominant behaviour that they show.
This article will help you in knowing the actual reasons behind the fight against guinea pigs.
Why Are My Guinea Pigs Fighting?
There could be several reasons behind the fighting of guinea pigs. It could be illness or injury, pairing improperly, a small cage, or insufficient toys to combat boredom.
Guinea pigs are loveable animals, but sometimes they don’t seem loveable, and they start fighting. Sometimes, you can solve the issue quickly by making minor changes, but occasionally complete separation is necessary.
If your guinea pigs are fighting with each other, the following could be reasons behind their aggressive behavior:
- Guinea pigs are easygoing, and when they don’t get enough stimulation, they become bored, restless, and irritable. Their boredom can be a reason for fighting.
- Another reason behind the fight of guinea pigs is not enough toys to play with to combat boredom.
- When guinea pig’s Cage is too small or cramped for them, then they usually fight. Because in the wild, guinea pigs have enough space to roam around, but in a small cage they got irritated. The minimum size of the Cage should be 7.5 square feet. And to give more space to your guinea pigs, a vertical structure is a great idea.
- Your guinea pigs can be aggressive due to some injury or illness. A guinea pig not feeling well can be cranky and fight with its fellows.
- They can fight over a female guinea pig or due to boredom or to mark their territories.
How often do Guinea Pigs Fight?
Guinea pigs are loveable pets, and they do not fight without any reason. They only fight when they face any of the above-discussed issues.
How to Stop Guinea Pigs from fighting? 3 Easy Ways to Stop Them
Now we know that guinea pigs fight and the reasons behind it. But how to stop guinea pigs from fighting? What can you do to avoid guinea pigs from fighting?
I will explain all the remedies here that you can use to stop your guinea pigs from fighting. When you see all the signs among your guinea pigs, it’s high time to take action.
Provide Enough Food to Your Guinea pigs
Make sure that your pet guinea pigs have enough food at different feeding points. In this way, there are fewer chances of their fight, and you can avoid them from fighting.
Provide enough water, hay, Vitamin C, and other nutrients to keep your guinea pigs healthy.
Build Distractions in the Cage
Build some distractions in the Cage to keep your guinea pigs away from the fighting. Have tunnels, chew toys, like wood, balls, and hay under which guinea pigs can hide and have fun. In this way, you can distract your guinea pigs from fighting.
You can build several distractions but make sure that they don’t hurt your little guinea pigs.
Clean the Cage often
Cleaning the Cage often can help guinea pigs to stay away from getting ill. We know that guinea pigs fight due to some illness and disease, so when their Cage is clean, there will be fewer chances for them to get ill.
Use a disinfectant spray to clean your guinea’s Cage. After cleaning, make sure you put new hay and newspaper in the Cage.
How to Know my Guinea Pigs are Fighting or Playing?
Guinea pigs interact with each other, and occasionally their playing seems that they are fighting. For this reason, it is hard at times to identify that whether your guinea pigs are playing or fighting.
Actions like humping, light chasing, and sniffing each other are considered playing. However, biting, lunging with aggressive intent, or any activity that causes bloodshed is considered fighting. If you see all these moves, then you can say that your guinea pigs are fighting. And it is the point where you should take action.
How Do Guinea Pigs Play With Each Other?
Happy guinea pigs are easy to notice, and you can quickly identify them. As they are social animals, always remember their social game can be taken into account as playing and dating.
You can notice that your guinea pigs whistle, purr with other body language demonstrations. By viewing this, you can say that your guinea.
Female and Male Guinea Pigs fight: Which One is Most Dangerous?
Male guinea pigs are more aggressive than females. They can fight over a female guinea pig or due to boredom or to mark their territories.
However, on the other hand, female guinea pigs fight is very rare. This only happens to ascertain dominance. But once the hierarchy is created, they stop fighting. So, we can say that only fighting male guinea pigs is dangerous.
Do Guinea Pigs Bite Each other during fight?
Yes, guinea pigs bite each other during fight when they feel insecure. And this is completely fine for guinea pigs to do so.
Guinea pigs attack and bite their enemies during a fight. But what about their consequence?
Are guinea pig’s bites dangerous? Well, bites of animals like hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs are less intense than other animals like cats and dogs. But if your guinea pigs are fighting with each other, you need to stop them from avoiding any injury.
Do Guinea Pigs Fight for Dominance?
Yes, guinea pigs fight for dominance. Dominance is the typical feature among animals, and guinea pigs are one of them.
If there is a single female guinea pig and two male guinea pigs in the Cage, then the male guinea pigs will fight each other to have dominance and to attract the female one for mating.
How Long Does Guinea Pig Dominance Last?
Guinea pig’s dominance lasts around two to three days. After this, their behavior is again back to normal. When the type of fight is typical, then the supremacy only lasts for two to three days, but if it lasts longer than 20 days, it can be a particular personality problem among the guinea pig.
How Often Do Guinea Pigs mate?
Guinea pig’s heat cycle lasts from 15 to 16 days, and during this period, female guinea pigs are receptive to the male guinea pig and allow breeding for about 8 hours.
Do Guinea Pigs Fight Over Food?
Yes, guinea pigs do fight over food. When they don’t find enough food in their Cage then they start fighting with each other. You can see here in this video that how guinea pigs are fighting with each other over food.
Can Two Guinea Pigs Live In One Cage?
Yes, two guinea pigs can live in one Cage only if a cage is big enough for them. Most of the time, guinea pig owners face difficulties in having two guineas in one Cage because of the small space. But if the area is enough, then two guinea pigs can easily live in one Cage.
It would help if you were extra cautious that they don’t fight each other and don’t hurt one another.
Can Male Guinea Pigs Live Together?
Yes, male guinea pigs can live together as long as the Cage is big enough for the guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are social animals, and housing them together can prevent loneliness. However, when two male guinea pigs move in the same Cage, they can assert inevitable dominance.
How to Introduce Two Guinea Pigs?
Introducing two guinea pigs can be a difficult task if you don’t know the proper technique. If you have a male guinea pig, then you will need another male guinea pig. If you have a female guinea pig, then you need a female guinea pig.
But how to introduce both of them?
This could be a challenging thing!
Yes, guinea pigs are social, but sometimes, they can be annoyed due to their aggressive behavior.
- The first thing here to analyze is to determine the gender. Gender makes a big deal when it comes to guinea pig’s introduction with one another.
- Always have a piece of information on what gender combination works best for your guinea pig.
- After knowing about the genders, make proper spacing for their accommodation.
- Introduce your guinea pigs on neutral ground. And if all goes well, then it’s all set for them to have a great partner.
Do Male Guinea Pigs Get Along?
Guinea pigs are primarily kept in single-sex groups like a pair of male and female guinea pigs. However, pairings of male and female guinea pigs can also work well if they are natured to prevent unwanted litters.
How to Introduce Female Guinea Pigs?
Guinea pigs are social animals, but sometimes, because of some behavioral changes, they become aggressive.
Now you will ask that how to introduce female guinea pigs? Well, female guinea pigs are less aggressive than their male counterparts. So you can quickly introduce them to each other.
Can You Put a Male and Female Guinea Pig Together?
Yes, you can put a male and female guinea pig together. Just introduce each other within neutral territory.
To keep a male and female guinea pig together, you need to choose a quiet, enclosed, and enlarged space where both can live easily.
How to Bond Guinea Pigs?
Guinea pigs are adorable pets, but sometimes it can be explained above reasons, they can be disturbed. Their behavior could be change than usual. So what to do when you put two guinea pigs in a cage and then want to bond them?
Here is a quick tip where that will help you out in bonding your guinea pig:
How to Discipline Guinea Pigs?
Do you want to discipline your guinea pigs just like cats and dogs? Well, you can’t do that! Guinea pigs are not to be punished. This is not in their genes. However, if you try to do so, then your guinea pig can be sick or hurt.
Do Guinea Pigs Get Along with Dogs?
Yes, guinea pigs can get along with dogs, but you need to train your dog in this case. Training your pet dog is essential so that the dog doesn’t chase or bite your little guinea pig.
3 things guinea pigs hate a lot
Here are some things that guinea pigs hate a lot;not limited:
- Loud Noises
Guinea pigs hate loud noises and when they hear any they scared of.
- Temperature Changes
Little guinea pigs hate temperature changes.
- To be Held for a Long Time
Guinea pigs hate to be held for a long time. So, if you don’t want your guinea pig to be scared then don’t hold them all the time.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about guinea pigs fighting:
Can Guinea Pigs Kill Each Other?
Yes, guinea pigs can kill each other. When the fight broke between two guinea pigs then they attack might one another.
Guinea pigs are friendly animals but if they find anything irrelevant or annoying then they fight. And when the owner or someone is not around to separate them then they can kill each other.
Do Guinea Pigs Eat Each Other During Fight?
We have discussed that guinea pigs can kill each other when fighting but what about eating? Do guinea pigs eat each other during fight?
Well, no! guinea pigs are herbivores and they can’t eat others during the fight.
Do Guinea Pigs Fight In New Cage?
Guinea pigs fight for the territory if they don’t find enough space to roam around then they will definitely fight.
But, if the new cage is spacious enough then they will not fight.
What to Do When Guinea Pig’s Lip Is Bleeding?
When guinea pigs fight each other then they could hurt themselves badly. In this situation, you need to take them to vet as soon as possible.
If your guinea pig’s lip is bleeding then take it to a vet. Don’t apply anything to it by yourself.
When to Separate Guinea Pigs?
When you see that your guinea pigs are way too aggressive, it is the right time to separate them. These behaviors are also mentioned in the above headings.
Conclusion
In this article, I have explained everything related to the guinea pig’s fight. As discussed, there are several reasons behind the fights of guinea pigs like guinea pig’s Cage is too small for them that they could not live together and start fighting or have some mating issues.
There are several signs by which you could indicate that whether your little pet is fighting or playing.
SmallPetsX.Com does not provide veterinary advice. Our aim to help small pet owners understand their pets a little better so that they can provide their pets with the life they deserve. All content is therefore for informational purposes only. If you're concerned about the health of your pet you should seek medical advice from a vet.
