Are my boys fighting?

[Mummybean]

Hi

We have two new boys. They are 10 weeks old and brothers. We have had them for 1 week. When they are in their hutch in the closed bedding area, they spend almost all the time in there as they are still very nervous and only sneak out for food and water when no one is around and the cover is down. I keep hearing banging around. They must be moving around a lot to make that kind of noise. If I go out and lift the lid they are both stood still and next to each other but I am sure that is because they hear me coming and freeze. Are they most likely fighting? Or is there anything else they could be doing? It often happens after I put fresh food in or after we have had them out for a cuddle then put them back.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Are you finding wounds on them? I appreciate you can’t see in there, but if they are having a full on fight due to a incompatible bond, then there will be wounds, blood (which warrants immediate and permanent separation) and it’ll be obvious.
They will be in a period of reestablishing their hierarchy and relationship (they do it if there is a territory/environment change regardless of how long they have been together before the change) so you may just be hearing the sounds of them mounting and chasing. Mounting and chasing is normal - it is not fighting - and to be expected of boars who will soon be in their teens.
I know you are getting a new hutch which is great as space really matters to boars, but also ensuring all hideys have two exits and that you respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first (if you don’t, then the dominant can feel the need to reassert himself). Is the doorway to the bedroom area a good size? There is a chance that the entrance to the bedroom, being essentially a single entrance hidey, could cause a problem if one wants to get out and the other is blocking the door way - my two were absolutely fine with their old hutch but for some reason the bedroom in their new hutch isn’t working for them so i have actually had to remove the divide to stop the issues in the doorway

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Mummybean]

There is no sign of any injury or blood or anything like that, just lots of scuffling around. The doorway makes a lot of sense as I have a couple of times seen them both try and get through at the same time. I could get hubby to widen the doorway until the new hutch arrives. I am a bit worried that the new hutch will be another thing for them to adapt to but I think the extra space will make it worth while. I have also noticed that when we take them out and cuddle them (my daughter has one on her knee and I have one on mine) and we put them back, afterwards they talk like crazy making loads of noise. I have no idea which one is more dominant. Norbert is very anxious and scared and bit my husband once, Digby is the more confident and relaxed when being handled. does that suggest he is the dominant one?

 

[Piggies&buns]

It sounds like it could be mounting and chasing then.

You will see an increase in dominance when they go to their new hutch - it’s a new territory again, but you can minimise it by using soiled bedding from their old hutch while they settle in. It will mean it will still smell of them and can make the transition a bit easier. Keeping territory changes to a minimum is a good idea - although to be clear, you are absolutely doing the right thing in getting them a bigger hutch, they need lots of room - and particularly once they are teenagers, cleaning out half the hutch at a time can help - doing the whole hutch at one time can (not always as some boars are less sensitive to it ) also cause the increased dominance. You are going to see scent marking though even if you do only clean half a time.

No that doesn’t suggest he is the dominant. Of my own boar pair, the confident piggy is the submissive, the nervous is the dominant. It’s the one who does the most mounting and rumbling Who is dominant. The other will accept being mounted and perhaps squeal and is submissive. (Although it can sometimes not be entirely clear but provided they know and accept their positions then there won’t be a problem - when my two were younger one mounted and one rumbled but they never swapped those roles - they were happy and knew who was who even if it wasn’t entirely evident all the time to me!)
It can be that a piggy who sits still when being handled is either properly enjoying it or is too scared to say otherwise so freezes in fear. One who struggles to get away can be more confident and settled and happy enough to say that they don’t like being handled.

The guides below a very useful in giving information on what to expect and dealing with teen boars. Being brothers does not have a bearing on their ability to have a good bond but more boar pairs do make it together than not. Know what is normal and know the signs of a problem but it is important not to step in too early and mistake dominance for fighting - all that does is interrupt their processes.

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

 

[Mummybean]

Thank you, that is all really helpful. I hadn’t really thought of them as adolescent because they feel like babies to us but what you are describing makes a lot of sense. I will keep an eye on them. We are thinking of getting a wildlife wireless cam for the hutch so we can get a better idea of what’s going on while.