Teenage years, how long does it last?

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

HelsBels

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
191
Reaction score
6
Points
205
I have 2 boars, 1 is my original and is 18 months old ish, the other i got beginning of august. When I lost his mate, did alot of research, speaking to experience guinea pig owners and people at the cat and rabbit clinic to get my rocky a mate after loss of Rambo, the 1st boar we dated they didnt get on after a few mins but then rocky and my new one randy chose each other and snuggled together and played and run about together, anyway I went away for 4 days and a friend looked after them, and they had 1 little scrap, teeth chattering and rumbling, since I've been back this past week ive noticed they have 1 maybe 2 scraps a day sometimes not everyday, and they seem to snuggle back together again, share food and run about popcornng etc, randy (my newbie ) has developed quite a personality and rocky is a little more laid back, now when I had Rambo, he was very laid back and rocky a bit more vocal.
How long does the teenage thing go on for? As randy has just hit that stage and rocky I think wants a quiet life now lol

I don't want to separate them as they aren't causing any injury and both still share foods even tho they have seperate bowls etc lol they like to eat together 9 times out of 10. And they play and pop corn together, and they squeek for the other one when are in different parts of the room, they have free roam of my guinea proofed lounge when I clean their cage outSorry for the long post. Just curious how long his teenage antics will last?:red
 
The hormonal stage lasts from 3-15 months old, with the strongest time between 6-10 months. Like some people, some pigs never seem to be affected too badly while others never seem to grow out of it.

If you can manage to keep your boys together without too much drama until the youngest has matured you have a good chance of it working for life.

HTH

Suzy x
 
Little one rumbles and mounts rocky that's when rocky makes little one go away and they have a scrap
Could they also be fighting over who's going to be boss? Years ago when I had pigs, I had brothers that fought worse than this. After speaking to peeps realised it could have been cos they could smell and hear my cage of sows that were in same room but opposite sides, now I don't have any others only the boys. I don't like seeing them scrap but sometimes they don't do it as offer as other times. And little ones personality seems to have only just developed, he's adventurous and not to shy and he's a bit mischievous.
Do you think they will work it out?
I don't want either to get stressed and poorly tho.
I suppose I would only separate them if they get serious injuries.
So I could potentially have 2 bickering boys for another 6 month or so :-(
 
Its like having kids that wake you in the night, I went to at 1230 am ish and they have had 3. Scraps between I'd say 130am and 9 am, I get up and put light on and they stop and look at me as if to say What mummy? Lol
Maybe I should shut my bedroom door :-(
 
My oldest looked a bit scared as he jumped up at the bars so I've put some grids down middle of cage to give the boys some time out, they can still see each other and still in same cage etc, hopefully I can take the grids out later :0:08...8...
Will let the both have free time together at clean out time and both will go back to clean cage, is it worth bathing the together? What shampoo shall I use? Do I get it from vets? Or shall I just go pet shop?

I'm exhausted, they were fine before :0
 
Thank you so much, will keep the grids there for the next hour or 2 then see if they are ok again, then will bath them and put them back to a clean cage, got family coming round at 6:30 and need to get cooking etc, I'm virtually in tears as they had been fine and rocky was really down when Rambo died so got him a mate a day later, took time off work to bond them and they were no fuss.

Is johnsons baby shampoo for humans ok then?
They are both sleeping at mo.
I think little one is trying to be boss.

Thank you again, will have a good read of the site
Helene x
 
Figured they may be fighting over the fact they have different huts, so have got them both the same and they seem to like that last night and today, however I've just picked little one up and he has a small cut by his ear, have cleaned gently with warm water and a cotton pad and have put sudocrem on it, do you think that will be ok? Funny thing is they haven't had any fights last night and today since I have got them identical houses, so how he has this little cut I don't know :(
 
20 mins of lights out for bedtime and they had a squabble, have put grids down the middle again for tonight :0
 
My girls do this! God almighty, my girls do this all the time, everything you've said - i've had them two weeks, one is maybe 5/6 weeks, the other 7/8 weeks.
I've resorted to moving the cage up to my bedroom, (i had my boar Skit next to my bed all his life till we moved with my mam and her boar, he was such a good boy for it lol).
There's been a few nasty scraps but no blood, lots of bullying etc but after one night, they've learnt mama is boss and no squabbles so fingers crossed and fingers crossed for you too!
 
