Time to Separate?

[Abisquartet]

My two boys Gizmo and Domino seem to have quite a feisty relationship. There’s chattering and rumbling every day but never any actual fights that I’ve seen - one of them will always start to submissive wheek then hop away before it escalates, usually Domino as Gizzy is the more dominant one. They also always seem to do this sideways on which I’ve read is less confrontational.

I’ve come in from work tonight to see a scratch on Gizmo’s nose - picture added. I know that once blood is drawn that’s it for a bond but I’m not sure if this actually “counts”. I know that there can be misjudged swipes which can result in a little scratch. I’ve gotten Gizmo out and cleaned up the area, though admittedly there isn’t much to clean as it wasn’t deep.

There’s no scratches or marks anywhere else on either of them, nor is there any blood anywhere in the cage. As they’re always typically rumbling and chattering and sometimes Gizmo will do a little lunge a Domino is he’s stood on some hay that he wants to get to, I wonder if Domino turned round and snapped at him to back off and accidentally caught him?

Either way I’ve moved my pet camera to aim at Dommy and Gizzy so I can watch and monitor their behaviour a bit better. In the meantime, does this seem like it could be a reason to separate or am I right in observing them for a bit longer to see if the bond is truly broken?

Thank you all!

 

[Roselina]

Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides

Hello I don’t have any experience of fights between piggies.
The above link covers bonding/ dominance etc.
I wonder as you’ve not witnessed how Gizmo got his cut whether you need to know how it happened ….close observation like you’re doing. I’m sure someone will be along to offer more advice - good luck and keep in touch with us

 

[weepweeps]

I would keep a close eye on them for now and give them the benefit of the doubt this time. I hope it’s a one off and they settle down. How old are they? Do your hides have two exits?

 

[Bill & Ted]

Are they teenagers between 4 - 14 months. Big hormone spikes can happen at this age, they often subside within hours and then everything is back to normal.
Make sure your cage is as big as can possibly be, don’t swap or introduce new things if possible. Their cage needs to be at least 160 x 60 cm or 5 x 2 C&C or bigger if at all possible. When you clean their cage always leave a small bit of dirty hay in their cage, it smells of them which puts them at ease and helps with dominance problems
I would closely monitor them if you can for now, a camera is great for that, it might have been a misplaced swipe but if it starts to escalate to further injuries then do separate. they can live side by side if needed

 

[Abisquartet]

Thanks for the advice everyone! To answer each of your questions:

Gizmo is smack bang in that window, about 7 months whilst Domino is around 2 years.

They’re in a 4x3 C&C - never thought about leaving some ‘dirty’ bits in their cage when I do their full weekly clean but will do from now on! Rather than hay do you think I could leave their cushion beds? Or would hay be best?

Unfortunately I don’t have 2 exit hides - this is next on my to-do list now that we might’ve had a little tiff! I feel silly now, that could make all the difference as they each might feel more comfortable with each other when they know they can get away.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the advice everyone! To answer each of your questions:

Gizmo is smack bang in that window, about 7 months whilst Domino is around 2 years.

They’re in a 4x3 C&C - never thought about leaving some ‘dirty’ bits in their cage when I do their full weekly clean but will do from now on! Rather than hay do you think I could leave their cushion beds? Or would hay be best?

Unfortunately I don’t have 2 exit hides - this is next on my to-do list now that we might’ve had a little tiff! I feel silly now, that could make all the difference as they each might feel more comfortable with each other when they know they can get away.

Hi
You may find these two very practical guide links here helpful. Just use some soiled cosies to wipe all over the cage or allow the boys a little romp in the new bedding before you put it in. Teenage boars can be very sensitive; it will settle down again later on.

If needed put a temporary divider in the cage for a couple of days to allow the hormone spike to die down and then conduct a formal intro outside the cage on ground that is not part of their usual territory. it looks lore like misjudged scrap and not a full-on bite. I had a coupld of grids cable-tied together and cable-tied to one side when teenage Nye became a bit too much for my very skittish Nosgan a couple of times so I could just pull them out and tie them to the grids at the front of the cage.
The two would go back together again as if nothing had happened after joining up on the shared roaming ground. They stayed together until Nosgan's death in spring 2019 (with a sow pair as their neighbours), after which small (and by then neutered) Nye found his big love with large neighbouring lady Hyfryd for another 3 years. He passed away during the night after the Queen's funeral, aged 6 years, and Hyfryd (now coming up to 7 years) is missing him very much.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (including a chapter with helpful advice and boar dos and don'ts)
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

All the best.