Sows had a fight - please help!

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Claire K

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I have had 2 of my sows from the same litter since they were 12 weeks old and they have always lived together and had no problems at all (apart from the odd rumble and chin up).

This morning when i cleaned them up, I put them into their carry box as usual and within a matter of 2 or 3 minutes, they started chattering their teeth at each other and before I could do anything about it, they were fighting like mad and there was a mass of fur and a ball of guinea pigs!

I threw a towel on top of them and managed to seperate them under the towels.

One of them came out with a scratch on her bottom lip and a small piece missing from the bottom of one of her top teeth and the other had a chunk missing from her cheek/top lip.

I have taken the injured one to the vet and been given metacam 0.2ml once daily and baytril 0.8ml once daily to give her. The vet just said to keep an eye on the lip of the other and make sure she is eating ok with her broken tooth which she seems to be at the moment.

The vet advised not to try and put them back together again as once Sows have fought, they will draw blood again before to soon. I have therefore left them in their c&c cage that they are in but put a divider down the middle. They are quite happily sniffing each other through the bars and licking each others ears so i dont know what to do for the best.

Can anyone help please as this fight has really upset me and i want to do whats best for my piggies - do i try them together again or do i leave them seperated with a divider down the middle so they are not lonely?

Please help! xx
 
I am sorry for you! You must have been very upset!

Usually, we do recommend not keep guinea pigs of either gender together after a bloody fight, but if you wish, you can give it one last try. Sows, even siblings, can for some reason all of sudden fall out, not just boars, although it is much rarer.

It might be best by starting with shared run time in a neutral space for short bursts of time at first over a period of time. Do not rush this phase in your wish to see them reunited.

If that goes well, please go through the full formal reintroduction process; a shared "buddy bath" in cases like these can be very helpful. Make sure that you have plenty of time to watch them, not only in the neutral zone but back in the neutralised and rearranged cage as well.

If there is another fall out, you will have to keep them separated from now on.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
 
Thanks Wiebke. I have left them in their C&C cage for the time being with the divider down the middle. They seem quite happy just sniffing each other through the bars to be honest so part of me thinks that its best to leave them as they are rather than put either of them through the stress of another possible fight.

I didnt really want to put them back together yet as one has quite a bad wound and she is a little quiet and could probably benefit from having some space at the moment.

I obviously know that piggies cant live on their own but if they were to remain in the same cage but with the divider down the middle, would this be enough company for them as i dont want them to get lonely and stressed from being alone.

Claire x
 
Leaving them to live right next to each other with plenty of space for interaction should be fine.

You may try communal run time when wounds and tempers have healed. Sometimes, the softly softly approach does work.
 
Am sorry they fell out, sounds like you are doing the right thing definitely. Not got much advice as am new to pigiies but just wanted to say hi from down the road. I grew up in Stevenage.
 
I'll jump on the bandwagon - I'm from Stevenage originally too, went to Pope Pius XII junior school, been living in Wales for 30+ years though I still sound like I'm just visiting!

Suzy x

PS You're doing all the right things with your girls.
 
Hi Suzy, thanks for your post and nice to meet you.

I have decided to keep my girls seperate with C&C grids dividing them until i get back from my weeks hols and then try re-introductions. If this fails, i will bond each girl with a younger pair and allow them to live in a trio until i have more come my way which i can then introduce to the trios.

Thanks again for your post

Claire x
 
Wow sounds like you will have a couple of herds one day. Fantastic.

Suzy, small world then, three of us from Stevenage. I was at Pin Green JMI and then Nobel for senior school.

Have a nice holiday Claire.
 
Hi claire, i just thought i'd say my little piece even though Wiebke had given some smashing advice and i couldnt possibly add to it, but i had a pair of boars who fell out after two years together, Pickwick recived a nasty injury just above his eye and on his cheek where Pirate pretty mcuh had his head in his mouth. They lived seperately although close and they never behaved lonely or depressed, they always went out in their runs at the same time and i used to shunt them right up close and they would have a little rumble and sniff thorugh the bars which would stop after a few mins to gentle talking and licks. They lived like this for a year.

One day i borke one of te runs so put one of those hamster pen's down the middle of the intact to seperate them, which i had done in the past with no escapee's. I came back to check and Pirate had climbed over the top and was quite happily snuggled with pickwick, they have lived together ever since, and get on far better than they ever have.

It wasn't an ideal, supervised meeting, but i think it goes to proove that some time alone so tempers can die down and little bits of time together can mend broken friendships amongst piggies, which they will make up again on their own terms when they are ready to do so. Such as my boys did during the few minuets it took me to go to the loo!

So dont write off trying to rebond them yet.
 
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Thanks Zombie Princess, its good to hear of a re-bondong (although not planned) that worked well.

I am holding out high hopes for my girls as the are both still laying next to each other with the divide between them and are often seen licking and chatting to each other.

I feel really bad as they seem very sad being apart and part of me wants to just lift the divide and get them back together but i know that i need to do it slowly if its going to work.

They are eating, drinking and running around so they seem ok at the moment but its heartbreaking when they have always been so close.

I am hoping that a week with the divide between them while I'm away will give them the chance to calm down and then i can try a little play time in the big run to see what they do.

Keep your fingers crossed. x
 
I really hope they can be reintroduced too, i think they can be like us people sometimes, a little argument can exculate and then they feel bad about it afterwards. Deff give them some time to cool down. This might sound silly but when they're eventually together dont hover over them watching what theyre up too, just subtly observe a few feet away. I'm certain they play up when people are around.

I attempted to re-introduce my boys a few times with me watching obviously and it never worked, it's almost like the squabbled becasue the spotlight was on them so to speek.
 
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