Little ones cut wasn't bleeding but when I picked him up he smelt funny by his head, sounds odd but that made me look under his ear, he's a slightly smelly boy compared to rocky tho. I'm hoping that putting the grids in the cage so they can still see and smell each other will help with bonding them till my little one gets through his teenage bit, as I really don't want to give in and separate them until I know for sure they don't like each other, when I went to bed they were both laying in the same hut, surely if they didn't like each other they wouldn't do this?
Bonding bath will be next I think, but want to make sure little ones cut is healed over 1st, I'm struggling to not get upset over them. Loosing rockys mate Rambo in august was tough as it was.
 
Have got an appointment at cat and rabbit clinic in a little while, the lady at the desk seems to think neutering is the best way to go to calm little one down, but he's not always trying to hump rocky :-( and I'm really not keen on the procedure for the pair of them as I'm not sure that will fix the issue and it's extra stress on them.

Help, any advice please? What are your views?
 
neutering does NOT affect the behaviour of guinea pigs just the ability to reproduce so please dont do it. unless your going to to have them both done and get them girlfriends.
 
are they ok when they are having floor time? what sort of squabbles do they have? is there teeth chattering and lunging?
 
lauralucy said:
are they ok when they are having floor time? what sort of squabbles do they have? is there teeth chattering and lunging?
Click to expand...

Odd teeth chatter at floor time but they seem to follow each other around, when they are in the cage they are fine most of the time, I wouldn't say they are lunging at each other it's just a nose pushed forward harshly at the other one and loud teeth chattering, they have chased each other, randy (the little one)isn't so much humping rocky now but still rumbles alot.

The vet said it sounds like they are almost there with the settling down, it's just until randy matures

Little ones cut has been cleaned and he's got some septrill I think it's called, antibiotics to be given twice a day.

I really don't want to neuter them, I've read a lot on that subject and it won't alter little ones personality etc so no point putting them through that stress, I really don't want to separate them when they get in so well the other times.
I'm not planning on having them with sows, even if I did pair each up with a sow they could still fall out with their chosen sow couldn't they?

Feel a bit better after seeing the vet, pigs back home in there cage, all be it with 2 grids separating them.
Both are eating some readi grass and a mixture of veg.
 
to be honest i would say if they aren't (usually) drawing blood or cutting each other then i'd leave the divider out and let them sort out there differences, it looks at lot worse to us than it usually is. nose nudging isnt too bad as long as there mouths aren't open with teeth out.

i have in the last month had 2 different sets of girls decide they dont like each other with teeth chattering and chasing, i've left them to it (they usually start when I'm on the way out the door to work) and when i come home they are fine. i think it helps I'm not there.

its true they may not get on with a girl, i had one of my boys neutered to put with my youngest girl phoebe and she hated him, still does even with dividers if she smells him she lunges and teeth chatters at the divide! he however loves her and every other pig :) boy included. (he lives with 3 girls now)

good luck
 
Well little one has a chunk out of his head so rocky must have nipped him for it to absess. I hear them go for each other at night. As soon as I put light on they are separate so maybe they have lunged at each other. I deffo sounds like a war zone until I go to see what they up to. Think I'll keep grids there for tonight as littleones wound is open after it got cleaned out.
He's got the ump anyway as he seems to be in his hut and not tempted by the veg I put down.
The vet did say If they were fighting alot they would both have more cuts on them than they do at the moment.
Just scared that if I sleep with my bedroom door shut of I'm not here something bad may happen :(
 
No, my mum does tho. I'm hoping to move there in the next year or 2 max

Do you live in northampton ?
 
Last edited:
HelsBels said:
No, my mum does tho. I'm hoping to move there in the next year or 2 max

Do you live in northampton ?
Click to expand...

I just wondered as you put that you had a appointment at the cat and rabbit vets and they have one here in Duston. I took my piggies there as one of them started to loose its fur and was told it could be mites, anyway to cut a long story short a good friend of mine told me to go to the pet shop in Duston just round corner from vets, the lady that runs it (my friend calls her the guinea pig lady) she breeds guineas, she told me to cancell vets straight away, and to always see her first before considering vets (they were giving my gp injections for mites and gp lady dosn't approve with it) sold me some expensive shampoo mind you for the skin condition and also recommended puting orbas oil on my boars on their rump and on the end of their noses, think its to do with them smelling the same and not reconising smells of each other. This lady does have an answer for a lot of quearies which is handy, saved me money which was even better.!
 
Van said:
I just wondered as you put that you had a appointment at the cat and rabbit vets and they have one here in Duston. I took my piggies there as one of them started to loose its fur and was told it could be mites, anyway to cut a long story short a good friend of mine told me to go to the pet shop in Duston just round corner from vets, the lady that runs it (my friend calls her the guinea pig lady) she breeds guineas, she told me to cancell vets straight away, and to always see her first before considering vets (they were giving my gp injections for mites and gp lady dosn't approve with it) sold me some expensive shampoo mind you for the skin condition and also recommended puting orbas oil on my boars on their rump and on the end of their noses, think its to do with them smelling the same and not reconising smells of each other. This lady does have an answer for a lot of quearies which is handy, saved me money which was even better.!
Click to expand...

The gp vet at Duston is one of the best in the whole of the country. I may just point out that injections for mites work quickest and most effective, and are not very expensive. This particular clinic has certainly saved my neutered boars' life earlier in the year thanks to their special knowledge!

We have a policy on here to NOT discourage people from seeking qualified vet care over dodgy home treatments.
I might also add that putting sharp scents like olbas oil on very scent sensitive animals like guinea pigs is NOT being recommended on this forum and will ultimately not help with the character compatibility part of boar bonding, although I am aware that it is widely used in certain circles.
 
Van said:
I just wondered as you put that you had a appointment at the cat and rabbit vets and they have one here in Duston. I took my piggies there as one of them started to loose its fur and was told it could be mites, anyway to cut a long story short a good friend of mine told me to go to the pet shop in Duston just round corner from vets, the lady that runs it (my friend calls her the guinea pig lady) she breeds guineas, she told me to cancell vets straight away, and to always see her first before considering vets (they were giving my gp injections for mites and gp lady dosn't approve with it) sold me some expensive shampoo mind you for the skin condition and also recommended puting orbas oil on my boars on their rump and on the end of their noses, think its to do with them smelling the same and not reconising smells of each other. This lady does have an answer for a lot of quearies which is handy, saved me money which was even better.!
Click to expand...

Yeah that's where I got my little one from, she let me pick a few boys out to see which one rocky liked and got on with, must admit the one I have wasn't my 1st choice but rocky chose him :) she's brilliant I thought, I know alot of peeps go there for nail clipping with piggies and rabbits and dogs go there for grooming to, some of her advice I've tried and then found it's not worked out like to having the plastic huts in the cage but have tubes or cardboard etc, but mine don't like that so had to give them those back as they each like a hut and food bowl to sit/lay next to.

Not sure about whether to get the boys wormed or not though?
 
Wiebke said:
The gp vet at Duston is one of the best in the whole of the country. I may just point out that injections for mites work quickest and most effective, and are not very expensive. This particular clinic has certainly saved my neutered boars' life earlier in the year thanks to their special knowledge!

We have a policy on here to NOT discourage people from seeking qualified vet care over dodgy home treatments.
I might also add that putting sharp scents like olbas oil on very scent sensitive animals like guinea pigs is NOT being recommended on this forum and will ultimately not help with the character compatibility part of boar bonding, although I am aware that it is widely used in certain circles.
Click to expand...

Ok, didn't want to affend any body. I know the vets are very good there, i just know a few people have tried alternative remedies and it helps, any extra advise with squabbling boars is always appreciated, ive just got two new boars and the one that is a few weeks older keeps chasing the younger one, hate seeing it, my older ones do it as well, is it just a boy thing, a few friends of mine have girls and don't get any trouble like this:(
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top