I’m an idiot. Help! 😞

[Lymaine]

So Branston and Norman have lived side by side for about a 9 months since they drew blood in a fight. At first Branston drove me mad biting the bars madly whenever he could see Norman. I blocked his line of sight with a massive piece of cardboard for months and it stopped. Over time we were able to remove the cardboard and slowly move the cages closer together. They’ve stood up and looked at each other through the bars and I’ve even been able to carry them both one in each hand tucked under each arm.

Today during floor time (also separate) I decided to try putting Norman near Branston. Branston was on the floor and Norman was in my hands. They saw each other and it was not good
Norman started squealing and Branston started rumble strutting! I removed Norman straight away and they had their separate floor times. They’re now both home and Branston is back to biting the bars, rumbling and Norman is stretching up to look at Branston then running off to hide. I’ve put the sight divider back and they’ve both gone to sleep. I feel SO BAD! Have I ruined the tentative neighbourhood friendship by trying to reignite the original friendship?

I loved that they’d settled and now I feel I’m back to square one with the sight blocker!

 

[Wiebke]

So Branston and Norman have lived side by side for about a 9 months since they drew blood in a fight. At first Branston drove me mad biting the bars madly whenever he could see Norman. I blocked his line of sight with a massive piece of cardboard for months and it stopped. Over time we were able to remove the cardboard and slowly move the cages closer together. They’ve stood up and looked at each other through the bars and I’ve even been able to carry them both one in each hand tucked under each arm.

Today during floor time (also separate) I decided to try putting Norman near Branston. Branston was on the floor and Norman was in my hands. They saw each other and it was not good
Norman started squealing and Branston started rumble strutting! I removed Norman straight away and they had their separate floor times. They’re now both home and Branston is back to biting the bars, rumbling and Norman is stretching up to look at Branston then running off to hide. I’ve put the sight divider back and they’ve both gone to sleep. I feel SO BAD! Have I ruined the tentative neighbourhood friendship by trying to reignite the original friendship?

I loved that they’d settled and now I feel I’m back to square one with the sight blocker!

Hi

Please take a deep breath. Things will settle down again in a few days.

Just please accept that a broken bond cannot be mended and that being face to face in the same space is a totally different kettle of fish for guinea pigs than being neighbours, each with their own territory.

It goes against what you want but guinea pigs are complex personalities in their own right and they play by the rules of their own species, nor ours. Unfortunately, you just can't make them.

If it is any consolation to you, I have a pair of brothers who started rumble-strutting at each other at just one day old
and who fell out for good at just 4 weeks old. They have a relationship through the bars but they cannot share the same space without going at it hammer and tongs again within minutes. At least it's only one more week before they are finally safe after their 6 weeks post-op neutering wait to meet each their own widowed groups of ladies at the earliest possible age.

 

[piggieminder]

I'm sure they will settle again. I would go back to removing the cover a little bit at a time again.

 

[Lymaine]

Thanks both. I won’t be trying it again! You’ve made me feel a lot better!

 

[Cheekypigs]

Squealing and rumble strutting is not falling out, it's just normal behaviour trying to establish a hierarchy. How they interact when they're separate Vs. when they're in the same space are totally different things - when they're separate, each pig is sole king of his own little domain, so there is no dominance hierarchy. When they're in the same space, they need to figure out who is boss pig and who is second pig. Guinea pigs don't think of it as "friends" or "not friends" - they are either bonded and in a hierarchy, or they're neighbours, and they'll behave according to that context.

It's best not to put them back together in the same space unless you're going to make a formal attempt to rebond them. But I don't think this abortive attempt will change how they interact in their separate cages. They may be overexcited for a little while but will then go back to normal.