I Think Chester And Bojangles Are Ready To Make Up.

PiggyProdigy

PiggyProdigy

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Ok, I have been posting A LOT, and I am very sorry but I am a new owner and I'm very untrained in what to do in the world of guinea pig.

My guinea pigs Chester and Bojangles (boars a little over a year old) were fine the first night and part of the morning I brought them home, but started fighting when I needed to pick them up due to a gender-check.

I have been told that it's normal for boars to do this when in a new envirement, and currently I have had a divider up (for about 2 days now.) So I attempted my first floor time with Bojangles, and the only thing he wanted to do was avoid me and go to Chester's side of the cage and they sniffed through the bars for like 5 minutes straight. They'd been doing this yesterday as well.

I'm right next to their cage and they have been showing signs of boredom being alone in the halves of my 2 by 4 foot home for the piggies. Should I try bonding techniques in an outside territory as suggested via forum, I think I should because they are done chattering and showing signs of aggression. I think Chester and Bojangles are ready to make up!
 
PiggyProdigy said:
Ok, I have been posting A LOT, and I am very sorry but I am a new owner and I'm very untrained in what to do in the world of guinea pig.

My guinea pigs Chester and Bojangles (boars a little over a year old) were fine the first night and part of the morning I brought them home, but started fighting when I needed to pick them up due to a gender-check.

I have been told that it's normal for boars to do this when in a new envirement, and currently I have had a divider up (for about 2 days now.) So I attempted my first floor time with Bojangles, and the only thing he wanted to do was avoid me and go to Chester's side of the cage and they sniffed through the bars for like 5 minutes straight. They'd been doing this yesterday as well.

I'm right next to their cage and they have been showing signs of boredom being alone in the halves of my 2 by 4 foot home for the piggies. Should I try bonding techniques in an outside territory as suggested via forum, I think I should because they are done chattering and showing signs of aggression. I think Chester and Bojangles are ready to make up!
Click to expand...

Please carefully read this very detailed bonding guide that talks your through all stages of a bonding. You will find it very helpful to spot important behaviours and judge whether things are going right or not.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Follow the tips you have been given; there is a very good reason for them! Any bonding needs to happen on neutral territory in order to avoid an 'intruder' scenario, which causes aggression and fighting.

Be aware that all guinea pigs need to establish a group with a working hierarchy in any new territory; this is at the very core of guinea pig society. Dominance behaviour is NOT nice to watch, but unlike you, your boys know what they are doing. Do NOT interfere until they are actually fighting and do NOT split them at the first hint of dominance. Once you have committed, you need to see a bonding through to the bitter end, whether it is ultimately successful or not.
 
Thanks. I'll read that. At first when they fought they were doing dominence stuff then they were lunging and nipping and chattering so I got really scared
 
So I'm supposed to let them bond first and then hump a lot so they work it out, but if they don't work it out then there's no leader and they have to be seperate ? I read about it and their first try was what you call a "failed attempt"
 
Like what does it mean if it's "not successful" and also when do I know it's a fight versus bonding
 
I don't know how big that area is but it looks very small for a tense bonding situation. The link Wiebke has provided will give you information to spot whether behaviour is dominance or fighting
 
It looks like they just need to sort out their hierchy. So I'll do research on that and have them do their thing, unless they keep fighting. Thanks everyone n
 
PiggyProdigy said:
Ok I have a bonding/dominence place set up with a toy rubbed on both of them to ease the tension

View attachment 69767
Click to expand...

That box is too small; your boys cannot get away from each other. Have you go a bathtub you can use?
Take any toys out and just use a pile of grass and hay. With boars it can also help to have a stuffed guinea pig sized humping toy. Have a look at the pictures of my own bonding set-up in the guide.

You can't miss a serious fight; it has got an intensity that is unmistakeable. Please take the time to read the guide.
Lots more tips in there. If you need to separate fighting boars or boars that are very much on edge, you need to have oven gloves at the ready to protect your own hands. NEVER separated seriously riled up piggies with bare hands!

