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Fighting After Separation Due To Illness

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oxtinamona

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi,
My boar Presley and his sow Penelope were separated in their cage with the divider due to Presley's abscess.
It's been almost 2 weeks so we put them together after joint lap times yesterday and today.
And to my surprise they got in a squabble!
Not sure if there are any cuts and I haven't had a chance to check them yet!
I really have no luck with pigs! I thought once sow and boar lived together for a while then it's unlikely for them fall out.
After they fought in their cage I took them out once they calmed down and tied to bond them on my lap. It was ok for few mins and I gave them food and they kicked off again.
I must be doomed. My two original pigs fells out. Took me months to find company for one for he girls who kept rejecting every piggie we introduced her to.
Now this... any advice or is this the end ?

Their squabble looked a bit like this:
Please wait till the end.
Today it was a bit more vicious. They tumbled for a while and I struggled to separate them as they were more persistent to continue I guess. I wish I had a video of today's ordeal :(

I am not only drained because of Presley's ilness ( I don't think he is 100% back to norm) but this I didn't see coming at all
 
When I had a trio, one of my sows had an op for an abscess & when I tried to reunite them immediately after the top sow attacked her :( I think it was the smell of the anaesthetic. I kept them separate for a few days then bathed all three following @Wiebke 's advice & then put them in a pen with nothing but piles of hay & food & sat watching them all day. The rebonding took a few hours & there were some hairy moments (lunging, hissing even by top sow!) but at the end of the afternoon they were all ok again & never fell out after that. I don't think you should bath our boy so soon after his op though. Did you put them both back into a thoroughly clean cage so there were no smells? Even putting in new chubes/changing where the hay is placed can help confuse them a bit, which you want, so it distracts them :)
 
Hi,
My boar Presley and his sow Penelope were separated in their cage with the divider due to Presley's abscess.
It's been almost 2 weeks so we put them together after joint lap times yesterday and today.
And to my surprise they got in a squabble!
Not sure if there are any cuts and I haven't had a chance to check them yet!
I really have no luck with pigs! I thought once sow and boar lived together for a while then it's unlikely for them fall out.
After they fought in their cage I took them out once they calmed down and tied to bond them on my lap. It was ok for few mins and I gave them food and they kicked off again.
I must be doomed. My two original pigs fells out. Took me months to find company for one for he girls who kept rejecting every piggie we introduced her to.
Now this... any advice or is this the end ?

Their squabble looked a bit like this:
Please wait till the end.
Today it was a bit more vicious. They tumbled for a while and I struggled to separate them as they were more persistent to continue I guess. I wish I had a video of today's ordeal :(

I am not only drained because of Presley's ilness ( I don't think he is 100% back to norm) but this I didn't see coming at all

I am very sorry - a medical separation is one of the few things that can cause a fall-out if either one of the guinea pigs decides that the other is no longer part of "us" (i.e. the group), if the hierarchy has been upturned and the previous underpiggy is not backing down or if there have been underlying relationship issues that have come to the fore after a separation. It is always very upsetting and gutting. Please keep them as next door neighbours.

If it is any consolation - it's happened to me, too. The majority of guinea pig will go back together again, but not always, especially when there have been changes in the hierarchy in the absence. :(

Try again once Presley is back to full health and see how that goes.
 
I am very sorry - a medical separation is one of the few things that can cause a fall-out if either one of the guinea pigs decides that the other is no longer part of "us" (i.e. the group), if the hierarchy has been upturned and the previous underpiggy is not backing down or if there have been underlying relationship issues that have come to the fore after a separation. It is always very upsetting and gutting. Please keep them as next door neighbours.

If it is any consolation - it's happened to me, too. The majority of guinea pig will go back together again, but not always, especially when there have been changes in the hierarchy in the absence. :(

Try again once Presley is back to full health and see how that goes.

Oh dear oh dear, as i feared. Penelope, the inderpiggy seems to be one with issue now. Perhaps she knows he is not 100% and is rejecting his authority?
 
Oh dear oh dear, as i feared. Penelope, the inderpiggy seems to be one with issue now. Perhaps she knows he is not 100% and is rejecting his authority?

That is my hope! Try again when he is full back to health; as long as they are not biting, see wether they can fight it out and settle down afterwards.
It may work or not; but that is not something that you can influence - you can't sit them down and tell them to negotiate in an amicable manner which of them is to come on top if both want it that badly. Relationship is a dynamic and not a static process.
 
When I had a trio, one of my sows had an op for an abscess & when I tried to reunite them immediately after the top sow attacked her :( I think it was the smell of the anaesthetic. I kept them separate for a few days then bathed all three following @Wiebke 's advice & then put them in a pen with nothing but piles of hay & food & sat watching them all day. The rebonding took a few hours & there were some hairy moments (lunging, hissing even by top sow!) but at the end of the afternoon they were all ok again & never fell out after that. I don't think you should bath our boy so soon after his op though. Did you put them both back into a thoroughly clean cage so there were no smells? Even putting in new chubes/changing where the hay is placed can help confuse them a bit, which you want, so it distracts them :)

I cleaned the cage, changed the layout but perhaps it wasn't enough and I should have done it on neutral ground.

They never were a perfect couple if that makes sense. Sometimes Presley gave Penelope hard time and caused her cornering her and chattering teeth at her..
They seemed to be more settled over past two months or so...
Perhaps I should have tried on neutral ground in a play pen set up... I didn't expect that. Thought bond between sows and boars is stronger but evidently they aren't that strongly glued together.

I have a feeling that this is not going to improve.
They had their differences always and I think now that's just going to come out properly.
The only consolation is that we can take Penelope back to rescue we got her from and it's a wonderful rescue.

It's just going to cost me another heart break, as I love Penelope dearly and she is one of the funniest piggies ever.

Not having much luck with piggies :(
 
I cleaned the cage, changed the layout but perhaps it wasn't enough and I should have done it on neutral ground.

They never were a perfect couple if that makes sense. Sometimes Presley gave Penelope hard time and caused her cornering her and chattering teeth at her..
They seemed to be more settled over past two months or so...

Best try on neutral ground next time, but there are obviously some underlying issues, too, which come into it. penelope may have decided that she is happier without having Presley in her territory, especially if she is jumping at him and making it clear that she really doesn't want him in her personal space.
 
Best try on neutral ground next time, but there are obviously some underlying issues, too, which come into it.

I think I will give them a week and try next weekend so I can watch them.
Do you think I should bathe them? Presley op was on Tuesday 2 weeks ago and his wound is fully healed
.
X
 
I think I will give them a week and try next weekend so I can watch them.
Do you think I should bathe them? Presley op was on Tuesday 2 weeks ago and his wound is fully healed
.
X

No. This is about dominance and it comes down it in end whatever you do.

Bathing is only useful when you have had to separate two fighting boars that are covered in testosterone laden pee and reeking to high heaven to prevent them from getting riled up straight away again by the pheromones.
 
No. This is about dominance and it comes down it in end whatever you do.

Bathing is only useful when you have had to separate two fighting boars that are covered in testosterone laden pee and reeking to high heaven to prevent them from getting riled up straight away again by the pheromones.

:( ah...I suppose we can't do anything else than wait another week and try again on neutral ground I suppose...
Slim chances so I'm prepared for bad outcome. C'est la vie. Apparently French were right - especially when it comes to pigs :(
 
:( ah...I suppose we can't do anything else than wait another week and try again on neutral ground I suppose...
Slim chances so I'm prepared for bad outcome. C'est la vie. Apparently French were right - especially when it comes to pigs :(

They have very much their own minds... They can still live next to each other if it all fails.

I am currently sitting here with two bereaved single cranky old ladies that won't accept even the mildest piggy companion, and not for lack of trying - included of course, the spectacularly failed attempt to bond Ms Asbo and Ms Sneaky Devil with each other! And I have another two that are on the last companion they'll accept... All four of them want to come on top. :mal:
 
They have very much their own minds... They can still live next to each other if it all fails.

I am currently sitting here with two bereaved single cranky old ladies that won't accept even the mildest piggy companion, and not for lack of trying - included of course, the spectacularly failed attempt to bond Ms Asbo and Ms Sneaky Devil with each other! And I have another two that are on the last companion they'll accept... All four of them want to come on top. :mal:

Power hungry little sillies.
I have just checke these two thoroughly (with them wriggling in every possible direction whilst checking their fur)and they have no cuts and bites at all.
We can't have them in cages next to each other long term, as we already have 3 cages and that is actually the max we can have. At the moment Presley is in 2x2 and that cannot prolong because of course he needs space. I will get him or in a pen this week, but all in all we originally had 2 pigs. They fell out and that's how we ended up with 6. Multiple changes in lay out in our living room allowed us somehow to fit 3 huge cages in, but that's it.

We cannot stretch further and I still think that of they will definitely fall out they they should be given change for a happy relationship. I just think theirs was not 100% spot on love from first sight like it happens with most piggies.

We just are unlucky in that aspect... all in all, we will let them calm down and seeehy happens next week. Hopefully they'll work it out and if not, we should then have plan B.
 
