when will the fighting stop?

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trevorjones001

have recently acquired two guinea pigs, beebop and rocksteady, they were around 12 weeks when i got them. beebop, although slightly bigger, was the more cowardly of the two, always hiding under rocksteady and following him everywhere.

it all changed a week ago when beebop started trying to mount his brother, i later realised this was his attempt at becoming the new alpha and trying to force rocksteady into submission, bad idea! now in the mornings i have found beebop with a scratched nose which has bled slightly, and whenever they catch sight of each other the teeth chattering begins before angling themselves for a fight, which they've had several, all very explosive but doesn't seem to resolve anything. its agonising to watch as i just want them to get along as they did when i first got them, and wondering if its just a stage before one of them backs down (beebop) although i dont want to see bullying if this happens (have seen signs of this from r.steady-chasing him off food etc). they seem to be better when they're in their run (which is about thrice the size of their cage). is this a stage of adolesence which will calm as they mature, should they resolve it themselves, its not really poss to split them up or buy another due to lack of space. help!:{
 
just to add that the fighting only seems to be when they're in their cage and rarely in the run or on the bed or free around the house etc@)
 
Is the cage big enough? What size is it? Do they have seperate places to sleep?

Also, the sticky above will give you some more info on the fighting. :)
 
Boars need alot of space - more than sows and tend to fight more especially if there living space is too small as they need space to get away from each other. This seems to be the case as you say they are better when they are in their run. How big is your current cage? Chances are you will need to get a bigger cage. Have you looked into c&c cages? Take a look at this website:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/index.htm
 
Make sure that they have two of everything - bowls, huts, water bottles, hay racks...

Your boys have probably just hit the hormonal stage between 4-12 months (roughly) where each boy wants to be the most macho boy in the world. To get them through without falling out, you need as much space as possible; ideally 2x4 ft or more.

Have a small cage ready, in case the fighting is so bad (bloody bites to mouth, ears or back are the most usual) that you need to separate them. If you want to try an re-introduce them after a cooling down, you need to do so on neutral ground. However, you can't repeat the procedure too often!
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
 
they were bonded together and got along great when we first had them, but i guess the hormones are kicking in. have set up homes for them in their pen so they have loads of room **** 6 by 5 ft and two beds from upside down shoe boxes, and two food bowls etc. had them in there all day and have watched them closely it seems that beebop is now trying to be submissive to rocksteady but now that he has challenged him rocksteady will NOT let him get away with it and will try and fight him whenever they are close inspite of the fact that beebop seems to desperately (judging by the sounds he is making) trying to make it up to him. dont want to be to hasty and will try the dog hormone trick but have got a feeling from observing his personality that rocksteady will only bully beepop,

if that is the case what is the best option? to take rocksteady back and change him for another male, i know its taking a chance but judging beebop's personality i think he will get along with most?

any suggestions?
 
Let them try to sort it out amongst themselves! Guinea pigs have to spell it all out; the bullying as well as the submissiveness. It may well take some days, until Rocksteady is mollified.
 
You might be right with the age thing...it was a tough time for my boys. Definitely give them as much space as you can. Ben and Dave (who are now 22 and 19 months old) have been 'fighting' off and on. Ben wouldn't stop chasing Dave and chattering his teeth at him. Then Dave would get defensive and start back at Ben. This chasing would go on and on and on. They live together in a Nero 4 but I've put them in their run and after a bit of chasing and bum sniffing and head humping (deightful!), they seem to have settled down. I just need to see if this run sized cage would be a permanent option. Am currently trying to source some cheap lino!:))
 
I take all points about letting them sort it between themselves but at what point does it just become bullying and too stressful for both off them (being on edge all the time defense or offense) is it just a better option on taking the chance of changing rocksteady for another pig and hope they get on better, beebop seems so placid and friendly when r.steady isn't around and then when he turns up you can see the stress (and literally poo's himself) how much does he have to endure before it calms down, or more to the point, should he be having to endure it at all, it clearly isn't healthy (pyschologically or physically)

all advice and opinions welcome!
 
Have you bathed them together? I tried this and it didn't do much to be honest....solved the chattering for a while but they soon started up again. However, some people swear by it.

Dave spent some days and nights on his own away from Ben as it was all getting too much for him. I think you need to take your time and see what suits your pigs. Saturday night and Sunday night Dave was on his own. Ben the bully pined for him and was chewing his bars but tough! Then on Monday I bathed them both together and the shock of it all (they don't like the water much!) made them quieten down for a while, but six hours later, Ben was chasing Dave again. So, Dave moved back out. They were apart until last night when they were both moved into a neutral territory. So far, so good...

If your piggies are getting stressed, or are constantly on the move then I'd split them up while you work out what to do next.:)
 
I had 2 boys who i separated at 13 months old, they were together from 8 & 9wks old. There were no physical wounds but the elder (not bigger) boy stopped the younger from going where he wanted. Space was not an issue - their hutch at the time was 10ft long x 21" deep. They had 2 of everything & more & i took the decision to separate them after watching the elder race between food bowls to stop the other eating & then watched him chase the younger one into a pigloo & peck at him like a hen. They have lived quite happily side by side (with a mesh divider) ever since; they are now 4.5yrs old

In July of this year i separated another pair of boys, these 2 lived together since February, the baby was introduced at 4wks old to the elder boy (aged approx 18 months old). The hormones had hit the younger & he had attacked the elder one, i did leave them to sort it out & bathed them together but over the next few days they chattered at each other constantly, jumped at each other & the final straw came when i found the elder one with a large slash right across his face. The younger one didn't have a mark on him.

Both these boys have successfully bonded with younger boars & i'm waiting for the hormone surge again, which may or may not affect their relationship.

Is there anyway you could split your boys living space with a mesh divide as i did whereby they can interact with one another just not get to one another.
 
Hi,

I had the same problem with my two boys. When I bought them Spencer was about 12wk and Gavin was around the 9/10wk mark so the vet told me. At first, Gavin being the smallest followed Spencer everywhere and to me it look like the sought comfort from spencer...then...the mounting of Spencer started...the poor boy was tormented by Gavin, came down one morning to find poor Spencer with a bloody wound on this neck area (behind the ears) went straight to the vets who confirmed it was a bite mark..it appears that Guinea pigs "bite down" when mounting!

The Vet advised me to get them both neuthered,which I did, and I have to say that every since things have gotten so much better!

After the op Gavin still mounted Spencer (the vet said it will take about 4wks for the hormones to calm down) but it was like he was doing it half heartly! They still have the odd push or nip ...but they both seem calm since the op and Spencer god love him during the stress of it all started to pull his underbelly hair out..and that has fully regrown now!

So, I would stronly think about getting the both netured...long term it will be better for the lads..

I hope this helps in some small way!

Take care
 
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