pregnancy

[mayaconneally]

i bought a guinea pig from the pet store (nugget) to bond with my guinea pig i already owned (penny). the pet store sold me a pregnant pig so they lived together for two months before nugget gave birth. i had to separate them after nugget gave birth so she could nurse her pups and let them grow up without interruption. now 3 weeks after when the babies are gone, i tried to re introduce penny and nugget and penny has become very hostile towards nugget. it’s not normal bonding they are actually fighting like they have never done before. how do i stop this? does post pregnancy change something about the way they interact? do i have to scratch bonding them all together? we are going to try the separation method in their cage where the cage gets split in half, as well as a bonding bath. if these two don’t work i’m not sure what else to do. advice please!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Obviously it is done now, but it’s always recommended that mum and her sow companion remain together once babies are born where at all possible, only separating mum from her companion if mum becomes protective of her babies and aggressive to her companion. This is because, yes, pregnancy does change things - a mother gains in status once she becomes the top sow to her babies and this is why, once babies are weaned, mum can refuse to go back with her companion afterwards. She may simply not be willing to go back to being a submissive piggy in a pair and if the other sow is also dominant, rebonding can fail.
Once a bond is broken, sadly there is nothing you can do - you can’t make them like each other again - and an actual fight generally means things will not work out.

We do not recommend bonding baths.

When you tried to reintroduce, did you do so on neutral territory?

You can split their cage (provided each half is big enough) and allow them to live next door to each other for a few days and then try a neutral territory reintroduction and see what happens. If they continue to fight, then it may be they must remain living as neighbours only going forward.

The guides below explain the situation further

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...y-care-post-birth-nursing-and-weaning.109389/
Bonds In Trouble
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics