Bonded Guinea Pigs Fighting- Need Help

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xkatxrinax

xkatxrinax

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Hi everyone,

So my three guinea pigs have been living together happily for over a year now, I have a neutered boar and two sows and they're all siblings. Yesterday the boar started chasing and trying to hump one of the sows, clover, he hasn't done this in a while but it's just normal so I left them to it for a few hours of chasing then they got settled. The odd thing was then the other sow, Violet, started freaking out and attacking clover and my boar after a while, she's teeth chattering a lot and chasing them and nipping them and it's very unusual for them to behave like this. What should I do? I'm worried with the way she's lunging at her sister she's going to hurt her. Should I leave them to settle whatever is wrong or separate them? This has been going on for a few hours.
 
xkatxrinax said:
Hi everyone,

So my three guinea pigs have been living together happily for over a year now, I have a neutered boar and two sows and they're all siblings. Yesterday the boar started chasing and trying to hump one of the sows, clover, he hasn't done this in a while but it's just normal so I left them to it for a few hours of chasing then they got settled. The odd thing was then the other sow, Violet, started freaking out and attacking clover and my boar after a while, she's teeth chattering a lot and chasing them and nipping them and it's very unusual for them to behave like this. What should I do? I'm worried with the way she's lunging at her sister she's going to hurt her. Should I leave them to settle whatever is wrong or separate them? This has been going on for a few hours.
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I would try a short overnight separation and then introduce again on neutral ground; if necessary after a buddy bath to remove all the big pheromones and hormonal pee sprays from their coat so they have less of a chance to get riled up again.
If the agression continues, you might want to have Violet checked for hormonal issues (usually caused by small growing ovarian cysts). A strong season with lots of pheromones, either it is their own or from another sow can bring it to the fore. Hormonal problems are not uncommon in middle aged and old sows.
 
So I had separated Violet for the night before I posted because it started badly in the evening and I was too worried to sleep so I separated her, then I put her back in the morning and they continued fighting but around afternoon they started calming down a bit. Now they go from sitting together as usual to violet chattering and being grumpy all day on and off happy and fighting. So i'm just keeping an eye on them but they're definitely not happy like they used to be I can tell Clover is constantly tense.

I got a bigger cage for them just over a week ago and it was exactly a week that they'd been in it that they started fighting, could the new cage be the culprit? also I noticed a bald patch on clover and scratching so I mite treated them all just in case although it could be from the fighting could mites make them cross? I hope they go back to their happy selves in the next few days.
 
xkatxrinax said:
So I had separated Violet for the night before I posted because it started badly in the evening and I was too worried to sleep so I separated her, then I put her back in the morning and they continued fighting but around afternoon they started calming down a bit. Now they go from sitting together as usual to violet chattering and being grumpy all day on and off happy and fighting. So i'm just keeping an eye on them but they're definitely not happy like they used to be I can tell Clover is constantly tense.

I got a bigger cage for them just over a week ago and it was exactly a week that they'd been in it that they started fighting, could the new cage be the culprit? also I noticed a bald patch on clover and scratching so I mite treated them all just in case although it could be from the fighting could mites make them cross? I hope they go back to their happy selves in the next few days.
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Keep an eye on them in case the change of home and/or mites have upset them. it can happen. Hopefully they'll settle back down together.
 
So I've had to separate clover from the other two, violet gave her a bite that made her bleed and she was very shook up. They were leaving her out as well she was just sad in the corner. Violet and my boar dandelion seem much happier without her. Should this separation be permanent or do you think there's any hope of them getting along ? I'm feeling maybe it's best to get clover a new friend even though it's not what I want :/ Thank you for your help!
 
It's strange how these things work out - sometimes trios rub along just fine and other times it makes for a complete imbalance. It seems to be that you have a clash of characters within your group and I think the best option for all involved would be to get Clover a new friend. If Violet and Dandelion seem calmer without her, it doesn't mean that she was the antagonist, but perhaps the other two felt that she was getting in the way and was a threat to their relationship. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly sometimes. However, don't blame yourself for it - these things can happen at any time. Temperamental little furries!

How big was the bigger cage, just out of interest?
 
It's a 14 square foot double story indoor hutch, I made sure it was plenty of space for 3 guinea pigs by the rspca standards, they also get floor time :) Now i'm not sure what to do in terms of where to get clover new friend and how to make sure they'll get along and I don't think I can fit or afford another big hutch for them :/ really wish they hadn't started fighting!
 
Whereabouts are you located?

Personally, I've never had a two storey cage for piggies. 14 square feet sounds roomy, but the hole for the ramp and the bottom of the ramp takes away some of the dimensions, unless you've allowed for that in the measurements. How big are each of the storeys on their own?

Questions, questions...!
 
I'm located in Ireland i'm afraid and it's really not great here for guinea pig rescues etc, especially the area I live in. I got my piggies from a woman who was moving away for a year and was going to leave them here outside all winter with someone checking on them every 4 days... I was like noooo i'll take them! they were only 4 months old at the time and my boar was on his own so I had him neutered to live with his sisters i'm quite shocked they started fighting after such a long time, they're 2 now. The top story has a part to close off the ramps so with that closed they're both 7 square feet, with it open I guess the top story would be a square foot smaller.
 
At the risk of getting shot down here, if there are no rescues near to you, I would be inclined to get Clover a new friend however you can. Rescuing is ideal, but you should not be put off using other channels. It is far easier to bond a pair of pigs than it is with a trio and it sounds as though Clover is not the dominant pig, so any pairing should potentially work with her. Hope you can get sorted soon - do keep us posted!

I was thinking that maybe you could use a storey of your existing cage for each pair of piggies, but it wouldn't be quite big enough. A 120cm single storey cage would be the minimum you should be looking for. I know it's a nightmare when space is of a premium!
 
xkatxrinax said:
So I've had to separate clover from the other two, violet gave her a bite that made her bleed and she was very shook up. They were leaving her out as well she was just sad in the corner. Violet and my boar dandelion seem much happier without her. Should this separation be permanent or do you think there's any hope of them getting along ? I'm feeling maybe it's best to get clover a new friend even though it's not what I want :/ Thank you for your help!
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If there has been a full-on bite, then it is very unlikely that guinea pigs will go back. The fact that the other piggies have noticeably perked up with Clover gone mean that their relationship has been dysfunctionaly.
It happens much more rarely with sows, but it does happen. I just had to split up a group of mine. Any meeting since has ended up with instant heavy teeth chattering, so it is not worth pursuing a reconciliation. :(

It would be better to find Clover a new submissive friend of her own choice. As you haven't got a rescue handy (Northern Ireland is unfortunately a desert when it comes to rescues), you might want to consider a baby that cannot challenge Clover's dominance and if necessary can simply go with Violet and Dandelion if things fail and Clover turns out to be best as a live-alongside customer. But it would be great if you considered finding Clover her own new friend once she has settled down from the bust-up.
 
I'll try the local rescue first but they seem to just do cats and dogs but you never know! if not i'll look into other means. Sadly my cage is 10cm off the minimum per story :/ Also I hate minimums I always want the best for my pets but I really don't know what to do here! Maybe for now i'll split the cage in two and save for another one but it might have to go in the spare room and I don't want lonely piggies either :/ my chinchillas are in my spare room but they love the peace, guinea pigs seem to prefer being in my living room. The problem with it not being very guinea pig orientated here ( a lot of people have them but are sadly left outside ignored in the cold 90% of the time) I couldn't even re-home, even though i'd hate for it to come to that.

I've heard them faintly teeth chattering to each other even though they're now on separate stories and can't see each other so I don't think a reconciliation is possible. I'm pretty sure clover will get on with another guinea pig, she gets on well with my boar too, it's just him and violet are that bit closer. She's a very sweet funny pig, she's much more affectionate than the other two and she's also very small.
 
xkatxrinax said:
I'll try the local rescue first but they seem to just do cats and dogs but you never know! if not i'll look into other means. Sadly my cage is 10cm off the minimum per story :/ Also I hate minimums I always want the best for my pets but I really don't know what to do here! Maybe for now i'll split the cage in two and save for another one but it might have to go in the spare room and I don't want lonely piggies either :/ my chinchillas are in my spare room but they love the peace, guinea pigs seem to prefer being in my living room. The problem with it not being very guinea pig orientated here ( a lot of people have them but are sadly left outside ignored in the cold 90% of the time) I couldn't even re-home, even though i'd hate for it to come to that.

I've heard them faintly teeth chattering to each other even though they're now on separate stories and can't see each other so I don't think a reconciliation is possible. I'm pretty sure clover will get on with another guinea pig, she gets on well with my boar too, it's just him and violet are that bit closer. She's a very sweet funny pig, she's much more affectionate than the other two and she's also very small.
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Best of luck!
 
Oh quick question! How long should I leave it until I get a new piggy for clover?
 
Yep she's still loving her hay and some food, she's more of a hay eater and she's been gobbling down her veggies, I'll get her one as soon as I can find a suitable one :)
 
So the rescue has no guinea pigs at all and the local petshop has two, one male and one female around 8 weeks old... but housed together at the moment... what are the chances of the female being pregnant? :/
 
xkatxrinax said:
So the rescue has no guinea pigs at all and the local petshop has two, one male and one female around 8 weeks old... but housed together at the moment... what are the chances of the female being pregnant? :/
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Highly likely unfortunately .... :no: :hb:
 
Why are they put together :hb: ...people are so stupid! Now I have the dilemma of if she is pregnant where is she going to go and who will look after her in this country! I think I may take a risk and get her anyways :/ I feel at this rate i'm going to have a house full of them!
 
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