Rebonding male guinea pigs

[GPMummums]

I have 4 male guinea pigs. They originally lived as two pairs made up of a 1 year old and a baby. They lived happily together at these ages.

When each baby hit his teens he started biting the older guinea pig and it got to the point we had to separate both pairs as the fighting got so bad.

They now all live separately in large C&C cages. All the cages are connected so they can see, smell and touch each other through the cage.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do? Will they ever get along again? I don’t want to get rid of any of them but I worry it’s a lonely life all living separately.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm sorry to hear both pairs broke down.

As fights have occurred this is because they were not compatible and sadly it means they still wont be compatible. They dont change their minds about each other so it does mean you are highly unlikely to be able to rebond them in the pairs you originally had them in.

How old are the youngsters now?

However, have you tried rebonding in opposite pairs - try the youngster with the adult they were not originally with.
It still may not work if even they aren't compatible but it is worth a try if you haven't already done so. At best you'll get two pairs. At worst you'll be in no different situation you are now still with four single piggies. But the middle ground is that you may be able to make one functioning pair even if two of the others have to remain separated.

If it doesnt work, then please dont worry about them being lonely. They are able to interact at the bars and have all the companionship they need. I have a bonded pair and a separated pair. The two separated boys aren't lonely as they all still interact at the bars but also dont have the stress of having to share a territory with a piggy they dont like!

The guide below explains the neutral territory bonding process.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

It's also important to ensure each pair (assuming they go together) has a big enough cage - that is a 5x2 c&c per pair - and that all hides have two exits so there are no dead ends where issues can occur.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[GPMummums]

I'm sorry to hear both pairs broke down.

As fights have occurred this is because they were not compatible and sadly it means they still wont be compatible. They dont change their minds about each other so it does mean you are highly unlikely to be able to rebond them in the pairs you originally had them in.

How old are the youngsters now?

However, have you tried rebonding in opposite pairs - try the youngster with the adult they were not originally with.
It still may not work if even they aren't compatible but it is worth a try if you haven't already done so. At best you'll get two pairs. At worst you'll be in no different situation you are now still with four single piggies. But the middle ground is that you may be able to make one functioning pair even if two of the others have to remain separated.

If it doesnt work, then please dont worry about them being lonely. They are able to interact at the bars and have all the companionship they need. I have a bonded pair and a separated pair. The two separated boys aren't lonely as they all still interact at the bars but also dont have the stress of having to share a territory with a piggy they dont like!

The guide below explains the neutral territory bonding process.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

It's also important to ensure each pair (assuming they go together) has a big enough cage - that is a 5x2 c&c per pair - and that all hides have two exits so there are no dead ends where issues can occur.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Thank you, I really appreciate your advice. I will try mixing up the pairs and see how it goes. If they bond their cage will be 7x2 so hopefully plenty of space.