Help :(

[Ljo84]

Hi All,
I'm hoping someone can put my mind at ease about my new guinea, Buzz (6 weeks) . I got him on sunday, added him to my group of 3 (baby, fluff & patch) , to make a 4 & in the hope he would bond with my satin sheltie, Baby, who has always been the 3rd wheel (he is 4months). However doing the proper intros as u should it seems to have gone wrong.
Fluff & Baby had been following the new baby Buzz all night trying to mount him & this has made Fluff & Baby fall out massively... No blood but charging at each other, in the air, fighting in a ball.... So i seperated their cage up with c&c. I now have fluff paired with Patch who are fine... But Baby and the new guinea, Buzz are now together... This is their second day but Baby is making the new guineas life hell... He will not stop mounting him, sitting on him.. Chasing him constantly. The poor new guinea is clearly upset & exhausted... I dont want to part them as reintroducing messes up the process but on a serious note, how long should this last? I've bonded before & the mountings never been this bad or taken this long.... Is that ok or does this mean theyre not meant to be? I have uploaded pics of the 2 I'm worried about & the space they are in. They have 2 each of everything.

Ive posted on here before but no reply, i'd really appreciate some advice.

Thanks,

Laura

 

[Wiebke]

Hi All,
I'm hoping someone can put my mind at ease about my new guinea, Buzz (6 weeks) . I got him on sunday, added him to my group of 3 (baby, fluff & patch) , to make a 4 & in the hope he would bond with my satin sheltie, Baby, who has always been the 3rd wheel (he is 4months). However doing the proper intros as you should it seems to have gone wrong.
Fluff & Baby had been following the new baby Buzz all night trying to mount him & this has made Fluff & Baby fall out massively... No blood but charging at each other, in the air, fighting in a ball.... So i seperated their cage up with c&c. I now have fluff paired with Patch who are fine... But Baby and the new guinea, Buzz are now together... This is their second day but Baby is making the new guineas life hell... He will not stop mounting him, sitting on him.. Chasing him constantly. The poor new guinea is clearly upset & exhausted... I dont want to part them as reintroducing messes up the process but on a serious note, how long should this last? I've bonded before & the mountings never been this bad or taken this long.... Is that ok or does this mean theyre not meant to be?

Ive posted on here before but no reply, i'd really appreciate some advice.

Thanks,

Laura

Hi and welcome!

Please separate. This bonding is not going to work out. Sadly, adding a third or fourth male can destabilise the whole thing. Sub-adult boar trios have a fall-out rate of 90% (still over 50% in adults) before they reach adulthood and quartets one of 100%. The latter is stable for any length of time only with old age pensioners and/or disabled/carer piggies. I am very sorry if you have been given misleading advice elsewhere.

Here is detailed advice on what you can do to sort out the current mess. You will have to see who is going to settle down again with who. If you very unlucky, none of the boars will go back together; hopefully, you can end up with at least one working pair: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Julie M]

I'm sorry that your bonding hasn't worked. Are they all boars? As large groups of boars rarely get on. It sounds as if the One doing the chasing is trying to be the dominant one. If they actually start fighting then I would separate them.

 

[Ljo84]

Yes all boars, but i now have 2 together in one bit, and another 2 together sectioned off so they are in pairs now. As you can see in my attached pic. The new guinea is hiding under the bed from the 4month old... Seems the only time new guinea is left alone ..... Will this settle down at all?

 

[Brittany Unrein]

I'm so sorry! Boars can be pretty finicky. I have 4 boys myself, and one is a huge bully but for the most part they all sleep and eat together and get along great. My boys are 2 are 2 years old 2 are 4 and 5 months old. My C&C cage is two levels and is 2X3 grids about 14 in per grid. Maybe you might try a larger cage before you term anything a lost cause. My boys squabble sometimes but never display aggressive behavior just some rumbling and circling every once in a while. I also have two of everything and enough houses and room that they can all have their own private place. Good Luck!

 

[Julie M]

I wouldn't put them all back in together If they have been fighting as once they have fought they more than likely won't go back together. And you could end up with 4 single boars. I don't think it sounds like the new piggie is getting along with the month old. If he never gets a rest then it's going to be a stressful life for him. ;( might be a personality clash and best to separate.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes all boars, but i now have 2 together in one bit, and another 2 together sectioned off so they are in pairs now. As you can see in my attached pic. The new guinea is hiding under the bed from the 4month old... Seems the only time new guinea is left alone ..... Will this settle down at all?

View attachment 42429

You have to give them time to work through the dominance and establish a hierarchy, provided they get on. All boars are going to be rather shocked and upset for a few days. Your 4 months old is now likely to have hit the teenage hormones, so he is no baby anymore.
Here is more information on bonding and dominance behaviours. Please take your time to read carefully through all the links I have given you; they contain far more relevant information that I can give you in one post:
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

Please make sure that all your boys have got lots of space to get away from each other. We recommend a minimum of 2x5 ft per couple.

 

[Tigermoth]

Oh no, how disappointing. Wiebke is really experienced in bonding new pigs and so if she thinks it won't work out then it really is bad news.

My 2p (for what it's worth at this point) is about the size of the cage. What size cage are the pairs now in? Boars need plenty of space in order to be able to get away from each other to up their chances of getting along, the standard guidance seems to be measured in C&C grids with 2x5 the recommended minimum for 2 boars. So I think you might find you need more room now that you have had to halve your current accommodation.

I hope you can work something out.

 

[Ljo84]

I wouldn't put them all back in together If they have been fighting as once they have fought they more than likely won't go back together. And you could end up with 4 single boars. I don't think it sounds like the new piggie is getting along with the month old. If he never gets a rest then it's going to be a stressful life for him. ;( might be a personality clash and best to separate.

Hi, i have parted the ones fighting... Am not putting all 4 back in together. The new guinea got on a lot better with Patch but if i out them together that will leave the 2 who fight and ill have to keep them seperate, i dont have the space unfortunately

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, i have parted the ones fighting... Am not putting all 4 back in together. The new guinea got on a lot better with Patch but if i out them together that will leave the 2 who fight and ill have to keep them seperate, i dont have the space unfortunately

You have to see whether it works out as two pairs or not. Sadly, once you upset the whole apple cart, you may not always able to put it all back together again. Right now, you have to give all boys a day or two to settle down again first.

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can help you as best as possible in the coming days and weeks. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Your options depend largely on your local possibilities if things really go haywire.

 

[Ljo84]

Thanks for all your help. I will give them a few days to settle as pairs and see what happens x

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for all your help. I will give them a few days to settle as pairs and see what happens x

The links will give you all the details and information you need to know to judge how things are going and what you can do to avoid any unnecessary flashpoints for fall-outs.