Help guinea pigs fight and idk what to do with them

[Deleted member 148334]

I have 2 guinea pigs and they fight like jump and freak out and chew their teeth at eachother and one time they were chewing teeth at eachother and I reached to pet and calm down one then he fasty bit me very hard and a lot of blood was coming out and my finger was swollen and hand was shaking so I got them seperate cages and then I heard untill blood is shed there is still a chance they will get along so I let them out their cage while I was there and didn’t let them get really close to each other to were they can attack each other and gave them carrots and then they started chewing their teeth and trying to get close to eachother and I kept trying to stop them when they got too close but then the other one bit me hard on my hand and I pulled my hand back fast and they started jumping at each other like they were in a ball and pulling out each other fur like crazy and then I separated them with a cover I had and put them back in their cages. So I don’t think they will ever make up or get along but I hear all the time guinea pigs need atleast one friend and I can’t get 2 guinea pigs to give them both company so should I just give them each to a different person?

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry it didn’t work out between them. I think the first time could have lead to a fight if you hadn’t intervened.

The next best thing to living with a friend is living as a neighbour. So if possible, have their cages next to each other. They can still have the companionship that they need. It’s about more than sharing living space - there’s scent, body language and sight.

Make sure they have the correct size cage each - 120x60cm minimum. If they seem to bar bite or are riled up next to each other, you can cover the shared side with something solid. Give them a while and remove the cover slowly. Hopefully by then they would be calmed down.

Out of interest: how old are they, are they boars or sows, how long had you had them and what was their previous setup? How long has they been together before you took them on?

 

[Wiebke]

I have 2 guinea pigs and they fight like jump and freak out and chew their teeth at eachother and one time they were chewing teeth at eachother and I reached to pet and calm down one then he fasty bit me very hard and a lot of blood was coming out and my finger was swollen and hand was shaking so I got them seperate cages and then I heard untill blood is shed there is still a chance they will get along so I let them out their cage while I was there and didn’t let them get really close to each other to were they can attack each other and gave them carrots and then they started chewing their teeth and trying to get close to eachother and I kept trying to stop them when they got too close but then the other one bit me hard on my hand and I pulled my hand back fast and they started jumping at each other like they were in a ball and pulling out each other fur like crazy and then I separated them with a cover I had and put them back in their cages. So I don’t think they will ever make up or get along but I hear all the time guinea pigs need atleast one friend and I can’t get 2 guinea pigs to give them both company so should I just give them each to a different person?

Hi and welcome

What gender are your piggies, how old are they/how long have you had them and how big is their cage? I assume that you have teenage boars?

Once you see fighting balls, it usually means the end of the road for a mis-matched pair of clashing personalities. Please separate your piggies immediately.
Follow the very practical and detailed advice in these links here:
- Teenage boars (4-14 months): Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
- Sows and adults Bonds In Trouble

A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours


Please NEVER go in between riled up piggies with bare hands; any sudden movement will trigger deep full-on instinctive defence bites. Defence bites can do lasting damage to an unprotected hand.
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

 

[Deleted member 148334]

I’m sorry it didn’t work out between them. I think the first time could have lead to a fight if you hadn’t intervened.

The next best thing to living with a friend is living as a neighbour. So if possible, have their cages next to each other. They can still have the companionship that they need. It’s about more than sharing living space - there’s scent, body language and sight.

Make sure they have the correct size cage each - 120x60cm minimum. If they seem to bar bite or are riled up next to each other, you can cover the shared side with something solid. Give them a while and remove the cover slowly. Hopefully by then they would be calmed down.

Out of interest: how old are they, are they boars or sows, how long had you had them and what was their previous setup? How long has they been together before you took them on?

One is about 1 year old and the other is like 3 months and I don’t know what boars and downs are and their previous set up was a cage with bedding and a water bottle and food bowl and what do you mean by the last question? At first when I got them the 1 year was humping him and I hearr see it’s just to show dominance and once they establish dominance it will be ok. I had two guinea pigs before them that lived together in the same cage and set up and they were like best friends. Thanks for answering

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Hi and welcome

What gender are your piggies, how old are they/how long have you had them and how big is their cage? I assume that you have teenage boars?

