Boys Not Getting On

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Dave Fisher

Dave Fisher

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Hi all we are new to keeping piggies and could do with some help.

We have recently adopted a pair of boys from a RCSPA centre. At the centre they seemed to get on fine (both 3 months approx.) Now that we have got them home they keep fighting. All the aggression is from one he keeps attacking the other ( He just runs away and does not fight back).

Could it be something we have done and what can we do to help the boy get on better.
 
Hi Dave and welcome to our friendly forum.

It could be hormonal, an age thing when the dominant behaviour really starts showing itself and one piggy is trying to be top boy. Ensure there are two food bowls and water bottles and hides so there is no fighting over these. I'm not the expert in this area, but it does sound like normal dominance, so unless you get to a situation with blood being drawn then I'd be inclined to leave them to sort it out. The less dominant needs to display that he's backing down, just not fighting back is not enough from my experience.

I'll tag in another member whose considerably more experienced in this area. I'm presuming you're from the UK?
@Wiebke
 
How big is their cage and do you have two of everything (water bottles, bowls) and around 3 hiding places? Little things like this can easily set them off.
 
Hi and welcome!

I am sorry that you are having a rough start. Piggies always need to re-establish the hierarchy in any new territory (in the extreme this can be just a freshly cleaned cage). This leads to a renewal of dominance behaviour and can in some cases tip the balance in the bonded pair. Your two boys are coming to up to teenage age. The move has obviously triggered the hormones early - not your fault at all!

If things don't settle down soon and rather escalate from mild and medium dominance to full aggression, please contact the RSPCA as in that case the bond is unlikely to make it through the big hormones between 4-14 months old.

For the time being, please give each boy a hidey with more than one exit (if necessary, just a hankie pegged to the bars at the opposite ends), a food bowl and water bottle well apart from each other with hay in the middle.

You may find these information threads helpful to understand and judge what is going on:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
 
Thanks for the replies Yes there is two of every thing but only two hiding places, the cage is a two layer hutch approx 2' x 4' on each layer the RSPCA came and looked t the hutch first and said it was fine.
 
could just be the change how long has it been since they moved to their new home ? x
 
You can create more places with tunnels or cardboard boxed with more than one entrance on different sides. ;)

Please don't panic just yet! Dominance can last about 2 weeks and as long as it doesn't go past the medium level you are still safe. (See the thread in my first post)

PS: with members from all over world, it is very helpful for us if you added your county or general area to your details, so we can always give the appropriate advice and recommendations straight away. click on your name on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks!
 
We collected them Sunday, (today is Tuesday) when we first put then in there new home they were fine all cuddled up to each other the aggression started that evening, and as I said its only one way, the other one is allot faster on his feat and just runs away. Not shore if he is getting any fresh food as Doc the dominant one takes it all for him self.
 
It sounds very much like they are re-establishing the dominance.

Is it possible for you to feed them smaller portions well away from each other (veg as well as pellets), so your smaller one has a chance to eat? if necessary, use three bowls, so there is always another one for the underboy to go to.

Chucking an underpiggy our of hideys and from choice places and food hogging are typical dominance behaviours while a hierarchy is being estalished.
 
Just an update, they had a really bad fight today with chunks of hair being pulled out before I could brake them up. Following that we kept them apart for most of the day, Have now cleaned the cage and put them back together and the seam to be getting on better, lets hope they have sorted out who the boss is now.
 
I am afraid we had to return the Piggies to the rescue center. Was very sad as we had become very attached to the two of them. They are going to try and match them up with other boys. Now for the good news we came home with two more pigs... One 3 months old and one 6 months old. They fine to together and really friendly.
 
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