While more boars than not make it together, by far not all boars or piggies will click and be best of friends. When boars are allowed to choose for themselves at a rescue, it takes on average 1-3 boars to find the right one.
Have got a plan B at the ready in case they do not bond and do not interfere if at all possible. The calmer and more relaxed your boys are, the higher the chance of success.
 
I appreciate the help but that forum post is a huge disorganized list of dos and donts it would be really great if I could just get a step by step list of what to do for bonding their dominence needs so they don't fight...
 
From what I understand I'm supposed to provide a big place (I am using bathtub now) sit them in there with a big thing of hay and let them do their dominence dance or whatever unless they fight then I break it up and try again later
Is this correct?
 
PiggyProdigy said:
I appreciate the help but that forum post is a huge disorganized list of dos and donts it would be really great if I could just get a step by step list of what to do for bonding their dominence needs so they don't fight...
Click to expand...
The step by step is in the guide link I have given you. Please read it; it is far to large for me to repeat it in one single post, as it has taken me several days to write that guide. There is no other guide that is as detailed and step-by-step, I can guarantee you!
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
 
Ok. I place them in the bathtub. Signs of i trial bonding are humping, chiming, mutual lunges of one backs off

Then for dominence, more humping and Channing slight aggression that is calmed down by more hay and possibly water, licking and sniffing of the face, and chasing and so on
Then the bond again in a new cage (or a newly organized one). The victor is who doesn't submit

But if they fight you seperate them with an oven mitt. I know the signs of fighting I saw it yesterday.
Are these the steps to them not fighting anymore ? For a day and a half now they've been sniffing and touching noses and I think they're ready to do this
 
If you feel you are ready then yes try rebonding but if not I would wait about a week for things to totally calm down- I'd only advise this if they were being aggressive in the first place.

If you are ready then find a neutral place where neither piggy has been (like the bathtub) provide some sort of food like hay or veges. Some members have also had houses in with them (NOTE HOUSES MUST HAVE 2 ENTRANCES) but I didn't when I bonded my two boars Mo & Steve.

Now put both boars in either side of the bath tub but do not force them to go to each other. The space they are in will lead them to ultimately meet up if they don't beforehand. Hopefully the food should ease some of the tension and hopefully you'll find they eat together. At first you might not see any bonding signs at all as both piggies will probably be nervous of the new environment. However you should expect to see the following things at some point:

●mounting - perfectly normal part of bonding just let them do it.
●nipping -again normal only worry if it turns into a bite and blood is drawn.
●nibbling/chewing- you might see them nibble each others ears or fur. Again normal and it is a sign the piggy wants he other to be it's friend.
●squeaking- yep probably alot of squeaking
●chasing
● rumbling

Bad signs are:
●blood
●the two locked together fighting
●hackles raised...

It can look worse then it actually is and you will know if the bonding is going to work or not usually pretty quickly. If you are going to rebond them bare in mind they'll need as much time as possible in that neutral space before putting them together permanently.

If the bonding works remember you must totally clean their cage before putting them back together and you will probably see them rumble a bit once in
 
Yes (as said above) could you describe exactly what it was that was happening when you seperated?
 
Maybe you could video them to show us? A full on fight is like a ball of furry fury - they are literally rolling around, latched onto each other!
 
Thanks I will video a bit right before I break it up. I'm going to wait a couple of days at least to try to re bond them again so they can get used to me just having changed their cage. Will come back to you then

Just made them toys and carrot skewers and they're pretty happy and I want the feeling to stay mutual for a while
 
Some of the usual signs when I do seperate them is that they latch on to each other, chatter loudly, lunge, puff at each other, and circle around each other.

I'm going to try to give them some time to really get used to things in my house and get used to their envirement.. like a week or more. Then we will try bonding them again in a new big area
 
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