Adopted boys not getting on

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2PigsAndMe

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Hi everyone. I rehomed 2 boys, aged 1 and 2 years. They had been living together indoors. A third boy was being kept separate as he was being bullied.

I've got them in a bugger cage than they came with. C&C 2 x 6, In an L shape. There are 2 hay trays/2 bowls/2 water bottles etc.

There is a lot of teeth chattering, chasing eack other and generally not looking very content. They are both eating and drinking, and have been sharing hay from a shared hay box.

I haven't had guniea pigs before, and am not sure how much of this is normal behaviour and whether they will settle. They have been in the new cage for a week.

They will come up to me, and take food from my hand. And are pleased to see me when I bring them food. I'm just not sure if they are unhappy together.

Any advice welcome!
 
Welcome to the forum

Every time their environment is changed, in this case their new cage, they go into a period of restablishing their hierarchy and relationship. This takes two weeks. It is normal during that time for you to see an increase in dominance - mild chattering and chasing are mild dominance and, if it doesn’t escalate, isn’t cause for concern.

If you see an escalation in behaviour to loud chattering, hair raised on end etc, then be aware it may turn into a fight if one of them doesn’t back down.
A fight is, sadly, immediately bond breaking and means they wound need to be permanently separated. With any luck it won’t come to that though.

The guides below explain more about normal boar behaviour and dominance

Wiebke

Thread 'Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment'

- What can trigger a new hierarchy sort-out?
- What can I do to mitigate the impact?

With an average life span of only around 3 years and a hostile environment, wild guinea pig social life is much more fluid and eventful, whether that is losses, births, regular leadership changes, new boars being accepted or changes to the territory due to climate extremes, infectious illnesses, predation and the waxing and waning of group fortunes and the amount of territory they can claim around their denning areas.


What can trigger...
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boureki

Thread 'Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs'

1 List of dominance behaviours in ascending order of aggression
2 What may cause this type of behaviour in boars?
3 When do you see these behaviours in sows?
4 What can trigger fall-outs?
5 Further helpful guide links


I thought it may be handy to have a sticky on typical dominance behaviours for a reference - hopefully it may help humans understand guinea pigs and their behaviour a bit more and hopefully prevent some avoidable problems!


1 List of dominance behaviours...
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Wiebke

Thread 'A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars'

1 Common myths and misconceptions
2 The different ages (including teenage)
- Important biological facts
- The formative 'School Weeks' (3 weeks - ca. 4 months)
- The Teenage Months (ca. 4-14 months)
- The Adult Years (ca. 15 months - ca. 4-5 years)
- The Golden Age (ca. 4-5 years until end of life)
3 What do boars need? (List of boar dos and don'ts)
- Space, space and more space!
- Respecting the hierarchy
- The 'one for each...
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Thanks for the response. I've just read through the dominance behaviours. It's definitely worse than the mild behaviours. There's been an escalation this evening- I cleaned the cage this morning.

There's been some very loud clacks, which are different to the teeth chattering. And some snorting, along with the mild dominance.

I checked with the previous owner, and she said that they usually get along well. I've put a grid in between them for now, as I don't want it to escalate to a full on fight.

Initially one was backing down, but he seems to be getting fed up now, and chasing back. This morning he did a lunge but not a bite at the other one.

I feel upset that they have fallen out now they are here. If I have to separate them, they will be lonely.
 
If a bond falls apart when they go to a new home, then it is because the cracks were already there - there was already a tension between them and bringing them to a new space simply brought it back to the fore.
If it was a private rehoming then you do need to take ‘they’re usually ok’ with a pinch of salt. Sadly disingenuous owners of failing bonds will sometimes say all is well when actually the signs may have been there before.

If you are sure that it had gone beyond normal and mild dominance then separating is the right thing. Allow them a few days apart to calm down. You can then attempt a neutral territory reintroduction in a few days. That will allow them to tell you whether they want to be together - they will either reunite with normal dominance and be happy to be back together meaning they can; after a few hours, go back to the cage together; or it will result in an increase in tension meaning their separation does need to be permanently . It must be done on neutral territory though, don’t just remove the divider and allow them to wander together as that will be seen as a territory invasion and will cause a fight.

Lunging is defensive - stay out of my way - rather than aggression

If you have to separate them permanently, please don’t worry - they won’t be lonely. They need to stay living side by side as that allows companionship and interaction between the bars but without having to share territory - it will actually make a failed bond happier.
I have had a failed bond in one of my boar pairs myself (and you will find others of us on here also). My failed pair lived side by side with each other and also lived side by side with my successful pair. They were all very happy to have side by side interaction but the two who didn’t get on had their own space.

It’s very important with boars, particularly ones in a re establishing phase that you never clean the whole cage in one go - only ever do half at a time. A full cage clean wipes the whole space of scent and can set some pairs off, particularly is there is an underlying tension. Only cleaning half the cage means some scent remains and they still recognise it as their space thereby minimising the need to get territorial.

Wiebke

Thread 'Bonds In Trouble'

1 Causes for bonds to fall apart
2 Bonds in Crisis
- What are the signs of a dysfunctional bond?
- Bullying
- How can I test whether a bond is no longer working?
3 Failed bonds and what next?
- What to do if my piggies have had a major fight?
- When rebonding doesn't work out


1 Causes for bonds to fall apart

Every fall-out has of course its own...
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Thanks so much for taking the time to answer, I feel much better. They have calmed down with the dmgrif in place, and have been to the grids to see each other.

I will give them a few days and then try on neutral ground. I've got more grids so can make them a pen with no scent on.

I will read up on how to do it properly, to gohe them the best chance. I've got a few days off, so can keep a close eye on things.

I can also add some space to their cages, if they need to stay separate. I'm hoping it won't come to that though.
 
Hello & welcome to the forum. You’ve had great advice above & The guides linked are really helpful.
Even a properly bonded pair will go through around 2 weeks of dominance once there’s a change of environment. And if these have not come from an experienced rescue there’s every chance that they aren’t well bonded in the first place. Please do give them a chance in a couple of days in a totally neutral bonding pen with no distractions and nowhere that anyone can get trapped. Boar bonding is a one off event. You need to see the re-introduction through to the end in one session, whether it’s success or failure. I’m pleased that you can extend the set up to accommodate side by side living if they can’t get along. It’s always good to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
 
Hello and welcome to forum. I have separated "neighboars". At first I was gutted about separating them but seeing how happy Dignified Sir George (the dominant) is without being repeatedly challenged makes it ok, Mischievous Master Boris just gets on with life.....
 
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