Pip won't calm down when put with another piggie

[Charl]

Hi,

My 3 year old male guinea pig Pip never seems to calm down when he is put with my 6 year old male guinea pig Rodney. Pip fluffs his fur up so he looks twice the size, he chatters and vibrates, and he pushes rod around and jumps on his back. He also lets off an awful scent. He seems obsessed with you know what rolleyes I know its also a territory thing and Pip wants to seem to be the 'boss', but i would just like him to calm down and be friendly with Rodney, I want them to be company for one another. What do you suggest I do? Will the vet solve it? Or can I do something to stop it? The odd thing is that Pip seems to calm a LITTLE after about ten minutes. But then after 5 minutes of them getting on, the problem kicks up again. I know i brought this subject up last year, but its still carrying on. Thanks
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[lulu!]

My advice would be to consider the following-

- Are either of them neutered

- Are you putting them together in a neutral place, that isn't somewhere they've already marked as their own (eg. either of their cages/hutches)

- Are you providing them with lots of toys and food, plus plenty of space and places to hide, while they're together, so they have distractions and enough personal space should they bicker

- Are you giving them enough time to get to know each other. Putting them together for a few minutes, then seperating them for however long, then repeating isn't going to give them a chance to settle down together

- Are you allowing them time to get over any initial dominance displays (obviously while keeping an eye on them) and not seperating them at the first signs of either of them trying to display dominance (rumblestrutting, humping and spraying does not mean they'll fight, it's perfectly normal)

 

[Charl]

Thankyou
I move Pip a little further away if he starts to push Rodney because Pip is much larger than Rodney, and Rodney is quite frail because he is old, i worry Pip will really hurt him and i didnt know guinea pigs could be neutered do you think this could sort his problem? because we had our rabbit castrated (spelling?) and he calmed down straight away
x

 

[Wiebke]

Thankyou
I move Pip a little further away if he starts to push Rodney because Pip is much larger than Rodney, and Rodney is quite frail because he is old, i worry Pip will really hurt him and i didnt know guinea pigs could be neutered do you think this could sort his problem? because we had our rabbit castrated (spelling?) and he calmed down straight away
x

Contrary to what many people and even some vets are still thinking, neutering WILL NOT change male behaviour one bit and certainly not the production of testosterone (which is the source of the smell you mentioned)!

I can guarantee personally that my neutered Llewelyn can still produce enough testosterone to smell up our living room without any problem and go mad about a sow - as witnessed just yesterday with introducing a new sow!

In view of the age of your boars, an operation will be out of question anyway. Neutering is only required if you are planning to put your boar with sows, it won't calm boars down and make them more accepting of other boars.

Here is a link to a collection of tips on how to introduce boars. Please be aware that not all adult boars will work out together and it can take a considerable time for some overexited boars to calm down - it took Llewelyn two full days, for example!
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562

 

[Charl]

Thanks Wiebke