fighting males :(

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nickyscavies

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I currently have 2 piggies both males, one is approx 17months old and the other is 6 months old. These were bonded together and seemed happy but the past two days, they have started with the teeth chattering and now both have a cut lip and are visibly fighting i have tried 3 or 4 times today to rebond them but the elder pig keeps chattering and going to attack. does anyone know if i will be able to successfully re-pair them or will they have to live a solitary life apart now? i also have 3 baby piggies all males coming next week, do you think these could be split with the original pair or kept seperate. any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks in advance
 
thanks i will look at those links, i wasnt sure with the younger one whether 2 or 3 babies would go with him and put one with the elder one. My friend breeds babies and these are from her first litter, but she bred a teddy and a rex in error so they are pet pigs and not pedigrees which obviously to me aint a problem. dont want to have this problem again in 6 months when babies grow bigger and with them all being brothers should they not really be bonded already and live happily as a threesome? I'm all a bit confused with it all :(
 
Here on the forum we don't really support breeding as we feel it's unfair to produce and breed more guinea pigs when there are thousands living in rescues in need of homes.
So we won't offer you advice on breeding but as your not breeding this wont be a problem. It's just i wanted to share my personal views.

Male guinea pigs will hit there teenage part of there life and can fight and i can only recommend you do what you can to prevent this by keeping them in pairs. By keeping in pairs and having two food dishes, food bowls etc. you have a lower chance of causing any fights. Young babies often bond well with older males as they take on a father role but again this should be one baby with one adult.

You'd have an odd number of piggies which may cause a problem as one would have no pair and guinea pigs should be kept with others.

Brothers or not piggies will fight.
 
What size caging do you have for the boys? This can be a major factor in stress building between them to the point of fighting and sadly once they have fought badly it is uncommon, though not impossible, for them to rebond.
 
You may find our boar guide helpful; it also contains more links.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162

Sadly for you, a successful boar bond ultimately depends on character compatibility and NOT on whether boars are litter mates. Boars go through a hormonal stroppy time between 4-14 months old and you will usually only know then whether things work out.

I have yet fingers free on my first hand for baby trios that have made it intact to adulthood; you are more likely to end up with either one boar bullying the others or one being bullied by the other two! If you are really unlucky, you can end up with three single boys. I would strongly recommend to rethink your options so you can stay within your own limits of what you can provide in the event that things don't work out.

I sincerely hope that your friend really knows what she is doing and has the time, means (to cover the not inconsiderable vet cost) and homes for any "surplus" piggies lined up - it doesn't sound encouraging!
Here is what the best medical website for guinea pigs has to say about breeding, including a link to what good standard breeding should be like: http://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html

We are coming across far too many carelessly bred piggies with no attention to the genetic damage down the line in the form of shortened lives and medical problems.
 
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nickyscavies said:
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I currently have 2 piggies both males, one is approx 17months old and the other is 6 months old. These were bonded together and seemed happy but the past two days, they have started with the teeth chattering and now both have a cut lip and are visibly fighting i have tried 3 or 4 times today to rebond them but the elder pig keeps chattering and going to attack. does anyone know if i will be able to successfully re-pair them or will they have to live a solitary life apart now? i also have 3 baby piggies all males coming next week, do you think these could be split with the original pair or kept seperate. any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks in advance
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You need to make sure you have enough space to keep males in pairs only; any larger group of males will almost certainly result in fighting at best, and having to be completely separated at worst. Male piggies need to be kept in as much space as possible - 120 cm cage minimum, and I would suggest larger if possible. Baby males are going to grow up, and as said above, the problems will start when they start feeling grown up from four months old. Boars are territorial, and need two of everything.

If all else fails, you will need to separate boars and get friends for them - female friends. Neutering costs about £75 to £90 per pig, plus there is a high risk of abscess infection which would need more cash to cure it. Please please please do NOT try and put five males together - you will end up with disaster : I would put my mortgage on it!
 
i currently have acage that is 120cm long but is a two tier, although they dont seemto go up and down the ramp, so i have closed the hole and seperated the males so no more fighting or teeth chattering occurs. I also have another cageof the same dimensions and structure which i was going to put the 3 babies together in but again now i am in serious doubt as what to do. I have been told different things as that cos the babies are bonded brothers they should be fine but again there is no real tell signs. My daughter gets the piggies out on a daily basis but i dont want them to lead a solitude life. such a dilemma to face
 
nickyscavies said:
i currently have acage that is 120cm long but is a two tier, although they dont seemto go up and down the ramp, so i have closed the hole and seperated the males so no more fighting or teeth chattering occurs. I also have another cageof the same dimensions and structure which i was going to put the 3 babies together in but again now i am in serious doubt as what to do. I have been told different things as that cos the babies are bonded brothers they should be fine but again there is no real tell signs. My daughter gets the piggies out on a daily basis but i dont want them to lead a solitude life. such a dilemma to face
Click to expand...

Multi tiered cages, although they offer more space, the guidelines are that one level must meet the required length and space for the amount of piggies house so a 120 two tier is fine for two piggies although for three it's recommended you go bigger.

Do you have to take in these three piggies and are you sure they are all males ?

Could you find space for another cage to house 3 pairs ?

Many people on here have faced similar dilemmas and i'm sure can offer better advice. (:
 
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