“Bonded” Guinea pigs fighting

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megangorman123

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Hello!

I was wondering if anyone can help?
I am a New Guinea pig owner and got our two boys (Harry & Ron) who are roughly 8 months old from the pet shop in November, they had been brought over from another pet shop and had always been together. However my friend had them first for a couple of weeks and took these videos of them fighting as she felt they had to be separated. Since having them on the 24th of December they have stayed in a 2 by 4 two tier kavee cage as I’m scared they hurt eachother. I have tried swapping their hideys around to get used to each others smell, I’ve tried them on the floor but they were fighting again. I’ve also tried bathing them both and putting in to neutral territory but they began teeth chattering again as soon as they could sense the other was there 😢 the reason I got two was so they weren’t lonely but now it seems pointless as they are both in different cages. I wouldn’t want to give any of them away. I’ve contacted the pet shop and they said there was nothing they can do and said they got on fine when they had them. I’ve also tried two c&c cages next to eachother but they were chewing the bars, not sure if that’s because they wanted to fight or if it’s cause they miss each other. Sometimes they make chirping noises to eachother from a distance so not sure if they will still be happy separated but knowing there is another guinea pig in the room. Hope someone can help with any suggestions. I don’t know if this is just normal dominance behaviour or if I’m doing the right thing keeping them apart?

Thank you
Megan
 
I'm sorry to hear this.

You did absolutely the right thing in getting two piggies but their fights show they are not compatible. This means you have done right in separating them. Buddy bathing (which isnt recommended), swapping scents and trying to rebond them will not work as nothing will make them change their minds about each other. Swapping scents can actually make things worse - if they smell the other pig in their territory it can cause more issues than it solves.

The reason the pet shop didn't have issues is that they were still young. Once they hit 4-6 months of age hormones start to rise and sadly that is when incompatibilities come to light and bonds can sadly break down. It is a risk of getting young pet shop piggies unfortunately - they are generally just put together for sale with little regard of their mutual liking and characters and sadly issues can come out down the line when hormones hit.

They do need to be side by side and it is a perfectly acceptable way for separated piggies to live for their whole lives - it enables them to have the through the bar communication and interaction to prevent loneliness but not have to share a territory.
Single piggies cannot live in two tier cages as they lose their ability to fully interact between the bars and will become lonely.
They may initially be irritated by being side by side and you will see laying against the bars, rumbling and chattering through the bars. It is a territorial response (not a sign they miss each other) but I assure you they will calm down in time. Please do put their cages back side by side. You can often cover the bars with cardboard or something to prevent them from seeing each other for a few days while they get used to a new cage etc but still be able to smell each other. You can then slowly remove the cardboard/cover so they can see each other through the bars and begin their new lives living as neighbours.

I have four boys - a bonded pair of 6 year olds and two separated 17 month old boars. The two youngest were a pair but had a huge fight at 18 weeks old. They have now lived separately for just over a year. Initially they patrolled the divider and rumbled at each other but they now live side by side harmoniously. Chatting with each other like nothing ever happened.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Thank you for your reply!
Sorry I tried to attach a video to this to show them fighting but it didn’t work. That does make sense as when I did swap their stuff they would teeth chatter again 😢
Aw thats a shame I was hoping they could eventually be bonded! Do you think I could still keep trying with floor time? Unfortunately I tried to make an L shape with the new cage and it doesn’t fit in the space so had to do two tier 🙈 I’d borrowed the cages off a friend when they were side by side, I will try and rearrange the room they are in to sort it so they can see each other again. Thanks for all your advice, lots to learn about their behaviours I’ve never had guinea pigs before 😆
 
We can't host video directly on the forum. You will need to upload it to YouTube first and then post a link to it here.

Sadly, once they have had full on fights (not just dominance squabbles), then they can never be together - consequently you should not give them floor time together. Piggies who cannot live in the same cage, cannot be in the same space for floor time. To them doing that will be seen as a full bonding session each and every time with no possibility of it ever ending well. It will cause stress and potential for more fights. Always keep their floor time separate.
 
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