My Male Guinea pigs had a fight

A

Alexandra M

New Born Pup
Joined
Apr 9, 2020
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
35
Location
UK, Lancashire
Hi everyone, really hope someone can help,

last year I bought a female friend (Martha) for my female pig (Maggie) as her friend die a couple months before. Unknowingly to me, Martha was pregnant and had 3 beautiful babies which all turned out to be boys! So had to buy another cage for them. They are now 7 months, they have a big cage (5x2) and I’m making an upstairs, 2 food bowls and water bottles. They have been deciding for a while who’s the big boss, and it started as the black guinea pig being the dominant one (sorry I still haven’t named them properly) however, recently Fluffy has now started wanting to be dominant and Blacky seemed to have backed down. Today, Blacky lunged at Fluffy. I’m so upset and have split the cage in half, (Blacky in one side and Fluffy and Brownie in the other).
Please can I have some advise with what to do? I wouldn’t dream of giving one away so need to figure out what to do.
Thank you in advance!
 
Sorry its always hard when boys fight. You can try keeping them separate for a couple of days then put them back together after a cage clean. Just keep a good eye on them when put back together to make sure they aren't going to fight again . I've had to do this a few times during the teenage months for my two boys but they behave like best friends now that they're past that stage. I know it can be harder with 3 boys and as much space as possible is also advisable. I started with a 2x4 and went to a 2x6 which seems to be enough for them to get space from each other when they need it.
 
Just a thought, you could get Blackie desexed and (after the required period of time for him to be unable to make babies, I think its 6 weeks) then put him in with the two girls. It just means you will only have 2 cages again. I believe it can be difficult to get three boars to live together although I have girls so I haven't experienced it myself.
 
I’m afraid that three boars together is a rarity. Most cases they don’t bond. And the age they’re at is a difficult one in terms of relationships - the teenage phase which lasts from 4 to 14 months - and it can really push their bond to the limit. They also experience their first hormone spike at 7 months.

First thing is that you need to make the cage bigger. The pair of boars need at least 2x5, and the single needs a 2x4. Lack of space could cause problems with the pair that you have - boars are more territorial and need more space to get away from each other.

As you know them best, decide which two get on the best in terms of character match, and then put them in a pair. You then have two options for the single boar.

If you’re getting him a boar friend then have him live next to the paired ones for now until such time he’s got his own friend. He needs that interaction even if it’s just as neighbours.

Option two is to place him next to the girls (Making sure he can’t escape and get in with them!) with a view to have him neutered and bond him with the girls after the 6 week wait. If you decide to do the first one, you can’t have him living next to the girls and then move him away.

Please can you add your location to your profile so we can tailor info to you in future.
 
Thank you so much for your replies, I think having three cages would be a lot of work so the idea of getting Blackie neutered and then put him in with the girls sounds good (although probably expensive and won’t be able to do it until we’re out of lockdown). Ive put the boars back together today as they seemed annoyed about being split up and everything seems fine. There wasn’t any blood or fur loss so I’m going to keep an eye on them and see if they get on better once they have more room and an upstairs level. Sorry about not having my location, I’m new to this forum, I’m in the UK (Lancashire)
 
I really wouldn’t advise you put them back together. You need to decide whether to have them together or not. You can’t split and put together again. It’s stressful for them and not fair. When you say they seemed annoyed about the split, what do you mean exactly? Did you just remove the divider and let them cross over or did you put them in a play pen?

If you’re determined to keep them together then 2x5 is the minimum for two boars, not enough room for three of them. I would have a cage at least 2x8. Three of everything including hay stations. Keep a very close watchful eye on them. I think if there is a tussle or close to one then you need to make provisions to split them permanently.

Three cages won’t be that much more work. Poo picking daily would make it easier to keep on top of the cleaning. Just bear in mind that it’s a real possibility you will have to have three cages.
 
I wouldn’t ever want to cause them harm/stress considering I have literally brought them up since birth, so that’s quite upsetting.
I divided the cage up so they could still see each other and they started trying to get through the divider. So I put them all in a neutral environment and they didn’t fight at all and seem happy with each other and were eating away. I’ve put them back in the cage and there’s been no fighting at all. I’m currently making an upstairs and have extended their cage today to a 3x6, is this big enough as I don’t think I’d have room for a 2x8 in my living room? Also I do have three of everything already. I always keep an eye on them and if I spot anything close to what I saw yesterday then of course I will put him in another cage close by and hopefully find him a friend
 
Hopefully it should be. Just be aware they could fall out again. Including breaking the one of the pair that got on. So you could have three singles on your hands. As long as you have a backup plan then you should be fine. If it works out it will be a rarity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top