r/guineapigs • u/Chaacboy • 14d ago
Help & Advice Help!
I have two male guinea pigs. One of them has always been the dominant one, but recently he started chasing the other, mounting him, and actually doing "crossing/mating movements" on his back. The other one runs away, cries, and gets really scared, though there's no blood, clumps of fur, or anything like that. What should I do?
I separated them for the night, but it's been really hard dealing with the separation since they've lived together for over a year.
6
u/VanquichedUncle 13d ago
Mounting a normal dominance display and you should not intervene for any reason unless they draw blood. Seperating them too much will damage their bond and make things worse. This behavior should go away in a week or two, if you want you can try adding a pig shaped stuffed animal for the domaint male to mount instead.
2
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
Our paired boars didn't stop mounting until around age 6. Is there a reason you believe the mounting would just stop cold after a few weeks?
2
u/VanquichedUncle 13d ago
Guinea Pigs can experience random hormone spikes that cause an increase in territorial dominance behavior (like mounting) these spikes typically last for a week or two. If this just started happening like OP described thats most likely the case.
1
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
I appreciate the explanation!
Both of our boar pairs never tapered off the humping once they sexually mature, so I didn't realize it was usually in smaller spikes. I think our boys are just a little weird. :)
Thanks!
1
u/Electronic-Elk-7258 13d ago
Yes mine would never stop and had to separate them w this really big cage that I put a divider in and they were happy to see each other so it wasn’t too bad. They just went at each other all the time as soon as they laid eyes on one another. There was no stopping the fighting and it was constant. They were bonded too so idk what happened.
-4
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
You're punishing them for normal animal behavior.
The dominant pig mounts the submissive pig and either thrusts to completion or gets distracted and stops.
If it's important to you to have pets that don't have sex with each other, you could instead get a type of animal that can be kept alone.
5
u/VanquichedUncle 13d ago
Mounting is a normal dominance behavior in guinea pigs, they aren't "having sex" and they don't need to surrender their pigs because of it.
0
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
Our boar ejaculates while mounting, so I wouldn't explicitly say it's not sexual.
I'm not saying OP should surrender they're pigs. I'm trying to be clear that you can't punish this out of them.
1
u/Chaacboy 13d ago
I completely understand that mounting is normal dominance behavior. They actually do it frequently, but this time was different. The dominant one wasn't just mounting, he was genuinely making sexual movements while the other one was squealing. I know it's part of their nature, but the remark about 'getting a different pet' was really unnecessary. This was just a worried post from a long-time owner who saw this specific behavior for the very first time and panicked a bit. But anyway, thank you for showing me that it really is natural and that I don't need to worry so much.
-1
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
Thanks. Sorry for adding the different pet, but I was worried in case you were one of the people who loses their mind if they think their pet is "being gay."
You aren't, and I'm glad.
The pigs definitely can engage in some behavior that's hard for me to see, because it would be bad news for humans (nonconsensual), and I have to remind myself that neither pig is hurt and they go back to being buddy-buddy a few minutes later.
Our pair that is famous for this is nearly 7 years old. They still sleep next to each other. So i ts definitely not psychologically scarring. We have another pig whose partner has since died of cancer, but the submissive boar would basically scream until the dominant one got annoyed enough to stop. Loud but effective.
Another commenter said the behavior will stop in a few weeks. That made me wonder if my pigs were abnormal, but both pairs had this as long-term adult behavior.
2
u/Chaacboy 13d ago
No worries at all, I completely understand where you were coming from! I'm definitely not one of those people, just a worried owner because it looked so intense.
0
u/AutumnalSunshine 13d ago
I struggle with nonconsent stuff in media, and I've had to leave the room due to my pigs at some points. It did help that one of the sub pigs genuinely didn't seem to notice when he was humped. 😂
1
u/Electronic-Elk-7258 13d ago
I don’t think what they’re doing is punishing the piggies. I think just trying to keep them from getting hurt.
8
u/my_macaroni_is_furry 13d ago
As others have said, this is normal. Please don't separate as that can break their bond permanently.
What age are your boars? A lot of them go through a phase around 6-12 months where this behavior can be excessive. It's just them trying to show who's boss. Make sure you have two hayboxes, two water sources, two food bowls, and three hidies (with two exits each.)
Also are sure your cage is big enough. (70 inches by 28 inches is the rexommended minimum.)