Fighting female guinea pigs

[Florencehackett]

Hello, my two female guinea pigs were separated for three weeks because of fighting and one of them had baby’s. We are trying to re introduce them but nothing is working they keep fighting does anyone have any ideas ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Once they are separated to have babies, then whether they will be able to live together again is entirely dependent on the piggies. If they have decided they no longer want to live together now, then there is nothing you can do to make them change their mind and they will likely need to remain apart permanently.
Are the babies still living with mum? Have you checked the babies sexes and separated out any boys accordingly?
I’ll tag in our pregnancy expert @Wiebke to detail more about how the dynamics change between sows once babies come along.

 

[Florencehackett]

Once they are separated to have babies, then whether they will be able to live together again is entirely dependent on the piggies. If they have decided they no longer want to live together now, then there is nothing you can do to make them change their mind and they will likely need to remain apart permanently.
Are the babies still living with mum? Have you checked the babies sexes and separated out any boys accordingly?
I’ll tag in our pregnancy expert @Wiebke to detail more about how the dynamics change between sows once babies come along.

The girl is still living with the mum

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, my two female guinea pigs were separated for three weeks because of fighting and one of them had baby’s. We are trying to re introduce them but nothing is working they keep fighting does anyone have any ideas ?

Hi!

Have you sexed and separated any baby boars?

Please be aware that a nursing mother and her babies enjoy a special protective status whuch suspends the normal group hierarchy. If it is the leading sow, then this is generally not a problem.

Rebonding a nursing mother back into a group/pair is one of the trickiest scenarios in terms of sow bonding. A separated undersow gains in status through her babies and becomes the unchallenged leader of her own mini-group. They are generally a lot less happy to bow to the old hierarchy. Add to that the hormonal changes that come with weaning, and you have a perfect storm.

If there have pre-existing cracks in the relationship and you have separated because the mother-to-be has been aggressive towards her companion before giving birth, then they will often not go back together again. Once piggies have made up their mind that they do not suit, they usually won't change it for years. Sadly there is nothing you can do if there has been a fall-out. Any piggy bond ultimately relies on character compatibility and the will to be together. You can't change their personalities and you can't force them to live together without fighting.

See the information on that score in our mother and baby care guide (chapter III): after-birth-mother-and-baby-care
Sexing and separating baby boys: sexing-&-separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies