Sudden fights and biting

[DM280121]

Apologies if this is something that has been posted before. I have read similar stories, but not one where the ages are the same.
I have had my lovelies a bit more than three years. They are probably four years old. Male and female, both fixed. They have been good friends up to now, but recently the male has started snapping at the female on the bottom. He doesn't bite in, but he scares her and she cries. I have separated them several times for periods up to three days. But when I put them together the behavior returns.
At this point I have the cages near each other so they aren't alone. Is this how they are going to need to stay?
I live in Switzerland and we are locked down tight. If I could get a vet appointment it would probably mean standing outside for a long period of time.
Thanks for advice!

 

[Piggies&buns]

First, age is not relevant really. If their bond has broken down then it’s not due to their age.

Has there been a change in hierarchy?
When you use words such as she cries and it scares her, you are humanising it and actually she probably isn’t scared at all, she is potentially just submitting to him (there is a thing called submission squealing where one piggy will give a high pitched squeal to tell the other piggy that they accept their Position in the hierarchy - it’s not being scared or crying, it’s a totally normal guinea pig sound).
Separating them and then putting them back together will result in a period of them reestablishing themselves so you will see a return to dominance behaviours upon reintroduction, particularly if you don’t reintroduce in the right way. If you separate them, you then need to reintroduce them on neutral territory. You shouldnt just put them back into the normal cage together.

Most importantly though, If there is a sudden change in behaviour in the boar then having a vet check them out is essential. A sudden change in behaviour can be because of illness or experiencing some pain for example and having a vet see them is the only way to rule out a medical cause.
Its now normal to have to wait outside during a vet appointment.

 

[Wiebke]

Apologies if this is something that has been posted before. I have read similar stories, but not one where the ages are the same.
I have had my lovelies a bit more than three years. They are probably four years old. Male and female, both fixed. They have been good friends up to now, but recently the male has started snapping at the female on the bottom. He doesn't bite in, but he scares her and she cries. I have separated them several times for periods up to three days. But when I put them together the behavior returns.
At this point I have the cages near each other so they aren't alone. Is this how they are going to need to stay?
I live in Switzerland and we are locked down tight. If I could get a vet appointment it would probably mean standing outside for a long period of time.
Thanks for advice!

Hi!

Nipping and submission screaming (the appropriate answer to this) are both medium dominance behaviours. There may be a change in the hierarchy happening but the behaviour is not at a stage that the bond is breaking down. You may however have a closer look at your sow in case there is an underlying medical problem that is causing the change in behaviour.

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

If you are worried about the bond, please follow the advice in this guide here. It tells you how you can evaluate whether a bond is dysfunctional or not: Bonds In Trouble