How long until they bond, if they do?!

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TedBear2020

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Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has some words of advice or hope that my piggies may still yet bond!

I have 2 piggies, Ted and George. Ted is 3 years old and was originally with his Uncle, Monty, who passed away a couple of months ago. He was showing signs of loneliness so I bought George who was 5 months at the time. After lots of discussion about a match, the vet agreed they seemed to be a good pair. Now, I did the usual routine; quarantine, scent swapping etc. and after a week or so, they were happily living together.

I went on holiday for a week and put them into boarding and what I came back to was totally different. They would fight with each other and so I had to split them up. I've gone back to scent swapping etc and have gone from them not being able to be in the same room to them being able to tolerate each other for about 15 mins on neutral territory.

I've had George neutered in case that might help but Ted is too old for that.

My question is - has anyone else been in this situation and if so, how long did it take? I can't bear the thought of having to rehome George so will persevere but I just wanted to see if anyone else had some words of hope!

Thank you.
 
When you say they had a fight, what exactly happened? Was it a fur ball kind of fight and/or was any blood drawn? If yes to any of those two then unfortunately the bond has broken down and they won’t be able to live together.

If they can only tolerate each other for 15mins then it may be they don’t want to be together.

Neutering only stops them reproducing, it doesn’t change their behaviour like it would in other animals. I’m sorry if you were misled on that point.

Would it be possible to have them live side by side? I know it’s not ideal but it’s the next best thing.
 
Thanks for the reply.

It was a furball type fight. No blood or biting. That's a shame to hear about the neutering as it was the vet who suggested it.

Sarah
 
I’m afraid a fireball fight marks the end of a bond. You will have to keep them separated and living as neighbours, if you have the room.

Best way to find any singletons a new friend is to take them dating at a rescue. When you get a piggy ‘on spec’ - especially one not yet in their teens - there is a risk they won’t get on or the bond is broken when the younger hits the teens.

Are they experienced in treating guinea pigs? And I assume they carried out the neutering? And, if you were to bond him with a sow, what did they say was the waiting time before it would be safe to do so?
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

I can only agree with the advice Siikibam has given you. I’m sorry its not work out, but I’m afraid a furball fight does mean the end for them and that they don’t have compatibility. They will need to live separately.

You also cannot put them together for short meetings and then separate them when trying to introduce/reintroduce. Any separation during the bonding meeting interrupts the whole process and means they need to start from the very beginning at every single meeting. This causes frustration and stress to the piggies and means they never complete the bonding process. Bonding piggies is a one time meeting seen through to conclusion - that is they either can remain together or they cannot after that initial meeting.
If you are having to separate them after 15 minutes because they cannot tolerate each other, then that in itself is a clear indicator that they do not get on.

Neutering was not going to make any difference, it only makes a difference for other animals but not for piggies.
Ted is not too old to be neutered, but it sounds as if your vet may not be totally piggy savvy (a cavy savvy vet should Knowing neutering doesn’t calm piggies down or affect their ability to bond) so unless they are experienced and knowledgeable, then it’s best not to do it.
 
It’s such a shame when they decide they don’t want to live together anymore. Maybe the change in their living arrangements at the boarders has upset the bond. This may have coincided with George becoming a teenager.
 
Thank you all. It is really sad.

I have them in separate hutches and I don't know what to do. I can't find anywhere locally that does guinea pig dating, I can't bear the idea of them being lonely but feel anxious about trying to find a new bond in case I just end up with piggies that I need to rehome. I can't bear the thought of needing to rehone George.

Is it cruel to keep them both but just in separate cages side by side? Seems a bit cruel to me but I don't know what else to do. Weirdly, they can't be directly together but with a cage between them, they actually end up sitting next to each other.

What do you think?
 
Living as neighbours is the next best thing to sharing a space. As long as they have sight of each other and their cages are right next to each other, then they’ll be just fine.

Just be aware that laying or sitting next to the divider is more a sign of territorial behaviour rather than friendly.
 
Thank you. I sometimes wonder if it feels a bit like second best and I guess it is. I just don't see what the alternative is. I could be searching for a mate for Ted forever and never find one and be endlessly rehoming piggies.

I'll continue to just have them live next to each other.
 
Unfortunately rescues aren’t many down this way. You do sometimes have to travel a distance to get to a rescue. But I’m glad you’ve decided to keep them as neighbours. The important thing is that they’re able to still have the interaction through the divider. We always want them to share living space, but sometimes it’s just not possible.
 
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