Potential failed bonding? Guinea pig fights

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mother_of_piggies

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Hi there,

I am new to the forum! I am from western Canada and have three female guinea pigs around 3 years old. My original girl Clementine (3.5 years old) recently lost her sister and I was on the hunt for a friend for her as all advice you ever see is on the importance of never keeping a piggy alone.

Fast forward I find a bonded pair of 3 year old females (Pip and Persephone- Percy) in need of a home. I didn't want another brand new baby pig as I didn't want to run into a similar dilemma of having a lone piggy again. I have the two housed in a cage right beside Clementine so they can hear, see, and smell one another. As per advice on the internet, I let them meet in a neutral (but smaller space). The first meeting started off okay but eventually Clem had to be separated because she started to get overly dominant with Percy. So I ended the session as they were lunging and biting at one another.

This next session occurred last night. Again in the same space. This session went even worse. This time Clem and Pip went at it and got in a full on brawl. Biting, scratching, rearing up, and relentlessly starting to chase one another. I immediately separated them and noticed Pip had a cut on her lip from the squabble. I am beginning to be concerned that I made a mistake in bringing these piggies home. From what I read on the internet using a larger space for bonding is a better idea? I always have hay as a distraction when bonding but they all seem quite dominant and insistent on not backing down.

Any other pieces of advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want them to be able to live together otherwise I feel like this defeats the purpose as to why I adopted Pip and Percy.

Thanks!
 
I’m so sorry to hear this.

Sadly such a full fight would mean they are not going to be able to live together, they aren’t compatible. Adding a single sow to a bonded pair doesn’t always work out well.

Also, adult sows tend to be less forgiving and less prepared to back down and lose position. This is why adding young piggies can work better as they are usually looking for guidance and more prepared to be lower ranking.

Going forward after a failed bonding the living situation is that they live in separate but side by side cages. Percy and Pip remain together in one cage and Clem in another. They can then interact between the bars only. This provides the interaction and stimulation Clem needs but without having to share a territory.
Ensure Pip and Percy’s cage is 150x60cm or a 4x2 c&c.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
Darn, that’s what I was afraid of. Thank you for your input. The pair is currently in an 11.5 square foot cage and Clem is in a smaller, temporary set up.
Unfortunately we don’t have any readily available C & C cage companies in Canada. So I may need to do a DIY myself or find a better set up that can be split properly.
I’m just disappointed as I never had a pairing go that way before. Definitely not what I wanted to happen.
 
I’m looking on Amazon and I’m going to get some C & C grids to do a DIY. I’m thinking of just ordering a camping tarp as a base. How easy do you find these cages to clean?
 
I just ordered the pieces to build the girls a split cage! I got the C & C grids, foam interlocking mats for beneath for insulation, a large tarp to create the base, and clothes pins to fasten the tarp to the grids! I’m excited! I will post photos once the pieces arrive and I have them set up. Thanks for all the advice! 😊
 

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I’m so sorry that this didn’t work out. On paper it looked perfect but as I well know from bitter experience, adult sows are a law unto themselves when it comes to bonding. I’m so glad you’re working on a new housing solution for them.
 
VickiA said:
I’m so sorry that this didn’t work out. On paper it looked perfect but as I well know from bitter experience, adult sows are a law unto themselves when it comes to bonding. I’m so glad you’re working on a new housing solution for them.
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thank you! I wish I had known this beforehand. But lesson learned. I love these two sweet girls regardless.
Also I was wondering, my sister has an unfixed male that she isn’t taking care of. Do you think it would be good or unhealthy to have him in his own pen beside the ladies? Would it be torture for him because he can’t get to them?
 
mother_of_piggies said:
thank you! I wish I had known this beforehand. But lesson learned. I love these two sweet girls regardless.
Also I was wondering, my sister has an unfixed male that she isn’t taking care of. Do you think it would be good or unhealthy to have him in his own pen beside the ladies? Would it be torture for him because he can’t get to them?
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It is ok for him to be beside them but you must make sure his cage is very secure and has a lid on it. A boar can become very determined and agile when around ladies and have been known to climb up and break out of cages to get in with girls (and of course consequently causing pregnancies).
If at all possible, having him neutered and after the six week wait, you could try bonding him with your single girl. A boar/sow bond still require character compatibility but they tend to be more stable long term and often have a better chance of a successful bonding.

If he is a single piggy then it would be good for him to be living beside other piggies anyway. Single piggies hugely benefit From side by side interaction and companionship so even if he can never be neutered and live with your girl,
It would still be best for him to be beside them to alleviate any loneliness he is feeling.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It is ok for him to be beside them but you must make sure his cage is very secure and has a lid on it. A boar can become very determined and agile when around ladies and have been known to climb up and break out of cages to get in with girls (and of course consequently causing pregnancies).
If at all possible, having him neutered and after the six week wait, you could try bonding him with your single girl. A boar/sow bond still require character compatibility but they tend to be more stable long term and often have a better chance of a successful bonding.

If he is a single piggy then it would be good for him to be living beside other piggies anyway. Single piggies hugely benefit From side by side interaction and companionship so even if he can never be neutered and live with your girl,
It would still be best for him to be beside them to alleviate any loneliness he is feeling.
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Thank you for the information! I appreciate that! He won’t be able to be neutered sadly, he’s over 5 years old I would estimate, so I feel like it would be risky for him. But I will definitely make sure this new enclosure will allow him to be near the girls. Thanks! 😊
 
Mega cage has officially been set up. Clementine is on the left and Percy and Pip are on the right. I noticed though that Clementine acts antagonistic towards Percy through the bars. Clem seems happy to have them there and will pancake beside the bars to watch them but then as soon and she and Percy are nose to nose they try to get dominant with one another and Clem is the first to lash out trying to bite.

Any advice? Will they get used to one another eventually or could there be potential for injury? I’m considering putting those clear panels between the two enclosures so they can’t bite through the bars at all.
 

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Sorry no advice. Just wanted to comment on how gorgeous they are. Love the hair on Clementine 😍
 
mother_of_piggies said:
Mega cage has officially been set up. Clementine is on the left and Percy and Pip are on the right. I noticed though that Clementine acts antagonistic towards Percy through the bars. Clem seems happy to have them there and will pancake beside the bars to watch them but then as soon and she and Percy are nose to nose they try to get dominant with one another and Clem is the first to lash out trying to bite.

Any advice? Will they get used to one another eventually or could there be potential for injury? I’m considering putting those clear panels between the two enclosures so they can’t bite through the bars at all.
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Territorial behaviours between the bars are to be expected.
Laying next to the bars is usually a gesture of power and territory marking.

They should settle in time
 
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