Once you see fighting balls, it usually means the end of the road for a mis-matched pair of clashing personalities. Please separate your piggies immediately.
Follow the very practical and detailed advice in these links here:
- Teenage boars (4-14 months): Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
- Sows and adults Bonds In Trouble

A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours


Please NEVER go in between riled up piggies with bare hands; any sudden movement will trigger deep full-on instinctive defence bites. Defence bites can do lasting damage to an unprotected hand.
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

They are both male and one is about 1 year old and the other is about 3 months I don’t know the cage size but it was probably about 24x47 but now they are separated in different cages that is about that size. Yes I just get scared and put my hand there so they don’t fight I’m not going to do that again . Thank you for asnwering

 

[Wiebke]

They are both male and one is about 1 year old and the other is about 3 months I don’t know the cage size but it was probably about 24x47 but now they are separated in different cages that is about that size. Yes I just get scared and put my hand there so they don’t fight I’m not going to do that again . Thank you for asnwering

Your little boy has obviously just experienced the strong first hormone spike when the testicles start descending; this is the time when a boar switches from being a 'school boy' in need of a guardian/teacher boar to a teenager setting out to master their environment and to start their own independent boar career.. Boar pairs stand and fall with the boys making it through teenage.

Unfortunately, when they have such a big hubbub right at the start of the tricky months with the biggest challenge yet to come, then the personality match as adults is usually not there. Any piggy bond ultimately stands and falls with a personality match and mutual liking - and there is sadly no magic wand measure that can change that, as little as with humans...

I am sorry; it is always such a gutting experience. Please don't knee jerk. Take the time to think things through and to plan how to go on; do your research. We are here to help you with practical experiences and feedback as you explore the various options open to you. Any solution has to fit your personal circumstances and availabilties as much as your boys' needs. There is no 'one size fits all' advice.

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Your little boy has obviously just experienced the strong first hormone spike when the testicles start descending; this is the time when a boar switches from being a 'school boy' in need of a guardian/teacher boar to a teenager setting out to master their environment and to start their own independent boar career.. Boar pairs stand and fall with the boys making it through teenage.

Unfortunately, when they have such a big hubbub right at the start of the tricky months with the biggest challenge yet to come, then the personality match as adults is usually not there. Any piggy bond ultimately stands and falls with a personality match and mutual liking - and there is sadly no magic wand measure that can change that, as little as with humans...

I am sorry; it is always such a gutting experience. Please don't knee jerk. Take the time to think things through and to plan how to go on; do your research. We are here to help you with practical experiences and feedback as you explore the various options open to you. Any solution has to fit your personal circumstances and availabilties as much as your boys' needs. There is no 'one size fits all' advice.

Thanks. Right now they are separated in different cages and seem happy as long as they don’t see each other. Do you think Its ok to keep them like this in separate cages and have neither of them have another guinea pig in the cage with them ?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks. Right now they are separated in different cages and seem happy as long as they don’t see each other. Do you think Its ok to keep them like this in separate cages and have neither of them have another guinea pig in the cage with them ?

Please move the cages next to each other in a couple of days or so once the hormone spike has died down. For the long term, they will still need each other for mutual stimulation and company.
Piggies are not wired to be on their own; while your boys will do better with having separate territories, they will still need the round the clock mutual interaction for their long term mental wellbeing. Guinea pigs communicate by scent (pheromones), by body language for key messages and by voice, which generally expresses the strength of their feelings and modifies their body language signals or vice versa. It is much more complex than most owners expect.

Any initial territorial dominance behaviours will die down within a few days and may only flare up again occasionally once your little one has another teenage hormone spike.

Please read the links in my previous post about teenage and behaviours. It is not one solid block but has distinct stages so you can understand and brace better.
The A-Z behaviour guide has an entry about territorial behaviours so you can spot and understand them.

