Why Are My Guinea Pigs Fighting?

    You look down at the cage. One of your guinea pigs is chasing another! You hear loud squeals and vibrating noises. And, why is one of your guinea pigs moving his/her butt side-to-side? They're biting each other! This may seem alarming, but don't worry. There's always a solution! Read on for the answers to all your fighting guinea pig questions, and more.

Why do guinea pigs fight?

       Guinea pigs fight for many reasons, mostly being to establish dominance. When you first get your guinea pigs, yes, they will fight a bit to establish who is the leader and who is in charge. This type of fighting shouldn't be that intense. With this type of fighting, just wait it out. Do not separate your guinea pigs. 

    Guinea pigs might also fight if one guinea pig doesn't like something another piggie has said or done. This type of fighting is normally very calm and normally happens verbally. Don't worry about this type of fighting, either. It should pass in a few minutes. 

    

What do those sounds mean?

    Some common sounds you will hear when guinea pigs fight are rumble-strutting, complaining, and purring. 

    Rumble-strutting is when a guinea pig makes a sort of vibrating noise, combined with your guinea pig moving his/her butt side to side and walking slowly. This can mean two things. 1, Your guinea pig is very happy, and 2, Your guinea pig wants to start a fight. In this case, it means your guinea pig wants to start a fight.

    Complaining is when a guinea pig squeals. Sometimes it becomes very loud. It means your guinea pig is annoyed by someone, or something. This sound commonly happens during fights. It sounds like your guinea pig is crying in pain. But don't worry, unless there's biting, you shouldn't worry. But go check on your guinea pigs. 

    Purring is when your guinea pig vibrates. It can either mean your guinea pig is happy, or your guinea pig is mad. Normally, guinea pigs rarely purr when happy. So it most likely means your guinea pig is mad. 

What should I do if my guinea pigs are fighting?

    First, you need to know the difference between severe fighting, and not-so-severe fighting.

    Not-so-severe fighting is when a guinea pig is chasing another, or when one guinea pig pushes another out of a hut (a daily thing here! Trixie always pushes Pebbles out of her hut). There is no biting, or just a little nipping. Sometimes a guinea pig might pee on another or kick another. Usually lasts for 5 minutes-about a day or so. You shouldn't worry about this kind of fighting. Do not separate your guinea pigs. This could make it worse. Just ignore it, but check on your guinea pigs from time-to-time. 

    Severe fighting is when there are a lot of the guinea pig noises listed above. This can include a lot of biting, and possibly even blood. Sometimes a guinea pig will also pee on another or kick another. This can last from 12 hours-more than 3 days. You might have to separate your guinea pigs for a little time. Too long can cause a lot of stress. You can also soothe your guinea pig, by taking it out for a few minutes and gently petting it. 

    If you have any other questions, please say so in the comments. I will be happy to answer them! 

    I hope you enjoyed this post and that it was helpful to you! Please come back for more posts! Bye!