Guinea pigs keep fighting and biting

Sarah_Kat

New Born Pup
Joined
Mar 7, 2021
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
35
Location
United States
i have 3 guinea pigs, all male 2 of them are always fighting, chattering their teeth, and sometimes even getting into fights where they bite or attack. their names and finn and peanut, the other one is named CoCoa and he doesn’t get into near as bad fights or as many as they do. Finn and peanut just got into an attack fight so i separated them. i am currently i’m holding it peanut and i realized that there is a scab on his ear. now i’ve seen them biting each other before, mainly cocoa. and i’ve read that their fighting because they’re tryna find their alpha pig. but this has been going on for 7 months since i got them back in december. it hasn’t really gotten any better. i don’t know what to do at this point, i’ve watched tons of videos and tried to kinda calmly re-introduce them but it didn’t work. their not always fighting but when they do it can get bad. what do i do? and how can i protect their ears, or probably just mainly help them heal? can i use normal human products like neosporin? also sorry it’s hard to take a picture of them because they keep moving.

i have been trying to bond with them ever since i got them. i feed them carrots, i’ll pet them but they normally get scarred and run away. i tried taking it slow but they’re just so scared. i love them to death and hate that i can’t bond. and i’m afraid that they might never enjoy being out of their cage.
 

Attachments

  • image.webp
    image.webp
    31.4 KB · Views: 3
  • image.webp
    image.webp
    46 KB · Views: 3
  • image.webp
    image.webp
    40.9 KB · Views: 4
  • image.webp
    image.webp
    71.3 KB · Views: 4
  • image.webp
    image.webp
    97.5 KB · Views: 4
Sadly (as you are already seeing) a trio of males has a 95% fall out rate.
The reality is that these groups rarely get along, and it looks like your boys have made up their minds.

The kindest and best thing you can possibly do is respect their choices and separate your boys.
Keping them together i stressful for them and also dangerous.

Is there a pig that seem to work together?
If so keep them together and separate the single male.

You will find this guide helpful:
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
 
:agr: Boar trios rarely work. Unfortunately, they will need to be separated permanently as this sort of fighting (drawing blood, biting) is not simply dominance behaviour, and they could end up seriously harming each other if they are kept together.
 
It must be so stressful for them all living together like this. Please keep two together that get on the best and separate the third piggy. Make sure his cage is next to the others cage so they can see each other and still interact with each other. You could try getting the lone pig a new friend.
 
:agr:
As Swissgreys has said, keeping three boars together hardly ever works. Boars need to be kept in pairs only. They find it very hard to form a functioning hierarchy between three of them, and also three boars together also need a tremendous amount of space. Please do separate them into a functioning pair and a single piggy who can live alongside the pair for companionship through the bars only (or finding a character compatible friend for the single piggy and then having two separate pairs). They will be much happier like this.

In terms of you bonding with them, as prey animals, its normal for them to run away. The tips in these guides may help you
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
 
Boar trios generally do NOT work out. If it's been going on for months, they are unfortunately not going to sort this out. Your best bet is to keep the two that get along best together and look at getting another companion for your lone male.

Don't use neosporin on pigs- although it's safe topically, it contains an antibiotic that can be fatal to pigs if ingested. It's just not worth the risk that another pig could ingest it or that the affected pig could ingest it, even if he can't technically lick his own year. You can use non-antibiotic disinfectant, like watered-down betadine. However, the most important thing is to get him in a situation where he isn't being bitten!
 
Back
Top