Older boar with concerns

[Cows_mad05]

I need help, I have had my boar for two years now, he’s three and recently there has been many health concerns with him. He is an abi tan male and last week he prolapsed(it was taken care of) and now he’s showing other concerning problems. I recently moved a few time within the past two months and I find that my two males are now fighting for dominance. Lots of rumple strutting and teeth chattering. I’m trying to keep them socialized but whenever I let my younger male in the same pen as my male tan abi(named Sam) he will directly attack him. I have notice lots of cuts on the corners of his mouth, he seems to be losing weight, his l testicles are engorged and his skin and fur are getting very dark. I don’t know if all of this is related but it’s all been happening recently. And my younger male, Pepe(the boar doing the attacking) has been chirping like a bird, there’s no danger around, he’s just separated on his side on the cage. These piggies have been with my through everything and i don’t want to have to get rid of one.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If he is losing weight, then please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily and step in with syringe feeding him a recovery feed or mushed pellets. This is essential to stop weight loss. Please also see a vet for all his health issues.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

The cuts on his mouth - do you feed him fruit and tomatoes? . These foods are acidic and can cause cracks which can allow bacteria to enter causing cheilitis.

If they are fighting, please don’t put them physically together. They do not sound to be compatible so they should not be together as fights will continue to occur. Piggies need to be character compatible and properly bonded to live together permanently. If they are not compatible then fights will occur and this means they need to be kept apart at all times. Their only interaction can be with bars between them
Also, if you are putting them together in one of their cages then that will be seen as a territory invasion and will cause fights. A bonding session must always be done on neutral territory - however in this case it does not sound like doing a proper bonding session would be worth it if they are attacking each other already

Nobody really knows why chirping occurs

 

[Cows_mad05]

I feed him a mix of lots of hay, pellets, and whatever veggies scraps we have that day. Usually lots of lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, and carrots. They are father and son and used to get along until I had to move. I do lots of free roaming and during those times I try to socialize them. They have always been together and I have them in a rabbit cage with a couple hides for them and chews. i will try syringe feeding, I just don’t think there’s any hope for them to be with each other anymore. Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it very much

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please don’t feed carrots often. They are too high in sugar and should be considered as an occasional treat only (and not given any more than once a week).
I would also encourage you to give some high vitamin c veggies such as coriander and peppers daily and make sure they only have one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

If he is losing weight then it’s essential you syringe feed and see a vet to find out the reason behind weight loss. It’s always due to not eating enough hay (given hay is their main source of food) but finding the reason behind that is important.
Syringe feed as much as is necessary to stop his weight loss. Your daily weight checks will tell you how much is needed.

How old is the son?
Moving to a new environment will cause them to need to reestablish their relationship and sometimes that can bring underlying problems to the surface which can sadly break a bond.

What are the measurements of the cage?
A commercial rabbit cage is highly unlikely to be big enough for a boar pair (it would definitely not be big enough for rabbits but that’s another story!) - they need a lot more space than any commercial cage offers. The cage for two boars needs to be 180x60cm for them to have enough room and not have space related problems.

What size cage are they now each living in if you have them separated?
It sounds best to keep them apart all the time and not allow any free roaming together and definitely don’t put them in the same cage. Once full fights occur, their bond is sadly broken.

 

[Cows_mad05]

they have a commercial living world deluxe rabbit cage 119.1 x 57.9 x 61 centimetres but recently I’ve just been keeping the son (1 year old) in an old Guinea pig cage. i don’t know the brand of the cage or then dimensions but it’s over half the size of the rabbit cage. They used to have a pen extended from the cage but since I’ve moved I wasn't able to attach it and instead use of for outside free time.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes so sadly the living world cage is nowhere near big enough for a boar pair . They need 150x60cm as a minimum but 180x60 is recommended.
(it’s a shame it’s named as a rabbit cage because it’s wholly inappropriate for rabbits)
If they originally had a pen extended from the cage then that would have given them more room. If they now don’t have the pen, then my guess is they simply don’t enough space to get away from each other and tensions have heightened to breaking point.

Each single piggy will need a minimum of 120x60cm for welfare purposes each in side by side cages now they cannot share the same cage. So if the guinea pig cage the son is in is smaller than the living world rabbit cage, then the son’s cage wont meet welfare requirements and he would need a bigger cage.

The older boars cage will also be a little on the small side given the measurements will be external measurements so inside will be even smaller

 

[Cows_mad05]

I should also note that Sammy, my older tan boar has been slightly over weight, nothing too concerning(still a problem I was trying to handle) but now I’ve noticed that he looks the correct weight but because of everything going on it concerns me

 

[Piggies&buns]

I should also note that Sammy, my older tan boar has been slightly over weight, nothing too concerning(still a problem I was trying to handle) but now I’ve noticed that he looks the correct weight but because of everything going on it concerns me

What makes you think he is overweight? The number on the scales is not indicative of what is healthy for the individual piggy (adult guinea pigs come in all different shapes and sizes), it’s their heft which determines what is healthy for themselves. The guide below explains.
It is unusual for guinea pigs to be overweight unless they are long term overfed on pellets and sugary items and don’t get enough exercise.

As long as adult piggies maintain their weight at each of their weekly health checks, then in terms of weight (as I said that isnt indicative of what is a healthy size for them), then that is the important bit as it means he is eating enough hay.

You mentioned one seems to be losing weight - I assume you mean the younger one is losing weight then?

Weight - Monitoring and Management

For any health problem, you do need to see a vet for a thorough hands on check.

You say Sam had a prolapse? What happened there?

 

[Cows_mad05]

Yes so sadly the living world cage is nowhere near big enough for a boar pair . They need 150x60cm as a minimum but 180x60 is recommended.
(it’s a shame it’s named as a rabbit cage because it’s wholly inappropriate for rabbits)
If they originally had a pen extended from the cage then that would have given them more room. If they now don’t have the pen, then my guess is they simply don’t enough space to get away from each other and tensions have heightened to breaking point.

Each single piggy will need a minimum of 120x60cm for welfare purposes each in side by side cages now they cannot share the same cage. So if the guinea pig cage the son is in is smaller than the living world rabbit cage, then the son’s cage wont meet welfare requirements and he would need a bigger cage.

The older boars cage will also be a little on the small side given the measurements will be external measurements so inside will be even smaller

Sadly I think I’m going to have to give the son away and find a new cage mate. Thank you so much for your help and to go further I will be purchasing a proper pen from Kavee as soon as possible. I will be monitoring his eating and pursue treatment if needed. I really appreciate your time helping me

 

[Merab]

I can’t add anything but wanted to welcome you to the forum and I hope you can find a happy solution for the boys