Bonding with male Guinea pig

[emiruth0303]

Hey, I just wanted to come on for some advice on bonding with my Guinea pig. I’ve had 2 Guinea pigs for about 3 months now, both male and around 2 months ago I tried picking up one of my boys, Linus and he freaked out. My other pig tried to get involved and it resulted in a massive fight starting between them. The fight thankfully ended before anyone was hurt and there were no wounds so I chose not to separate them. Since then, they are very aggressive towards each other but don’t really fight, just rumble and chatter teeth and are very territorial, since there’s been no actual fighting, again I’ve chosen not to separate but I can’t help but wonder if this is what is making Linus seem nervous and hide a lot. Every time I try to pick Linus up since then, he starts a fight with my other pig, often he chatters his teeth at me if I even just go near him. I’ve tried just leaving him alone but I want to bond with him, especially if there’s a chance for him to forgive me since I’ve only had him a few months. My other pig seems to have forgotten all about it, and even though he doesn’t like being touched, isn’t hostile towards me and will interact just fine. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on what I can do? I’ve seen a lot of people saying to hand feed which I am trying, but even just some reassurance on whether or not things will improve would be VASTLY appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

How old are they?
What are the measurements of their cage?
Do you have multiple hides and do all hides have two exits?
Are they gaining weight well at each weekly weight check?
Do you have multiple hay areas around the cage?

You say Linus hides a lot. Does he come out at all to eat, does he have free movement range the date or does your other piggy chase him off from hides and hay?

Rumbling and chattering are very normal dominance behaviours for what are presumably teenage boars, but if Linus is subdued, hides a lot etc then he may be being bullied. A bullied piggy will often lose weight and just not want to come out due to the backlash they face from their cage mate. Should that be the case then the bond will never work and they do need to be separated.
Equally if there is a full fight, then that is also bond breaking requiring separation.

It’s important to note that it can be helpful to handle the dominant piggy first. It’s about respecting their hierarchy. If you try to handle the submissive piggy first then it can cause the dominant to feel the need to assert their authority over the other piggy which can lead to issues particularly if a leader is insecure themselves.

If they are just being normal teenage boars and a bit grumpy and dominant with each other then you just leave them to get on with it.

It is vital they have a huge amount of space though. Boars really do require a large cage and lack is space or resources can lead to tension which can harm a bond.

Hand feeding is a great way to try to bind with them but it isn’t always easy to even get that far. One of my boys took a year and a half before he took food from me for the first time.
You may also need to accept that Linus may never want you to touch him. It’s quite normal for some piggies to be like that.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

 

[emiruth0303]

Welcome to the forum

How old are they?
What are the measurements of their cage?
Do you have multiple hides and do all hides have two exits?
Are they gaining weight well at each weekly weight check?
Do you have multiple hay areas around the cage?

You say Linus hides a lot. Does he come out at all to eat, does he have free movement range the date or does your other piggy chase him off from hides and hay?

Rumbling and chattering are very normal dominance behaviours for what are presumably teenage boars, but if Linus is subdued, hides a lot etc then he may be being bullied. A bullied piggy will often lose weight and just not want to come out due to the backlash they face from their cage mate. Should that be the case then the bond will never work and they do need to be separated.
Equally if there is a full fight, then that is also bond breaking requiring separation.

It’s important to note that it can be helpful to handle the dominant piggy first. It’s about respecting their hierarchy. If you try to handle the submissive piggy first then it can cause the dominant to feel the need to assert their authority over the other piggy which can lead to issues particularly if a leader is insecure themselves.

If they are just being normal teenage boars and a bit grumpy and dominant with each other then you just leave them to get on with it.

It is vital they have a huge amount of space though. Boars really do require a large cage and lack is space or resources can lead to tension which can harm a bond.

Hand feeding is a great way to try to bind with them but it isn’t always easy to even get that far. One of my boys took a year and a half before he took food from me for the first time.
You may also need to accept that Linus may never want you to touch him. It’s quite normal for some piggies to be like that.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

Thank you so much for responding!

