Normal Dominance Or Full Fighting?

[Kdtn24jun]

hi everyone

We are new owners, we have two sows for around two years with just the normal minor scuffles when they are in season.

Pippa recently had an op and we had to seperate them.

We have tried on neutral ground to re-introduce and they went from OK to minor squabbles to full on rolling around kicking each other. No blood but it was like to guinnea pigs in a death fight roll.

We have seperated again after three big scruffles, they were together about an hour. Should we persist as there was no blood?

They used to be fine together

Need advice, thanks

 

[Wiebke]

hi everyone

We are new owners, we have two sows for around two years with just the normal minor scuffles when they are in season.

Pippa recently had an op and we had to seperate them.

We have tried on neutral ground to re-introduce and they went from OK to minor squabbles to full on rolling around kicking each other. No blood but it was like to guinnea pigs in a death fight roll.

We have seperated again after three big scruffles, they were together about an hour. Should we persist as there was no blood?

They used to be fine together

Need advice, thanks

Hi and welcome!

Please keep them separated; they are obviously not going back together, I am very sorry to say! Once piggies have made up their mind that another piggy is "not part of my group", you have had it. They very rarely change their mind on that score. It can even happen with siblings that have been together since birth.

They can still live next to each other with interaction through the bars mutual stimulation (which they still need). Alternatively, you can consider finding each new company with a neutered boar or a younger sow - ideally by dating at one of our recommended rescues, so you come home with a new friend only if there has been success. Some older sows will not tolerate any new companions. This is why I would not recommend to look for any guinea pigs that you cannot test drive and return if things don't work out. All our recommended rescues only rehome healthy/fully quarantined and guaranteed not pregnant piggies and the majority offer dating at the rescue to make sue that acceptance has happened before you adopt any piggy.
Recommended UK rescues: Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
For recommended rescues in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

Medical separations are one of the main causes in adult fall-outs (which are thankfully fairly rare). Unless boars, sows rarely bite in fights, but serious tussles are for them the equivalent of a full-on fights, as are taking a mouthful of fur out of another piggy's hide the equivalent of an intentional full-on boar bite.