Help and Advice needed please

jaqs

jaqs

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hi there i hope there is someone around atm ....
sorry I haven't been on in a while but I am in the need of some advice about My Gibbs & Sylvio My 2 Skinny Pig boys, (13 weeks old)
I have noticed some dominance traits ( from what ive read up on) between them, the noises and Mr Gibbs mounting sylvio etc,
This morning I woke up and attended to their enclosure as i do every morning, and noticed scratches mainly on sylvio Mr Gibbs has a few on his cheeks but sylvio deffo had come worse off I am guessing with hairless your more prone to see there war wounds, I also think Mr Gibbs has bitten sylvio, there was no blood (wet) seen by me as I think it may have happened overnight as I am in the room they are in constantly thru the day, and as I suffer from anxiety I am very anxious as ive had people saying that the dominant one can cause stress and die or fight to the death, which has made me really anxious and not want to leave them.
Just looking for advice what is best to do :( as ive read so many mixed things my mind is mush.
If anymore info is needed please ask, and i can send pics of there enclosure if needed too

Jaqs, Mr Gibbs & Sylvio 💜
 
Update:

So its super late/early (3:20am) and i am so sleepy and feel a little disheartened, and like ive maybe done something wrong for them to start fighting.

All ive tried to do is make sure i got everything perfect for them 2 of everything, nice big enclosure toys food cleaning out every day n washing liners every other day. *shrugs*

I have put a divider in the boys enclosure, although i really didn't want to, but wasn't sure what to do, and didn't want to wake up to more damage or worse :(

Seeing them with the divider has really upset me and ive shed tears and i feel like i may have just broken what ever, if any, decent bond they had.

Jaqs
 
First, to reassure you, they will not die of stress or fight to the death if they do fall out with each other.

Could you please give us a bit more information about their set up

How big is their cage?
Is there multiple of every item in the cage?
Do all hides have two exits?
Have you seen them have a full On fight?

All these things are important as boars need a lot more space.

Wounds to the cheek may be defensive ie if your hides dont have enough exits. This isn’t necessarily the same thing as a fight.
A deliberate bite elsewhere however may be more concerning.

Secondly, you havent caused it. Your boys are teenagers now and this is when hormones rise and they can start to get a bit feisty, particularly if they are the same age and hitting the hormone spikes at the same time.
If one is dominant and one submissive, the it will remain as dominance and they will get through it ok.
If there are any character compatibility issues, then now is when they are unfortunately going to start to come to light.

What I would suggest, provided you do not think or have not witnessed a full on fight, is that you give them a few days separated to calm down.
You can then try a completely neutral territory reintroduction in a few days to allow them to make up their mind and decide if they want to be together. It will become clear if they want to be together upon the reintroduction.

If they do go back together then I would suggest you don’t clean the liners every other day. Teen boars are more territorial and cleaning too much is removing their scent and territorial markers. For one mean it can make them scent mark more but it can also cause an increase in dominance.

Hopefully it is just a hormonal blip and then will go back together.
If not, and I know it’s sad when a bond fails, but remind yourself that if they don’t get on and cannot remain together, that they will be happier living as neighbours

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
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Hope the morning brings a bit more hope.
Try and look after yourself as well as your piggies.
They are luck to have such a caring slave
 
This is there enclosure which I upgraded / made bigger as it was suggested on here so addded the extra 2×1 to the left and removed the large loft. And just added a small 1x1 area
They have 2 of everything such as water, food, hay, toys.
 

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As I say, give them some time to calm and then try a neutral territory reintroduction so they can decide what they want to do
 
Firstly you are clearly doing everything possible, and nothing that happens between the boys is your fault - you don't control their hormones or personalities!

Everything looks great but I do have a couple of suggestions for this hormonal period they are clearly going through.

I would remove the loft area all together. If they are already a bit feisty, then this could be a small area that one of them may feel 'trapped' in and could cause them to fight.
The ground floor is great and will be enough space for them for now.

I would also cut back a lot on the cleaning. Washing the liners every 2 days is really too often, and means they are constantly having remark their territory, which could be stressing them.
I would try with more small pee pads in the areas that get the wettest/smelliest and replace them daily, but try to leave the main liners in for a bit longer. I would also only clean out half the cage at a time so it always smells familiar to them.

Good luck. Hopefully they will settle down soon and you can get back to enjoying your piggies.
 
Swissgreys said:
Firstly you are clearly doing everything possible, and nothing that happens between the boys is your fault - you don't control their hormones or personalities!

Everything looks great but I do have a couple of suggestions for this hormonal period they are clearly going through.

I would remove the loft area all together. If they are already a bit feisty, then this could be a small area that one of them may feel 'trapped' in and could cause them to fight.
The ground floor is great and will be enough space for them for now.

I would also cut back a lot on the cleaning. Washing the liners every 2 days is really too often, and means they are constantly having remark their territory, which could be stressing them.
I would try with more small pee pads in the areas that get the wettest/smelliest and replace them daily, but try to leave the main liners in for a bit longer. I would also only clean out half the cage at a time so it always smells familiar to them.

Good luck. Hopefully they will settle down soon and you can get back to enjoying your piggies.
Click to expand...
I was actually debating removing the little loft tbh in the last week, and the defensiveness seems to stem from what i call the poop deck (Hay Box) area.
 
jaqs said:
I was actually debating removing the little loft tbh in the last week, and the defensiveness seems to stem from what i call the poop deck (Hay Box) area.
Click to expand...

Yes, the area under the loft is causing an enclosed/dead end space which will not help any issues
 
Thank you for all your help and suggestions so far.
How long should i leave the divide before attempting to put back together would you say tomorrow / monday ?
 
jaqs said:
Thank you for all your help and suggestions so far.
How long should i leave the divide before attempting to put back together would you say tomorrow / monday ?
Click to expand...

Yes, give them a couple of days to calm down and then pop them on neutral territory
 
so the boys have been sectioned off with C&C panels since Friday, still being able to see and interact but when ever My Gibbs (aggressor) goes to Sylvio, sylvio chatters his teeth, and from what i have read up on this is basically get away from me. I am dubious now to attempt the reconnection so mixed on what to do as i don't want to make a bad move and damage to either of my boys :(
 
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