I’d guess they’re around 5/6 months old at this point and they have a 2x5 c&c cage. They have 3 hides, one of which is a tunnel, 2 bowls and water bottles, 2 places for hay.

Linus does come out to eat and he will actually take food from my hands most of the time, unless he can sense I’m trying to pick him up, which is when he’s more aggressive. Unless I have food he hides in his house, which he is very territorial over. My other pig, Hershel often tries to go in and that’s when the rumbling and chattering starts.

You mentioned being bullied, in the beginning I would have said Hershel was bullying Linus as he often chased him out of hides and away from food and Linus was quite submissive. He still does this, but now Linus seems to fight back a bit more, which is possibly what’s causing the tension.

Do teen boars tend to settle once they’re out of adolescence? I’m hoping that it’s just a phase they’re going through and will eventually sort things out.

I obviously still have to pick him up to be weighed and have nails trimmed etc, but it clearly stresses him a lot and I feel terrible when he tries to fight Hershel due to this, is it just something I’m going to have to deal with?

Thanks again!

 

[Piggies&buns]

So, cage size is good.

The fact you say only one of the hides is a tunnel - I take that to mean the others only have one exit. That is a problem. All hides need to have two exits for teen boars. Hides with only one door will be highly likely to cause problems.

The fact he is ‘aggressive’ when you try to pick him up. That to me sounds like he is defending himself because he doesn’t want to be picked up.

What has me concerned is that you say Hershel may have been bullying initially, Linus was submissive but is now fighting back. Sadly that can be a sign of bullying. If a submissive piggy decides they have had enough of being bullied it goes one of two ways: either they become withdrawn, depressed and subdued; or they fight back. Unfortunately either way is usually a failed bond and grounds for separation.

The fact he takes it out on Hershel after you try to handle him is concerning.

I may suggest here that you do indeed carry out a temporary separation for a few days and see how both pigs react. If both are happy to be apart and perk up when in separate territories, that is a sign their bond isn’t a happy one.

This guide may help with further information

Bonds In Trouble

 

[emiruth0303]

So, cage size is good.

The fact you say only one of the hides is a tunnel - I take that to mean the others only have one exit. That is a problem. All hides need to have two exits for teen boars. Hides with only one door will be highly likely to cause problems.

The fact he is ‘aggressive’ when you try to pick him up. That to me sounds like he is defending himself because he doesn’t want to be picked up.

What has me concerned is that you say Hershel may have been bullying initially, Linus was submissive but is now fighting back. Sadly that can be a sign of bullying. If a submissive piggy decides they have had enough of being bullied it goes one of two ways: either they become withdrawn, depressed and subdued; or they fight back. Unfortunately either way is usually a failed bond and grounds for separation.

The fact he takes it out on Hershel after you try to handle him is concerning.

I may suggest here that you do indeed carry out a temporary separation for a few days and see how both pigs react. If both are happy to be apart and perk up when in separate territories, that is a sign their bond isn’t a happy one.

This guide may help with further information

Bonds In Trouble

Thank you again for your advice,

I’ll try switching out those hides and see if it helps at all, if not I’ll try separating, it’s difficult because I don’t have any more space for an extra cage unless i have them like ‘bunk bed’ style so I’ll have to improvise if it comes to that.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond, this has been so helpful.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you again for your advice,

I’ll try switching out those hides and see if it helps at all, if not I’ll try separating, it’s difficult because I don’t have any more space for an extra cage unless i have them like ‘bunk bed’ style so I’ll have to improvise if it comes to that.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond, this has been so helpful.

I’m afraid if they have to be separated they cannot go one on top of the other. Separated piggies have to go side by side to be able to have full interaction.
If you put them one on top of the other their ability to communicate is totally removed and they will them both become lonely.

 

[emiruth0303]

I’m afraid if they have to be separated they cannot go one on top of the other. Separated piggies have to go side by side to be able to have full interaction.
If you put them one on top of the other their ability to communicate is totally removed and they will them both become lonely.

Ok that’s good to know, thank you for informing me.