Fighting boars - what do I do?

L

Lou-Melapis

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Hi everyone!

I recently got my first two guinea pigs - just a few weeks ago - and they're both boars. I adopted them without much information beyond their age and relation (father and son; father is 17 months old, the son is eight months), and was told they got along well.

Within the first day there was already dominance fighting and humping going on (for the record, the son - Storm - is the boss of the cage). I was a bit worried, but not overly much after I looked it up... but it didn't stop there. They get into scuffles daily - and I mean those tornado fights, not just mild chattering at one another - and a few days ago, I woke up by Angel (the father) squealing in pain after Storm had given him a rather nasty bite to the nose. It wasn't the first time Storm had drawn blood from Angel, but it was the first time Angel actually shrieked in pain... they've been separated since.

The thing is, I don't have the space for two cages, and even if I did, the one cage I have is a pet-store one (I bought it with the piggies; a 2x3 C&C cage has been ordered from the UK and is on the way) and wouldn't allow for face-to-face contact between separated cages. Currently I have one piggie in the cage, and the other in a plastic box with hay and pellets. It's the best situation I can offer them, at the moment.

What on Earth do I do now? I could sell or give one of them away, I suppose... I'd have to try and bond a new piggie with the one remaining, but I'm really worried it won't work out. There aren't any rescue centers at all in Norway, so my best bet really is pet shops and online sellers, and I don't know if I'll be able to arrange a date to find a matching personality...

I really don't know what would be best. I have an injured piggie, a too-small cage, and a small budget. The options seem really poor to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
I’m so sorry to hear this has happened.

Sadly, bonds can break down and as soon as blood is drawn, even once, they need to be separated.
Has the injured piggy been seen by a vet To check his injuries?

If you don’t have space to keep two separate side by side cages, then rehoming one (or both them separately )is likely to be your best option. If you were to rehome one of them and get another friend for the piggy you keep, then two boars need a much bigger cage - a 2x5 (180x60cm cage) is the recommended size for a boar pair. Lack of space between two boars can cause problems.

If you were to take on another boar without dating first, then there is a risk that this situation would occur again - something you would need to be prepared for.
Finding a new friend for your 8 month old while he is still under the effect of hormones (they are teens from 4-14 months of age, but in reality the hormones are still going be raging until closer 18 months of age) is likely to be trickier.
You might be better off, if at all possible, to neuter the one you keep, have the six weeks post op wait to become infertile and bond him with a sow. Character compatibility is still the most vital part (dating is still preferable when finding a sow) but a boar/sow bond tends to be more stable once acceptance has occurred.
 
Angel hasn't been to the vet yet, as the wound has been healing fine for now. I've been watching it carefully to look for infections or anything of the sort, but haven't seen any of the symptoms so far. I'm definitely keeping my eye out, though.

Thank you for the tips. I'll definitely look into neutering the boar I keep (that's gonna be a tough choice...), but I'm not sure I can afford it. Would it be at all possible to keep just one boar for the time being, and save up money for the neutering? I know for sure I'll be able to set off hours of socialization every day for the boar that ends up staying, and I'm afraid it'll just cause more trouble for me, my piggies, and my wallet if I try another failed bonding...
 
louthegreat said:
Angel hasn't been to the vet yet, as the wound has been healing fine for now. I've been watching it carefully to look for infections or anything of the sort, but haven't seen any of the symptoms so far. I'm definitely keeping my eye out, though.

Thank you for the tips. I'll definitely look into neutering the boar I keep (that's gonna be a tough choice...), but I'm not sure I can afford it. Would it be at all possible to keep just one boar for the time being, and save up money for the neutering? I know for sure I'll be able to set off hours of socialization every day for the boar that ends up staying, and I'm afraid it'll just cause more trouble for me, my piggies, and my wallet if I try another failed bonding...
Click to expand...

It depends how long it is going to be - being alone for a short time is fine (provided piggy is coping ok being alone) but no amount of human interaction will be enough so you wouldn’t want him to be without a piggy friend for too long. After they have been neutered they need to be kept away from sows for a further 6 weeks to become infertile, so if you were to neuter, then he is already looking at a minimum of 6 weeks alone.

Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Do be aware that a bonding with a sow can also fail, so when finding a new friend for the boar you keep, you are going to be risking a failure whenever you try a bonding. It can take several tries before finding a new compatible friend. Sow/boar bondings tend to be more stable for the long term but you still need to get past the acceptance phase

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

Space wise -
two boars together need 180x60cm or a 2x5 c&c
A neutered boar/sow pair need 150x60cm or a 2x4 c&c
 
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Hello! I just wanted to update everyone and say I've got the piggies a nice big cage both indoors and outdoors, and with the help of being separated (but able to interact with each other) and TONS of floor/outside time, they actually get along much better now! They're not exactly best buddies, but there's been no fighting and no wounds, and they finally figured out which one of them is the boss. Angel's wound also healed super well, and things seem to be going well for them.

Thank you all for the help!
 
Glad to hear they are getting on again. Please bear in mind you won’t be able to take them in and out once it cools down (not sure what the temps are in Norway). If they’re to live inside then they have to stay in all through winter. Their ideal temp range is 15-22c. If they’re outside during the colder months and you bring them in, then they have to stay inside until it warms up enough at night.
 
Siikibam said:
Glad to hear they are getting on again. Please bear in mind you won’t be able to take them in and out once it cools down (not sure what the temps are in Norway). If they’re to live inside then they have to stay in all through winter. Their ideal temp range is 15-22c. If they’re outside during the colder months and you bring them in, then they have to stay inside until it warms up enough at night.
Click to expand...
I know :) I only take them out when it's quite sunny - we live in southern Norway and I should be able to bring them outside long into autumn! It does get really cold in winter, though, so I am preparing to have them replace outdoor time with floortime in a much larger room. ^^
 
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