Guinea Pigs Fighting

[Millie]

Hello,
I have 2 male guinea pigs, Alfie and Oscar who I got at the beginning of April this year. They were together when I got them and they have always been friendly towards each other. Alfie is the more dominant pig out of the pair, and there has only ever been mounting. Last night I was woken up at about 3am, and when I walked across my bedroom to their cage, Alfie was chasing Oscar around. First of all I didn't think anything of it as they like to run around in their cage, but this morning when I went to feed them their breakfast, Oscar was sat on the shelf in their cage in the corner, looking rather tired, he had a small scratch by his eye, and on the bottom of the cage I noticed a small patch of white fur, which presumably belongs to him (alfie is mostly black and orange)
They both ate their morning veg okay, but after a couple of hours I noticed that Alfie was not letting Oscar get down from the shelf onto the floor of the cage, and every time Oscar tried Alfie would chatter his teeth and chase his around the cage until Oscar retreated back to the shelf in the corner.
This happened a couple of times today but there has only been teeth chattering once or twice, they are now both currently asleep, Alfie is on the floor of the cage and Oscar is still on the shelf (they both have access to hay, pellets and water) But tomorrow I have to go to school. Is is safe to leave them together tonight and while I am at school tomorrow because I have no way of separating them. Also, is it worth getting them neutered or is it really a waste of time like I have read?
I have also read that it may be due to a lack of space, but I am not 100% sure. (they have a store bought cage right now because they were a surprise gift from my sister, but tomorrow I am ordering a C&C cage with my birthday money)
Any replies and advice will be much appreciated because I really do not know what I should do right now.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Boars hit the teenage hormones at about 4-14 months old during which time they develop their adult identities. It is in that time that you also find out whether they are character compatible or not; more than half the baby boars make it to adulthood together, but there is a large percentage that simply don't gel. Unlike with rabbits, neutering won't change their behaviour or personalities.

Please separate them for the night; a large cardboard box or laundry basket will do for Oscar for a short time. This is clearly bullying, and unfortunately, it doesn't augur well for their partnership.
You can generally test a companionship by a short term separation (not too often or it becomes counterproductive, but it helps to makes decisions when things are tricky. If one of piggies perks up noticeably when alone, you know that he is not happy at all with his mate.

Lack of space can be one of the triggers when boars can't get away from each other. At least with a C&C cage you will be able to construct a second story on top if you need to separate permanently.

Here are some information threads, which you may find helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-reintroducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

 

[Millie]

I have separated the boys, and Oscar does seem happier, although that's probably because he doesn't have to be scared of Alfie going for him.
What should my next move be? Do I get 2 New cages and keep them separate or do I try again in one new big cage? I will be getting a cage tomorrow either way but I'm not sure what I should do next

 

[Wiebke]

As they haven't had a really bad fight yet, you can try a re-introduction after a bath to wash off any traces off excess testosterone in their coats in the new cage (the testosterone is also in the pee that is liberally sprayed everywhere).

No hideys and places where Oscar can be "locked in", though! Have an oven glove at the ready and brace yourself that Alfie may just pick up where he has left off, in which case you have to keep them separated - ideally where they can interact through the bars for stimulation though.

If things don't work out, you could think about neutering in the long term, so each boy can live with a lady friend after a full six weeks post op wait for 100% safety - provided you can find a good vet with lots of piggy operating and preferably neutering practice to minimise the otherwise fairly common risk of post op complications. You can keep two C&C cages on top of each other, either directly or for better access have one on a table above the other. Cross gender pairings are the most stable of them all once the initial acceptance has happened.

Could you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county, so we can give always you the appropriate advice and recommendations straight away; your options what to do next depend largely on your location. For our UK members, we have got a piggy savvy vet locator as well as good standard rescue locator (that offer piggy dating/meet&greet) on the top bar. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. Thanks!