Help! My guinea pigs are hurting each other & I don’t know how to help!

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liv503

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Hey guys! I have two piggies, Wilbur and Pip. Wilbur is around one year old and Pip is about 5-6 months old. I have tried everything to bond them but they still fight over dominance. Pip has begun hurting my older pig, Wilbur, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t have room where I live to separate them effectively without completely ruining their amount of living space. Does anyone know of any advice? I love both of them very much and recently had to get Wilbur on antibiotics to prevent any systemic infection from beginning. :(( Poor guy. He is the more dominant one but somehow is the one getting bullied. I have checked the younger one for bites and scratches but have not found anything. Help! I feel so bad for these little guys but I am at a loss for what I can do. The tan one is Wilbur and the black and white one is Pip. Thank you guys in advance!02B99268-48DB-4741-A575-A5E290F58592.webp1627EA3E-1EDC-422E-83FF-7652A6A03E2A.webp
 
If injuries are being caused and they are having fights then I’m afraid their relationship is over they must be separated straight away. There is nothing you can do to fix a broken bond. Fights will continue to occur if they are no longer able to have a functioning relationship
Your younger piggy is now a teenager and it sounds as if he is trying to take over as dominant. This can happen when the hormones kick in and it can mean their bond breaks down.
To separate them they will need to be kept side by side and have a cage measuring a minimum of 120x60cm each.

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Hi!

I completely agree with @Piggies&buns 's advice. Please take the time to read the green links. They contain all the practical in-depth information that you need but that we cannot supply in every single thread.

I am sad that the bond has not worked out.
 
Piggies&buns said:
If injuries are being caused and they are having fights then I’m afraid their relationship is over they must be separated straight away. There is nothing you can do to fix a broken bond. Fights will continue to occur if they are no longer able to have a functioning relationship
Your younger piggy is now a teenager and it sounds as if he is trying to take over as dominant. This can happen when the hormones kick in and it can mean their bond breaks down.
To separate them they will need to be kept side by side and have a cage measuring a minimum of 120x60cm each.

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
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If I do not have room to separate them, I will probably have to rehome one correct? Also, is it always going to be hit or miss with a new piggie? I don’t want to have to keep adopting new ones and if it doesn’t work out, to have to put them back up for adoption. :( Poor guys you know?
 
Also, I have tried a trial separation but both Wilbur and Pip insisted on trying to eat the separator and Pip would eventually (SOMEHOW..) make it to the other side where Wilbur is.
 
I’m really sorry that they have decided they don’t want to live together anymore. It’s such a shame. There’s nothing more you can do to make them like each other. Poor Wilbur. Definitely separate them as soon as possible as it must be very stressful living with Pip. ❤️
 
liv503 said:
If I do not have room to separate them, I will probably have to rehome one correct? Also, is it always going to be hit or miss with a new piggie? I don’t want to have to keep adopting new ones and if it doesn’t work out, to have to put them back up for adoption. :( Poor guys you know?
Click to expand...

Separated piggies need to be side by side (120x60cm minimum each) so if you don’t have space for two cages or cannot split the one they have in half to give them each enough space , then rehoming one may be the decision you have to make - it does need to be your decision though.

Two piggies have to have character compatibility for a bond to work out. If you can surrender one to a rescue for rehoming. Also see if the rescue offer dating for the piggy you choose to keep. If he can have a date at a rescue centre with other piggies to find a friend, then you can be reassured of compatibility - if they can choose each other then they are more likely to have a long term bond. You then only bring home a new piggy if your piggy has accepted with friend - you aren’t then left in the position of failed bonds.
If you buy a piggy from a pet shop or rescue on spec without dating first (some centres will want you to take the piggy home, try to bond them yourself) then there is going to be the risk that they wont have compatibility and the bond will fail. however, the benefit of bonding on spec but with a piggy from a rescue centre is that they will often allow you to return the piggy if the bonding fails and allow you to try another one until you find a match. You are unlikely to have that option with a pet shop - you will be in the same situation with two piggies having to live side by side/having to surrender one you’ve just bought to a rescue
Bonding teenage boars with another boar is harder due to the hormones, but not impossible, but this is why a rescue centres help is valuable.
Pip is likely to be harder to bond due to the fact he is at the height of hormones. They are teenagers until 14 months of age but even up to 18 months can be trickier.
The alternative is to neuter the one you keep, have the six week wait and then bond with a sow. Neutered boar/sow bonds tend to be more stable long term but they do have to have compatibility to begin with.
A boar pair require a larger space - 180x60cm cage - whereas a Neutered boar/sow pair can live in a 150x60cm cage (recommended size - but 120x60cm is the minimum for a sow/boar pair)
 
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Try and get the boar you keep to a rescue where they can choose their own friend. You also need to make sure that the cage will be big enough. If you pair him with a boar, we recommend a minimum of 180x60cm. If you neuter him and pair him with a sow after six weeks, then the minimum is 120x60cm. But bigger is better so 140x60cm would be better.

Think about the space you have and the cage you can fit, then you can decide how to proceed.
 
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