My 2 boars can't seem to get along anymore!

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Ladisrupt

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I've had these guinea pigs for about 3 months now, I got the younger one first (Peanut) , and then a bit later I got a second one who was a few months older (Cashew).
They are both under a year old and when I got Cashew, he was the submissive one, even though he was older.

They really got along well until recently Cashew has been looking a lot more tame (not hiding all the time, coming out to wait for the food when they can hear me making it in the kitchen, etc.). But the other day I could hear they got into a full fight, lots of teeth chattering, rumble strutting, until they lunged at each other, so I immediately separated them and it turned out they had bit each other, Cashew had a nasty cut on his lip and Peanut had a wound on the middle-left side of his belly more or less. I've treated these well and after a few hours I put them back together thinking it was just a typical thing and that it shouldn't happen again. But 2 days later they fight again, so I separate them again and luckily they didnt have any injuries this time.

That was a few days ago but I can visually notice that there's a lot of rumbling, squeaking at each other and them usually sleeping farther away from each other. The cage is a decent size about 10 to 10.5 square feet more or less and there's 2 or sometimes 3 hideys, 2 small hay feeders, so I just don't see why they need to be all at each other all the time. Today and yesterday I've had them separated (taking turns at being at my desk while I work) for the main part of the day but putting them together at night and still they haven't fought in a few days but I am scared they aren't bonding together right!

There has been recent changes to the cage, for example I have started to use fleece liners instead of wood shavings, and also it had a large wooden platform (almost like a second floor) in it which I have taken out to change things up and give more floor space. It's also hard to see which one might be the more dominant one right now so I'm not sure which one I should be prioritizing for example when I give treats first or second.

What can I do? I don't have any nearby rescue-centres where I live and I wouldn't want to give one away. How can I save my boars relationship?
 
Welcome to the forum

You are dealing with teenage boars and during their teens, issues in compatibility can come to light. The submissive can try to take over as dominant and if the original dominant doesn’t like it then a bond will fail.
Character compatibility and mutual liking is key in any relationship and if they don’t have it, then fights occur which cause injuries then that will usually end their relationship.

Once a fight which causes injuries occurs we do not recommend putting them back together as it suggests there are underlying problems and at some point a fight is likely to occur again.
Once they decide they can’t get on, they don’t tend to change their minds, certainly not after just a few hours.
We would recommend (except where injuries occurred as we don’t recommend reintroducing at all in that situation) where there are tensions that they have several days living apart. You can then carry out a neutral territory reintroduction (never put two piggies who have been separated directly back into the original cage as it can be seen as a territory invasion) to let them decide if they can work things out and want to be together. If they fight again, then their bond is broken and living apart sadly needs to be made permanent.

You also cannot continually separate and then put them back together again as that further destabilises a relationship and causes stress. Boars either need to be permanently together or permamently apart (particularly if a neutral territory reintroduction has failed and/or a fight has occurred)

10 square feet is a little small for two boars, they really need 12 square feet. it may not sound like much more, but for boars it makes a huge difference. boars are more territorial and need a lot more space.
You also should not change the cage layout and environment too much as it disrupts territories and can cause problems between them.

If they are not compatible then i am afraid there is nothing you can do, you cannot influence their ability to get on. If their bond has failed, then permanent separation is the only course of action

Bonds In Trouble
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
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How can I separate them? I don’t have much space, would it be ok to simply split the cage in half with an opaque divider? or do they need to be physically further away? And is it a good idea to do a re-introduction after for example a couple of weeks? Because if this separation becomes a real permanent thing then it won’t work out with me and I won‘t be left with many options which is heartbreaking.

It’s been more than a few days since they fought and I’m taking the hint that Cashew is trying to become the dominant one but that they’re acting this way around each other can’t be the right thing so, what should I do?
 
Ladisrupt said:
How can I separate them? I don’t have much space, would it be ok to simply split the cage in half with an opaque divider? or do they need to be physically further away? And is it a good idea to do a re-introduction after for example a couple of weeks? Because if this separation becomes a real permanent thing then it won’t work out with me and I won‘t be left with many options which is heartbreaking.

It’s been more than a few days since they fought and I’m taking the hint that Cashew is trying to become the dominant one but that they’re acting this way around each other can’t be the right thing so, what should I do?
Click to expand...
You first need to work out whether their bond is functional. The bonds in trouble guide I added in earlier will help there.

If Cashew is trying to take over as dominant, then Peanut needs to accept it and back down and be submissive. If this happens the bond will be functional, and then you can leave them together. There is nothing you can do to make that happen though - it’s entirely down to the piggies if they wish to be together.
However, when fights occur, a bond is usually broken. Most usually the dominant will not be willing to back down into a submissive position and this is when fights occur and bonds get broken.

If it is not functional, then they must be separated permanently and reintroduction will not be possible. Reintroducing two piggies who do not like each other will simply result in further fights and injuries.
If this is the case, then I am afraid your cage is not big enough to divide in half. If you did this then each half would be far below welfare standards at only 5 square feet. The minimum for a single piggy is 8 square feet, so each cage would need to be a minimum of 120x60cm.
 
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