male bonding

E

ew3lsh

Junior Guinea Pig
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hi, i’m currently trying to bond my 2 males as i think previously i had done it wrong and wanted to see if a friendship was possible. both my pigs have been bonded with others in the past with other pigs. they were in a play pen for 2 hours and have now been in a cage for 3 hours. there’s been no nipping or blood drawn, just chattering and lunging where i’ve almost had to step in. i know bonding male pigs is hard i’ve had a broken bond before. when do i know it’s finally over? is there any warnings signs it won’t work before blood drawn? i’m scared to sleep or go to work in case they fight but i know once the bond starts they can’t be separated again. any tips would be great. they’re currently sleeping and have been eating and drinking comfortably, just a lot of (what i think is) dominance display.
 
Bonding boars isn’t hard as such, it’s no harder than bonding sows. Any bond comes down to compatibility and they either have it or they don’t!

When bonding they ideally need to be in the neutral bonding pen all day before being moved to the cage - what you’re looking for is for them to be so far into the process in neutral territory and secure with each other that the move to the cage doesn’t disrupt them too much.
Two hours in neutral isn’t necessarily long enough to get them through those stages of bonding so the move has caused them to go into new dominance rounds; essentially you’re seeing the bonding stages now they are in the cage rather than them doing it when they were in neutral.

Lunging is a defensive way of telling the other to stay away.

It’s obviously been many hours since you posted - how have they been over those hours?

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
 
honestly the same as before, i did wake up a few times to a them circling but never saw any blood drawn. i’m very worried about stressing any of them out. they still eat together and share the same chew toys but then randomly one guinea pig will chase the other for no reason. i think with it being a little warm today they’re feeling a little more lethargic (i have a fan on) so they’re not as interested in going over to each other.
 
They will spend the next two weeks with behaviours like this - it takes that long to sort out the fine details of a bond.

As long as things are not tense; aggressive or clearing failing then it is best not to intervene unless and until you absolutely have to
 
Thank you! it currently looks like one’s testing the waters and the other is setting boundaries , i’m assuming it’s a good sign that they’re eating and sleeping while together. i’m not intervening as a lot of it also looks like dominance showing.
 
i came home from work today and noticed one of the pigs fur was all over the cage and loose in his coat, the other was fine. i have a feeling that whilst i was gone they did fight and one was mainly targeted. the one targeted has some marks on his back so i’ve given him some pain meds i had from the vet but he’s so nervous and hiding constantly. i’ve separated them as it’s clear this isn’t going to work. any guidance or advice from here would be appreciated.
 
I'm sorry it doesn't seem as if it's worked out. I would have separated them after that too.

It's possible to keep two piggies side by side so they can interact but not get into territorial fights. I imagine the guinea who bore the brunt of the attack could do with a little while hiding and feeling secure again in his own space, so I don't think you need to rush a solution!
 
thank you! i have left him be and decided to check him out tomorrow to see if i need to clean any cuts or anything. they are side by side but if it stresses them out still ill keep them in different cages. at least i know it broke, it was worth the try.
 
I’m sorry to hear that it hasn’t worked

Definitely see a vet if necessary
One of my pairs had a fight, the injuries weren’t significant but the vet still put them on a short course of antibiotics as a precaution
 
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