Fighting Pigs

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Tom and Jerry

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We have had our pigs, Tom and Jery, since last October when they were bought as a 2 month old pair already living togther. They have been living togther fine since then but last week we went away and left them boarding. They were in a double storey hutch but I was told they never ventured down the ramp.

Since we have brought them home, they have been fighting, teeth chattering amd Jerry keeps trying to mount Tom. Tom is quite laid back and just moves but does get fed up and starts to chatter his teeth and retaliate. The first day / night back they both had scratches, although Jerry did seem to come off worst.

I was worried that they didn't have enough room after being in the hutch so put them into the big play pen but it got worse. Jerry will just not leave Tom alone. We did seperate them for an hour or two and they do seem to have settled slightly.

I can't work out who is the most dominant, whether it's Jerry as he is alway rumble strutting and trying to mount or is he doing this to become the dominant one?!?!

It seems strange that they were the best of friends when I left them. It is now day 3 of them being back home, so i am hoping things will settle back to normal soon. Is this likely?
 
So the boys are around the 10 month age now...it can take up until around 18 months before things settle I believe.
It does make me worry that they've been boarded out and this has happened - are you certain they've not been in contact/near sows at any time as this can set boars off if one has been near a lady :( ? It may well be as you suggested, lack of space as boars do need their own room.
All I can advise is to keep a close eye on them, let them sort it out as long as it doesn't become a fight...difficult I know :( They may realise that they're back home, lots more space so no need to bicker over things and calm down.
Distractions are useful, a pile of hay in the centre of pens, toys etc. so they go off and forget the squabble...
Keep us posted. Sometimes a bath together may do the trick so they both smell the same - may be an idea so there are no smells from boarding..
 
Hmmm teenage boars can be awkward especially if something upsets the balance of things. You sound like you've been doing all the right stuff, plenty of space and two of everything will help keep bickering to a minimum but they are at that age where they will still be trying to vie for dominance.

As guineapigslave says boarding can be a bit strange so maybe a complete cage clean and a bath together will make everything smell and feel neutral so there is less to encourage dominance displays.

Let us know how you go and hopefully they sort themselves out. If they get too aggressive a more permanent separation might be needed :(
 
Thank you both for your replies.

Boarding was harder than i thought it would be. I can't really be sure if they were near sows or not,they were in a row of hutches but they were in the only double storey hutch and I was told they never ventured down the ramp. Saying that, I can't be 100% sure that the hutch had been throughly cleaned from it's previous occupants so could well be the smell of others lingering around. It was slightly traumatic when the women just took them off me put them in the hutch and walked off expecting me to follow, I wanted to say good bye and watch them settle first but wasn't allowed. I did have a quick peek back at them and only caught sight of poor Toms little sad face. I will admit I cried all the way home. Don't think they'll be boarded again.

Things seem to be settling down now. I'm fairly sure that if they were going to fight, it would have been done by now. We took them out for a cuddle yesterday and put them on a cushion we bought for them when they were smaller. It is really a squeeze to get them both on it together now they have grown but they both wanted to be on it. Everytime we took one of to hold in our arms, he would make his way back and there was no teeth chattering. Tom was very quiet but Jerry was make lots of sqeaking noises, not purring like he usually does when getting affection. I think he has been stressed out by the whole ordeal and is just trying to readjust.

I'm hoping a couple more days and things should be back to normal, fingers crossed.
 
Any stress on a pair of piggies will make fights more likely and it sounds like boarding was stressful for you and them! Hopefully now they are home and in familiar surroundings things will continue to settle.

Don't be put off boarding altogether but if you want to leave your boys again I would recommend visiting the place first before booking and having a good chat with the owner to make sure you are happy before you book. Or try a pet-sitting service that comes into your own home. Look for personal recommendations by people you trust who have small furries. I boarded my boys at one palce and although it was clean and tidy and they came home just fine it didn't sit right with me. The second time I went somewhere else, visited first, asked loads of questions and now I am a regular customer of theirs! The boys love it and don't want to come home! They even do meds, extra syringe feeds etc as well if I need it.
 
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