Stockholm syndrome?

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Piano

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I've read the thread on bonds in trouble.
1 boar, after extremely expensive week at the vets, has stress related cystitis and bite marks.
While he has been off his mammaries on tramadol and other medication, he's still being humped and bitten by the other.
I've had enough and put a C&c grid divider in the cage. The aggressor is due to be neutered next week. Ideally both but I've spent more than I have on scans and blood tests already.

As soon as I put the divider in, the one that is ill tried chewing his way through and climbing over it.
After an hour he has perked right up and started eating again. Even wandering around the cage and accepting chin scratches. Before he was in his hidey with a fortress mentality.

Anyway, is that normal for the bullied one to want to get back to the other one? He hasn't bothered since and they seem quite happy staring at each other across no-man's land. Just wondering if I missed something.
 
It’s usually the submissive one to watch when you separate a pair. They usually perk up while the dominant may chew at the bars trying to get into the underpig’s side. It’s good that he’s perked up.

would keep them permanently separated given the biting. Make sure they each have 120x60cm cage. How old are they? And was the plan to neuter and pair them with a sow each?
 
Piano said:
I've read the thread on bonds in trouble.
1 boar, after extremely expensive week at the vets, has stress related cystitis and bite marks.
While he has been off his mammaries on tramadol and other medication, he's still being humped and bitten by the other.
I've had enough and put a C&c grid divider in the cage. The aggressor is due to be neutered next week. Ideally both but I've spent more than I have on scans and blood tests already.

As soon as I put the divider in, the one that is ill tried chewing his way through and climbing over it.
After an hour he has perked right up and started eating again. Even wandering around the cage and accepting chin scratches. Before he was in his hidey with a fortress mentality.

Anyway, is that normal for the bullied one to want to get back to the other one? He hasn't bothered since and they seem quite happy staring at each other across no-man's land. Just wondering if I missed something.
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Hi!

I am very sorry, but you are clearly dealing with a bond that is not working. I would not re-introduce.

Please be aware that neutering guinea pig boars only removes the ability to make babies; it doesn't change their personality or outlook in life (a bully will always be a bully), it doesn't curb aggression or even cuts off the testosterone output (a lot of that comes in the urine that is deliberately sprayed everywhere) and it won't make two fallen-out boars go back together peacefully. Neutering is there to allow a single boar (not two!) to live with a sow or several once he is safe to do so.
Please take the time to read our neutering information: Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

I know that the Germans have started to use the 'Stockholm syndrome' for guinea pigs quite a few years ago and that it has unfortunately made its way into the growing collection of online urban cavy myths. There is no such thing in guinea pigs. What you are observing is simply territorial behaviour between the two boys. They have clearly divorced. Unfortunately, gestures like cage gnawing are often misinterpreted that the want to be together; like quite a lot of piggy social interactive behaviours it can also be a territorial and not friendly behaviour - more like threatening door rattling and the promise of a fight. It all depends on the context and the general body language, which in your case is anything but relaxed.
 
That's so interesting. I am still, after all this time, looking at their behaviour through a human lense.
Having dismantled and reassembled with a divider, they now have a 2x2 section of a C&c cage each. I think I'll make it a bit bigger when I can get some more grids though, based on a comment above.
Thanks a lot. I was doubting if I'd made the right decision.
It's all really calmed down now.
One is enjoying the feeling of being able to eat unmolested. The other is melting a toothbrush with a lighter and threatening that if the other comes near his side of the yard, he's going to get shanked.
 
Edit- I was planning on letting them live next door to each other and interact through a divider. I can't put a sow with them. It's too much a of a financial liability considering I can't insure them. I was only going to neuter them and try rebonding them one day.
 
I’m sorry things haven’t worked out between them. Definitely look go increase each of their cages - a 2x2 isn’t big enough, they will need at least a 2x3 (which amounts to around 9 sq ft) each.
As above, neutering them isnt going to make them like each other. If you aren’t bonding them with a sow then there is little point in neutering them now
 
Bar-neighbours is an acceptable way forward and you are by no means the first here! But more space each would be great for them. If you try to put them together at all - even for floor time - your underpig will freak out again as the other will likely have a go. But secure that they have their own territory they may be quite happy together - your underpig will certainly be happier like this.

I think pigs 'chew to get through' but that doesn't always mean their motivation is kindly! Wiebke is dead right about it being a threat sometimes. My boar has a sow companion and 2 sow neighbours... these were the first to arrive, but one didn't like him at all! She fought him and when I set them up as neighbours she used to hurl herself at the bars with bared teeth when he peeked out his cage to try and intimidate him. A gentle breeze intimidates my George, so I was worried about having this behaviour stressing him out but it actually calmed down pretty quickly - within a few days. You have made the right choice for your boys 💕
 
I’m so sorry that your pair have decided not to live together. I agree that I would definitely keep them separate permanently.
 
A fallen-out boar pair can still live as next door neighbours with mutual stimulation and company through the bars. It is a very common solution to the problem. Neutering is not required; only if you were planning to have each boar living with a sow companion.
 
Thanks guys. Made me feel a lot better.
As part of the renovations, I'm going for a multi-layer home for them. They can meet on different levels or avoid more if they've had enough of looking at the other.

Do you think I could
give them couple's activities they can do together through the bars like laser tag? Haha

Edit-I'm cancelling the neutering tommorow. May aswel save some money if it won't work anyway.
 
Adding a loft is fine to do - some piggies like having the upper space to sit and look out from, but as Piggies are ground roaming creatures, upper levels dont count towards the cage size so do still ensure the cage meets size requirements on the ground level.
A good sized cage each will still allow them to move away from each other to the opposite side of the cages anyway.
I went to the trouble of adding an upper level once - a week later the novelty had completely worn off and they never bothered to set foot up there again!
 
Cancelling the neutering makes sense as they won't be able to live together anyway.
Maybe you could take some of the money set side for that to buy more grids and increase their cage size.
If they have a bigger space each they will be able to move away from their shared cage wall and won't need more levels.
 
Good ideas. I'm not sure how big I will be able to make it as my house is tiny.
Would their quality of life suffer if I stacked them in appropriate sized cages ontop of each other? Do they need to see each other more than smell?
 
Piano said:
Good ideas. I'm not sure how big I will be able to make it as my house is tiny.
Would their quality of life suffer if I stacked them in appropriate sized cages ontop of each other? Do they need to see each other more than smell?
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I'm afraid single piggies must be side by side for all round interaction - sight, sound, smell. So, yes if you stack their cages then they lose a lot of interaction.
The minimum size each cage must be for welfare purposes is 120x60cm (8 square feet minimum)
 
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