New to the forum and new owner with a major issue

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Locke-Warnicke

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We got our two boars about a month ago and they've been best buds up until about a week ago. Now they hate each other, any time they get near one another the start to click their teeth, yawn, and square up, if I don't separate them immediately they get into a violent fight. At first a little break from one another helped but not the case any more. I hate keeping them in separate cages but I'm afraid their going to hurt each other. Is there any advice to try and get these guys to make up?

Thank you!



Pumpkin & Spice

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Try keeping them in their seperate cages, but make sure that they can see each other. It’s most likely that they are competing for dominance.
After a few days of keeping them in their seperate cages, re-introduce them on a neutral ground (not either of their cages) Make sure that they have food and tunnels to keep them occupied.
Keep an eye on them, and only intervene if they fight. Keep in mind that if their teeth are chattering and they are nipping each other occasionally, that’s normal. They are trying to find out who is more dominate.
If the fighting continues, keep them in their seperate cages and try again

Some guinea pigs just don’t get along, and you may have to consider getting neutered females to keep the boys company.

Hope I helped!
 
How old are your boars? How long had they been together before you got them? What size and sort of cage do you have?
 
Cyaneatscarrots said:
Try keeping them in their seperate cages, but make sure that they can see each other. It’s most likely that they are competing for dominance.
After a few days of keeping them in their seperate cages, re-introduce them on a neutral ground (not either of their cages) Make sure that they have food and tunnels to keep them occupied.
Keep an eye on them, and only intervene if they fight. Keep in mind that if their teeth are chattering and they are nipping each other occasionally, that’s normal. They are trying to find out who is more dominate.
If the fighting continues, keep them in their seperate cages and try again

Some guinea pigs just don’t get along, and you may have to consider getting neutered females to keep the boys company.

Hope I helped!
Click to expand...

Spayed sows are as rare as hens teeth in the UK as spaying is such an invasive procedure for a sow. Neutering for boars is less invasive in the hands of expert vets (not general vets) and after a 6 week wait post op boars are safe to go with sows.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.
I can’t add to the advice already given but I do know from reading members’ posts that the dominance phase can be quite stressful and worrying for new owners.
They are both gorgeous boys
 
Locke-Warnicke said:
We got our two boars about a month ago and they've been best buds up until about a week ago. Now they hate each other, any time they get near one another the start to click their teeth, yawn, and square up, if I don't separate them immediately they get into a violent fight. At first a little break from one another helped but not the case any more. I hate keeping them in separate cages but I'm afraid their going to hurt each other. Is there any advice to try and get these guys to make up?

Thank you!



Pumpkin & Spice

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Click to expand...

Hi! It sounds like your two boys have hit the teenage and the stage when their testicles descend (they are able to make babies from 3 weeks onwards, by the way). But it is only during the teenage months between 4-14 months when it becomes obvious whether your boys are personality compatible or both too much on the dominant side.

There is unfortunately no measure that can change their personality; neutering doesn't do that either nor does it influence dominance behaviour. It also doesn't matter one bit whether your boys are related or not; two dominant brothers will fall out just the same. Unfortunately, shops and breeders sell babies for looks and not character compatibility. This is then further aggravated by same age boys hitting all the testosterone spikes together, further increasing the risk of fall-outs. :(

Please have a good read through our teenage guide with further helpful links. It tells you how the teenage months run, what you can do to minimise the worst flashpoints for clashes, how you can work out whether their relationship is still viable or not and what your various options are (all with their pros and cons in detail) if your boar pair is one of the ones that doesn't make it to adulthood as a pair. Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Generally, we recommend to keep boars as much together (with plenty of space to get away) unless there are signs that real fights are in the offing (tension is unmistakeable), but it is not quite as easy as sticking them back together after a separation. the guide will tell you what you need to do in order to stage a re-introduction that does not set up their backs if that is possible.
 
Hi all and thank you for all you suggestions/ideas. My piggies seem to have hashed it out and we now have a new alpha piggy. I did separate them to their own cages but kept their cages together so they could visit each other. After about 2 days I started to bring them together in neutral territory for short periods of time. Yesterday I brought them outside into the yard and let them hang together, they had a few disagreements and a little bit of nipping but the bigger one (Pumpkin) I think has given Spice the alpha status. Today there was just a little bit of teeth chatter and one little nip then they cuddled up together and munched on some grass :). I'm not ready to release them together into the same cage yet but maybe in about a week?

Thank you!
Brian
 
If it's boars you have then please do not keep separating and bringing them together. Each time you do this they have to start their bonding process from the beginning. The link that Wiebke gave you explains how to go about the bonding process. You need to let them work through to the end before moving them to their shared cage, which should be completely clean and not smell of either of them. Good luck
 
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