Pigs fighting

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richardg

Hi all, My wife has had 2 guinea pigs for about 1 year now and they have lived in perfect harmony, no problems at all, they are both male. So passing a pet shop 2 weeks ago we saw 2 very young males for sale and decided to purchase them to add to our 2 at home. For 1 week we kept them in seperate cages where they could smell and see each through the bars and introduction time and playtime in a neutral area on the floor. No problems happened at all in the first week so we decided to let all 4 be together, first few days no problems, now all of a sudden the 2 older males are chattering teeth at each other all the time. This morning the 2 older ones clashed again only this time a little blood was drawn. We have taken the 2 small ones out, just to see if it is purely the small ones in the cage causing this, but again they are still chattering teeth. in the other cage the 2 small ones are chattering teeth at each other. So now we have 4 pigs and all they want to do is fiight. Please advice us, have we ruined the harmony and friendship with our first 2 piggies ?
 
Oh dear! you were a little ambitious bringing 2 newbies in ;)

My advice is to keep them separate as you have done now. I suggest trying one or both of thse things:

Pop a towel in the bottom of the bath and pop your two older piggies in there out of the way with a pile of veg. It is adifferent place for them as I am guessing they havent been in there before.
Clean their cage from top to bottom, disinfect and re arrange any toys, bowls etc. Hopefully, the half hour or so they have been in a strange environment will help them re bond once back in their home.

If this doesnt work, option 2 is to purchase some shampoo from www.gorgeousguineas.com
I wouldnt use any other shampoo for pigs. Bath your 2 boys together with the shampoo and rinse well. the shock of being bathed plus the different smell often calms the situation down. Two of mine fell out when they smelled sows and I did this immediately and 3 months on, no problems ;)

You could do the same with your younger two but it depends how old they are.

Good luck!
 
Hi,

Thank you for your reply. In the past few minutes we made a quick decision and divided the cage in half, 1 old pig and 1 young pig in each half, we also placed a screen so they cannot view each other. Finally all is calm, but will the older pig now start fighting with the younger pig ? Our pigs would be regular visitors to the bath, it is the ideal place to put them when the cage is been cleaned out, just in case the cage is wrong, it is a C&C
cage approx. 3 feet x 7 feet with toys and all have seperate houses. Dividing it in half is not a permanent situation as it would not be large enough as a permant thing.
 
Sounds ideal! No guarantees older ones wont fight with younger ones but see how it goes. Thats a nice size for a cage, recommended size for 2 pigs is 4 foot x 2 foot but bigger is always better of course. I have c & c's too, theyre fab O0
 
Everything I'v eread indicates that neutering does not alter behaviuor in pigs the way it does in rabbits
 
No it doesnt alter their behaviour, boars dont naturally cohabit as in the wild a single boar lives with a group of sows but a boar pairing can be successful. Some members do have 3 or even 4 together but its quite rare. I think its down to the personality of the pig, some are more dominant than others.

I used to be nervous about mine fighting and always jumped when I heard a chatter! but now I have a no nonense approach and tell them off if they are being too boarish ;D
 
I had two boars who lived together and then decided to introduce a younger one. All was good until my dominant pig felt his status was threatened and he started fighting with the young pig. So, in the end I had to take the younger boar out and try and get the original two to get along again. Fortunately, it worked and I know have four pigs who live happily in two pairs.
 
Neutering doesn't change a boars behaviour. Its an expensive operation and it has a high mortality rate because GP`s are small animals etc.

Fights are about territory or too many hormones. Boars are very territorial. I have 4 bothers --> Tommy, Dickie and Harry from a first birth and Blackie from a second, (same mum and father).

Dickie and Harry have teamed up and get along really well --> that's older and younger.

Tommy and Harry hate each other and are kept apart. I`m sure they would fight to the death if they met up. Luckily, I have outside space in sectioned runs so its not so bad but i wish they would get along. That's natures way for you I suppose.

Their mum is Rosie who lives with her 7 daughters and they get along splendid. No bickering at all.

(Just to say, all my piggies are rescues after being abandoned due to Rosie getting pregnant for the second time. Piggy's should never be perposefully mated because there are so many rescues to be homed).
 
I wouldnt say the mortality rate is high, it is reduced by sourcing a vet who has carried out this operation many times and is confident in doing so :)

I have had one of my boars neutered today in fact, but to live with sows not another boar ;)
 
Sorry, you`re right - I was too strong in my use of words. Choosing the right vet is important.

Anders :)
 
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