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Please move the cages next to each other in a couple of days or so once the hormone spike has died down. For the long term, they will still need each other for mutual stimulation and company.
Piggies are not wired to be on their own; while your boys will do better with having separate territories, they will still need the round the clock mutual interaction for their long term mental wellbeing. Guinea pigs communicate by scent (pheromones), by body language for key messages and by voice, which generally expresses the strength of their feelings and modifies their body language signals or vice versa. It is much more complex than most owners expect.

Any initial territorial dominance behaviours will die down within a few days and may only flare up again occasionally once your little one has another teenage hormone spike.

Please read the links in my previous post about teenage and behaviours. It is not one solid block but has distinct stages so you can understand and brace better.
The A-Z behaviour guide has an entry about territorial behaviours so you can spot and understand them.

I don’t have room to put them next to eachother so one is stable above the other is that ok?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I don’t have room to put them next to eachother so one is stable above the other is that ok?

Unfortunately it’s not ideal as they cannot communicate with each other if one is above the other. Single piggies do really need to be side by side so they can still interact through the bars and not be lonely

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Please move the cages next to each other in a couple of days or so once the hormone spike has died down. For the long term, they will still need each other for mutual stimulation and company.
Piggies are not wired to be on their own; while your boys will do better with having separate territories, they will still need the round the clock mutual interaction for their long term mental wellbeing. Guinea pigs communicate by scent (pheromones), by body language for key messages and by voice, which generally expresses the strength of their feelings and modifies their body language signals or vice versa. It is much more complex than most owners expect.

Any initial territorial dominance behaviours will die down within a few days and may only flare up again occasionally once your little one has another teenage hormone spike.

Please read the links in my previous post about teenage and behaviours. It is not one solid block but has distinct stages so you can understand and brace better.
The A-Z behaviour guide has an entry about territorial behaviours so you can spot and understand them.

I can’t put the cages next to each other there isn’t enough space

Unfortunately it’s not ideal as they cannot communicate with each other if one is above the other. Single piggies do really need to be side by side so they can still interact through the bars and not be lonely

what should I do then I do not have space to put them next to eachother

 

[Wiebke]

I can’t put the cages next to each other there isn’t enough space

what should I do then I do not have space to put them next to eachother

That is just a 2x4 ft /60-120 cm cage, isn't it?

Have you got space for a divided puppy or panelled rabbit run you could put up and fold away again to give your boys some daily alongside time?

 

[Siikibam]

Is there anything you can move around in their current room so they’re wide by side? Or is your table large enough to have both cages up there? You could put them side by side in an L formation if you can’t have them parallel to each other. Or is there an option to move them to a different room? Hopefully we can help you work out the best solution for you all. Please don’t be disheartened. You obviously love them loads already so you’re doing well

 

[Deleted member 148334]

That is just a 2x4 ft /60-120 cm cage, isn't it?

Have you got space for a divided puppy or panelled rabbit run you could put up and fold away again to give your boys some daily alongside time?

Yes I have space but they do see eachother about a hour everyday because I let out the one on the top out his cage to run around

 

[Wiebke]

Yes I have space but they do see eachother about a hour everyday because I let out the one on the top out his cage to run around

Can you extend that time?

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Is there anything you can move around in their current room so they’re wide by side? Or is your table large enough to have both cages up there? You could put them side by side in an L formation if you can’t have them parallel to each other. Or is there an option to move them to a different room? Hopefully we can help you work out the best solution for you all. Please don’t be disheartened. You obviously love them loads already so you’re doing well

I can’t move them to a different room or any of that but I can put them in a L shape but it will take up all the room in my room they have time to see each other for about 1 hour a day with one in the cage and one out

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Can you extend that time?

Yes

 

[Siikibam]

Do see if you can extend the time they spend next to each other. Perhaps you could piggy proof the room so the one in the run can’t escape. Do you give the downstairs piggy time in the run as well?

 

[Deleted member 148334]

Do see if you can extend the time they spend next to each other. Perhaps you could piggy proof the room so the one in the run can’t escape. Do you give the downstairs piggy time in the run as well?

Yes they both have about a hour to be out but while the top one is out they both chatter their teeth at eachother but he comes out at the same time everyday so I think they will start to get used to it. How long should I let them each run for