@Wiebke
I think that the chances of these two getting along are slim. Just popped back to the room to check on them and Presley was chewing bars whilst Penelope was sitting right in front of him all fruffed up and she made a massive yawn twice. He then started teeth chattering and then she joined ins Not the best sign :(.m
 
@Wiebke
I think that the chances of these two getting along are slim. Just popped back to the room to check on them and Presley was chewing bars whilst Penelope was sitting right in front of him all fruffed up and she made a massive yawn twice. He then started teeth chattering and then she joined ins Not the best sign :(.m

No, it doesn't look promising. :(
 
Yup they keep doing it. He chews the bars, she chatters and then runs off and comes back with more chatter and yawning :(

Just kep them like this, and things will settle down eventually once they have got the hostile encounter out of their system. But I would not do another intro; it really sounds like they have made up their mind about that.

HUGS
 
Just kep them like this, and things will settle down eventually once they have got the hostile encounter out of their system. But I would not do another intro; it really sounds like they have made up their mind about that.

HUGS

Oh gosh really? I mean, not even try over next weekend? This means Penelope will have to go back to Cavy Corner :(
I spoke to Sue and she said to try bonding them...
I fell horrible thinking about taking her back, but we can't keep her as we have no room for two lone pigs.
This is just awful. I didn't know bonding after ilness can be such challenge for once bonded piggies.
 
Oh gosh really? I mean, not even try over next weekend? This means Penelope will have to go back to Cavy Corner :(
I spoke to Sue and she said to try bonding them...
I fell horrible thinking about taking her back, but we can't keep her as we have no room for two lone pigs.
This is just awful. I didn't know bonding after ilness can be such challenge for once bonded piggies.

I would give it another try, but you need to be patient and wait until all signs of hostility have settled down and hey are back on speaking terms, otherwise you are heading straight for a repeat of the scrapping. It is impossible to say whether they go together again or not; I would recommend to not get your hopes up too high as it could go either way. All depends on whether they can sort the dominance between them or not.
 
I would give it another try, but you need to be patient and wait until all signs of hostility have settled down and hey are back on speaking terms, otherwise you are heading straight for a repeat of the scrapping. It is impossible to say whether they go together again or not; I would recommend to not get your hopes up too high as it could go either way. All depends on whether they can sort the dominance between them or not.

My partner and I just had a chat and we will leave them separated for now. Next weekend they will swap cages with the girl couple upstairs and it's rectangular 5x2 cage so will be easier to divide. They'll have 2.5x2 for now, which is not the size I'd want them in but we haven't see this coming they will stay separated. we will try gently bonding them in 2 weeks when his antibiotics and anaesthetic (he had two in consecutive days due to complications poor thing) are completely out of his system and then we will attempt bonding again on completely neautral ground. Realistically, I'm prepared for failure, so we have two options:
A)Take Penelope back to Sue and Winston
B) keep them separately. We will be upgrading the cage soon anyway (again :hb::mal:- I can't help myself always improving) and then we can give them 2.5 x 2.5 each which is ill give them plenty of room to zoom. Other couples will have 5x2.5.

This will work ok, so it'll be a matter of deciding if it is fair on such young piggies to leave alone with a neighbour only x

Next few weeks will show. Keep your fingers crossed as who knows, miracles happen and it'll be Christmas soon :)

I will keep you posted - thank you for all the advice
 
My partner and I just had a chat and we will leave them separated for now. Next weekend they will swap cages with the girl couple upstairs and it's rectangular 5x2 cage so will be easier to divide. They'll have 2.5x2 for now, which is not the size I'd want them in but we haven't see this coming they will stay separated. we will try gently bonding them in 2 weeks when his antibiotics and anaesthetic (he had two in consecutive days due to complications poor thing) are completely out of his system and then we will attempt bonding again on completely neautral ground. Realistically, I'm prepared for failure, so we have two options:
A)Take Penelope back to Sue and Winston
B) keep them separately. We will be upgrading the cage soon anyway (again :hb::mal:- I can't help myself always improving) and then we can give them 2.5 x 2.5 each which is ill give them plenty of room to zoom. Other couples will have 5x2.5.

This will work ok, so it'll be a matter of deciding if it is fair on such young piggies to leave alone with a neighbour only x

Next few weeks will show. Keep your fingers crossed as who knows, miracles happen and it'll be Christmas soon :)

I will keep you posted - thank you for all the advice

It is never a great situation. At least you have got options and a very supportive rescue at your back that can help find a new girl to Presley's liking if things go wrong (especially in view of all their young mums and babies they've currently looking after and also pair up Penelope with submissive mate if necessary. It is always a bitter decision, so I hope that things calm down and that Presley and Penelope can settle down again once Presley is feeling better again.

Fingers very firmly crossed!
 
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