Aggressive male in male duo

[Natsuya]

Hi!

I have two male guinea pigs that I got at a pet shop, I chose those who seemed to be cuddling and playing together the most. They were still very young, they're approximately 6 months old now.

However, about a month ago, they started fighting; after observing a little, it seems that one of them is just really aggressive towards the other, who just seems very intent on fleeing and avoiding the aggressor. However, when he gets cornered, the aggressive piggy just openly lunges at him, and now the victim piggy has a piece of his ear lopped of and a couple wounds across his back...

I've separated them for a while, keeping the two cages as close to each other as I can, trying to reintroduce them a couple times under my supervision, but every time the aggressive piggy starts chattering his teeth and running after the other piggy. I did a little research and found out this is pretty normal for teenagers, but I'm afraid the aggressor is going to seriously wound the other piggy. He doesn't seem to want to stop, even though the other piggy clearly doesn't get in his way or pick fights.

What should I do? Keep them separated? Or try and find a new home for one of them, and get the other one to date other piggies to find a more suitable partner? Or should I be patient and hopefully they'll bond again in time?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Dominance in teenage boars is normal, but injuries are not.
Unfortunately around six months of age is when character incompatibilities are going to come to light and if piggies are going to fall out, it’s usually around this age. Boar pairs need a lot more room (a cage of 180x60cm) but even lots of space won’t solve character clashes

I'm afraid as fights and injuries have occurred and any neutral territory reintroduction has failed, then their bond is broken and they must remain separate permanently. They will not be able to rebond at any point - once they don’t like each other, I’m afraid they won’t change their mind.

What you do now comes down to your personal situation.
You can keep them in separate but side by side cages permanently, as this will mean they can interact through the bars so neither is lonely.
or surrender one to a rescue and find the remaining piggy a new friend.
However, while boars can be bonded and rebonded at any age, during the teens is one of the hardest times to try to do so.
You would need to find the remaining piggy a character compatible boar; or neuter him, have the six week post op wait for him to become infertile and then find a character compatible sow

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[Natsuya]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Dominance in teenage boars is normal, but injuries are not.
Unfortunately around six months of age is when character incompatibilities are going to come to light and if piggies are going to fall out, it’s usually around this age. Boar pairs need a lot more room (a cage of 180x60cm) but even lots of space won’t solve character clashes

I'm afraid as fights and injuries have occurred and any neutral territory reintroduction has failed, then their bond is broken and they must remain separate permanently. They will not be able to rebond at any point - once they don’t like each other, I’m afraid they won’t change their mind.

What you do now comes down to your personal situation.
You can keep them in separate but side by side cages permanently, as this will mean they can interact through the bars so neither is lonely.
or surrender one to a rescue and find the remaining piggy a new friend.
However, while boars can be bonded and rebonded at any age, during the teens is one of the hardest times to try to do so.
You would need to find the remaining piggy a character compatible boar; or neuter him, have the six week post op wait for him to become infertile and then find a character compatible sow

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Ah, I see... Thank you for your answer! It's kind of heartbreaking to hear this, as they used to get along so well... But I'll try my best to find a situation where both piggies are happy.

If I end up finding a new home for one and a partner for the other (which is the most likely outcome at this point), do you have any advice? Should I do it as soon as possible, or once they've mellowed down a bit? And would it be best to look for a compatible (maybe older) boar, or would a neutered female be more suitable?

I'm mostly afraid that they'll lose the opportunity to learn how to socialize, and grow bored and unhappy...

Thank you again for taking the time to help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ah, I see... Thank you for your answer! It's kind of heartbreaking to hear this, as they used to get along so well... But I'll try my best to find a situation where both piggies are happy.

If I end up finding a new home for one and a partner for the other (which is the most likely outcome at this point), do you have any advice? Should I do it as soon as possible, or once they've mellowed down a bit? And would it be best to look for a compatible (maybe older) boar, or would a neutered female be more suitable?

I'm mostly afraid that they'll lose the opportunity to learn how to socialize, and grow bored and unhappy...

Thank you again for taking the time to help!

It’s never nice when fights occur and a bond breaks, but if they cannot come to an agreement between them and are not character compatible, then they will be happier living in separate cages.

If you do go down that route of finding a new home for one of them, then you should look to find a new friend for the one you keep asap.
They are teenagers until 15 months of age and still have hormone spikes as adults. (Boars do tend to mellow with Afe but not until they are much much older (senior piggies, years down the line)).

Living as neighbours is perfectly acceptable though.

Finding a character compatible friend is the key.
However, you are highly unlikely to find a spayed sow. It’s incredibly rare to find a spayed sow in any rescue centre in this country. Spaying sows is generally only done for medical reasons as it is a major surgery. If you want him to have a sow friend, then you will need to have him neutered.

The guides below will offer further help on bonding should you decide to go down that route.

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[Natsuya]

It’s never nice when fights occur and a bond breaks, but if they cannot come to an agreement between them and are not character compatible, then they will be happier living in separate cages.

If you do go down that route of finding a new home for one of them, then you should look to find a new friend for the one you keep asap.
They are teenagers until 15 months of age and still have hormone spikes as adults. (Boars do tend to mellow with Afe but not until they are much much older (senior piggies, years down the line)).

Living as neighbours is perfectly acceptable though.

Finding a character compatible friend is the key.
However, you are highly unlikely to find a spayed sow. It’s incredibly rare to find a spayed sow in any rescue centre in this country. Spaying sows is generally only done for medical reasons as it is a major surgery. If you want him to have a sow friend, then you will need to have him neutered.

The guides below will offer further help on bonding should you decide to go down that route.

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Thank you again for the quick response!

If they do end up living as neighbours (they're set up in a couple side by side cages at the moment), is there a way to keep them entertained and happy? They already get their daily dose of lap time and talking to and such, is there anything else I should do?

I will look further into the rescue center route. I've grown quite attached to them, but their happiness comes first, in case just having a neighbour isn't enough.

Sorry for the numerous questions by the way... I think I'm done now though!

 

[Siikibam]

The good thing about living as neighbours is they can still have the interaction they need, even if through the bars. Yes, having a live-in friend is the ultimate goal BUT having a neighbour is the next best thing. So if you are able to keep them as neighbours then I would do that.

 

[Natsuya]

The good thing about living as neighbours is they can still have the interaction they need, even if through the bars. Yes, having a live-in friend is the ultimate goal BUT having a neighbour is the next best thing. So if you are able to keep them as neighbours then I would do that.

Okiddoki, thank you! I'm relieved that I might be able to keep both of them happy. Thank you both for your help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

As Siikibam has said living as neighbours is the next best thing and perfectly acceptable as they can still interact through the bars.

There is also this guide which has lots of ideas on how to keep any piggies entertained - Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs