Fighting With My Piggies

[My_little_Piggy]

I have two male guinea named Sam and Dean. They are brothers, I got them from a shelter and they are such fighters. They will try to bite, have big blowouts and will chase each other and start fight when one is being peaceful. Yet they are in sperate cages and they will lay next to each other but that does not last long. I believe they have a broken bond or their fight for dominance is going to far but Dean has speration anxiety from his brother. However Sam is so much happier with out Dean. He will popcorn and make happy noises. I'm trying to help Dean with his separation anxiety but if he is not with his brother the lound squeaks when his brother is not near. However that happen rarely and when I do get Sam all goes down the drain. They will rumble, hump, bite. I will separate them. I don't know what to do. Any I ideas.

 

[Wiebke]

I have two male guinea named Sam and Dean. They are brothers, I got them from a shelter and they are such fighters. They will try to bite, have big blowouts and will chase each other and start fight when one is being peaceful. Yet they are in sperate cages and they will lay next to each other but that does not last long. I believe they have a broken bond or their fight for dominance is going to far but Dean has speration anxiety from his brother. However Sam is so much happier with out Dean. He will popcorn and make happy noises. I'm trying to help Dean with his separation anxiety but if he is not with his brother the lound squeaks when his brother is not near. However that happen rarely and when I do get Sam all goes down the drain. They will rumble, hump, bite. I will separate them. I don't know what to do. Any I ideas.

Hi and welcome!

It sounds like Dean has massive issues but if Sam is noticeably perking up when away from his mate, then he is very stressed out and the bond is not working for him.
Please have a read through this guide here. it will take you through all your options.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

In your case, neutering Dean so he can live with a sow after his 6 weeks post-op safety wait may be a sustainable long term option as cross gender bondings, once initial acceptance has happened, are the most stable of all bondings - and the dynamics are very different from a boar bond. Rescues with spayed sows are far and few in between and there are none in the UK.
With Sam you can look at rescue boar dating or neutering to find him a new character compatible mate of his own choice.
Until then, the boys are best as neighbours in adjoining pens.
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

However, the cost of a neutering operation and vet access can vary enormously around the world, so it would be very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county your account details (via your username on the top bar) so we can tailor our advice to what is available and relevant where you are straight away. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. Our standard advice is UK based. It saves us all time and allows us to help you work out what is the best way forward for you much more efficiently. Thank you!

 

[My_little_Piggy]

Hi and welcome!

It sounds like Dean has massive issues but if Sam is noticeably perking up when away from his mate, then he is very stressed out and the bond is not working for him.
Please have a read through this guide here. it will take you through all your options.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

In your case, neutering Dean so he can live with a sow after his 6 weeks post-op safety wait may be a sustainable long term option as cross gender bondings, once initial acceptance has happened, are the most stable of all bondings - and the dynamics are very different from a boar bond. Rescues with spayed sows are far and few in between and there are none in the UK.
With Sam you can look at rescue boar dating or neutering to find him a new character compatible mate of his own choice.
Until then, the boys are best as neighbours in adjoining pens.
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

However, the cost of a neutering operation and vet access can vary enormously around the world, so it would be very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county your account details (via your username on the top bar) so we can tailor our advice to what is available and relevant where you are straight away. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. Our standard advice is UK based. It saves us all time and allows us to help you work out what is the best way forward for you much more efficiently. Thank you!

We are going to to that. Right now they are about 7 to 8 months. But my mom has said if this does not stop that we will neuter both and do that. However we want to see if it will work. So right now they just get supervisored play time and cages next to each other

 

[Reenie]

If your boys aren't getting on, it's not a good idea to give them floor time together. Each time they meet like that, they will start disputing hierarchy from scratch, and you might end up with a massive fight on your hands. Best just let them interact through the bars until you decide what you want to do in the future. Good luck x

 

[My_little_Piggy]

They still have floor time. But they are fighting less. They don't hump anymore but they still chase and teeth chatter. When I first got them I would separate them at a teeth chattering. But now they are getting along better. They will eat hay together but you will hear a rumble but that's it. They don't bite and more. They have been getting daily time together so I think that is the biggest help. So they are getting so much better. They are having relax time together

 

[Swissgreys]

Please read the thread that Wiebke linked to above.
She is the Forum expert on bonding and relationships.

Guinea pigs do not do 'play time' or 'play dates'.
Every time you put them together they need to both work to try and establish a heirachy.
This is hard work and stressful, and is only necessary if there is a good chance they will live together in the long term.

Sadly once a guinea pig has made up it's mind about whether it can live with a certain pig, then it rarely changes it - I know this from my own personal expereince.
As hard as it is to accept, it does sound like your boys have chosen not to be friends, and placing them together for 'playtime' is not really fair.

If you do feel that they could live together without fighting then you need to set up a neutral area and follow the bonding through until the end.
This can take hours, so be prepared to wait it out alongside them.

 

[Reggie&Chunk]

I would keep them split, my boys had a big fight which resulted in Chunk ripping Reggies ear in half! Not something you expect to come home to but we should have seen it coming. They used to rumble, chatter and square up to each other a lot. Sadly, due to inexperience, we didn’t pick up on it in time. They happily live next to each other as I didn’t want to give either of them up but didn’t have the room for more pigs. Not ideal I know but at least they can talk through the bars and still have piggy company without fights. I hope you can sort something out.

 

[Seven7]

I have two male guinea named Sam and Dean. They are brothers, I got them from a shelter and they are such fighters. They will try to bite, have big blowouts and will chase each other and start fight when one is being peaceful. Yet they are in sperate cages and they will lay next to each other but that does not last long. I believe they have a broken bond or their fight for dominance is going to far but Dean has speration anxiety from his brother. However Sam is so much happier with out Dean. He will popcorn and make happy noises. I'm trying to help Dean with his separation anxiety but if he is not with his brother the lound squeaks when his brother is not near. However that happen rarely and when I do get Sam all goes down the drain. They will rumble, hump, bite. I will separate them. I don't know what to do. Any I ideas.

I just wondered what size your cage is? I heard size does matter when two boars are living together.
Also, are they teenagers now, going through growing pains?
Have they drawn blood while fighting?

 

[Siikibam]

I think you need to keep them separate while you decide whether you’ll try bonding them again or neuter and pair with a sow. In the meantime, please don’t give them floor time together. As said. It’s stressful for them to have to go through dominance repeatedly. If you do decide to try again, make sure the area is neutral (no smells from either of them) and that you have several hours to spare.

Also, mentioned above, how big is the cage they were in together? Unfortunately boys can be territorial so 150cm+ is best for them. And two of everything