Help My Boars Bond...

[hayleighm175]

Hiya, so I have 2 males- Harvey and Hazelnut. Both were purchased together and have always got along lovely.
However, they have been separated for around 9 weeks now (in different cages) as Harvey went to my friends to breed..
now he's back I'm trying to house them together again.
I brought them in together yesterday to play loose, and they're chatting their teeth together and fighting.
Any suggestions?
Will these boars be able to bond again?
Thanks!

 

[hayleighm175]

Would castration help?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

Please be aware that you have broken the bond that your boars have had by separating them without need and for such a long time. No boar who has been with sows likes being demoted in status to being a bachelor again, especially if you haven't given him a break.

Have you tried intros on neutral ground or just stuck them together in your other boar's territory, which he will strongly object to?

Neutering is not going to change anything; all it does is prevent boars from making babies, but unlike with rabbits, it does not not change their behaviour, their personality or their relationship, nor does it change how they will get on.

You can try intros on neutral ground again after a cooling down period and see how it goes, but please don't hold your breath, especially not if your boys are in the hormonal teenage months between 4-14 months of age and at their most difficult to bond.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

Please be aware that we do not support any intentional breeding on this forum, not least because it messes around with guinea pig social life and ignores their existing own bonds and needs, as you are now finding out to your cost, not to mention the risk to the lives for mum and any pups from having the highest risk birthing complications of all rodents. I most sincerely hope that your friend has done her research into the welfare of her poor sows (like a good diet and enough space) and not just into the technicalities of how to make babies, and that she is also aware how important it is to correctly sex and separate any baby boars at 3 weeks old.
Here are our forum rules: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/terms-and-rules/

 

[hayleighm175]

Hiya, thank you ^^.
I introduced them on the living room floor, after sitting on my lap for a while.
Harvey has been at home in his own cage for 2 weeks, before I reintroduced him to his friend.
Harvey was put with one sow at my friends, and she'll be keeping the babies.
I personally don't know much about breeding.. they're pets to me!

They were fine on my lap, it was just on the floor they weren't keen! I wouldn't put them in each others cages

 

[Wiebke]

Hiya, thank you ^^.
I introduced them on the living room floor, after sitting on my lap for a while.
Harvey has been at home in his own cage for 2 weeks, before I reintroduced him to his friend.
Harvey was put with one sow at my friends, and she'll be keeping the babies.
I personally don't know much about breeding.. they're pets to me!

They were fine on my lap, it was just on the floor they weren't keen! I wouldn't put them in each others cages

If the hostilities between them are too great, then it is not worth trying to put them back together. You could wait and see whether your friend is going to have two boar babies, so you could try and bond one each with your two boys when the babies are old enough to be separated. Most boars are pretty good with babies.
Could you please give these two threads to your friend:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/ (a good diet is key to having a healthy mum and healthy, ideal sized babies)
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies.109391/