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Piggies no longer get along like they used to

CourtneyBailey

New Born Pup
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I have 2 boars (each about 2-4 months old). They bonded for 1 month very well in the same cage and would never fight, only occasionally rumble strutting from my dominant piggie. I mistakenly tried to bond one of my piggies with my roommates boar piggie and now my 2 pigs don’t get along like they used to ever since one of them met a different piggie. :( Is there a way to fix this or get them to rebond? I feel horrible for changing how they interact with each other. They used to be best friends and now they frequently get annoyed with each other. Has anyone else experienced this or dealt with this issue? I just want them to go back to normal! Ugh I feel so bad and like I messed up their whole bond.
 
As I have responded on your other thread on this same subject, you are likely dealing with teen dominance.

You say they teeth chatter at each other, that is a normal dominance, not necessarily annoyance. It’s all too easy to put human feelings on things when actually they are most likely being teen boars.
 
To add, character compatibility is the essential factor in a successful bond. As babies, piggies do tend get on, but once they hit their teens things can change if they aren’t compatible, so it’s not necessarily anything you’ve done, but simply their characters coming out.

However, as I have advised previously, you need to leave them together to sort things out. You are absolutely going to see dominance. There is only a problem if they have a full on fight or if bullying occurs (one piggy not being allowed to eat so loses weight, becomes depressed) - these require immediate and permanent separation. Such fights will only occur if two piggies aren’t compatible. If this happens, then there is nothing you can do. You can’t make piggies like each other. As older piggies, they tend not to cuddle together as much anyway.
 
Yeah. Its just hard to brush it off and let them duke it out because they used to never do anything like this. Just scared I won’t be here if a fight were to break out. Ugh. The line of whats normal vs fighting is hard to read sometimes.
 
Yeah. Its just hard to brush it off and let them duke it out because they used to never do anything like this. Just scared I won’t be here if a fight were to break out. Ugh. The line of whats normal vs fighting is hard to read sometimes.

Teen boars can make you really panic over their behaviour, it’s rather dramatic, but as I said, as long as no fights or bullying, you need to leave them to it. If you interfere mistakenly or prematurely you can cause problems.

A fight will be unmistakable - they will be a rolling ball of fur.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonds In Trouble

It’s good you’re looking at a bigger cage, thaf will definitely help. Boars need more room than sows.
It’s also important that you have two of every item, multiple hideys with two exits (don’t use enclosed hideys as it means a piggy can get cornered). Also ensure you respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first
 
Teen boars can make you really panic over their behaviour, it’s rather dramatic, but as I said, as long as no fights or bullying, you need to leave them to it. If you interfere mistakenly or prematurely you can cause problems.

A fight will be unmistakable - they will be a rolling ball of fur.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Bonds In Trouble

It’s good you’re looking at a bigger cage, thaf will definitely help. Boars need more room than sows.
It’s also important that you have two of every item, multiple hideys with two exits (don’t use enclosed hideys as it means a piggy can get cornered). Also ensure you respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first

Hi!

You are dealing with the first hormone spikes caused by the testicles starting to descend. This is the typical age for the onset of the teenage months.

Please take the time to carefully read our green guide links. You will find them very helpful in the coming months. We can't repeat all the important points in every post all the time but the guides contain all the practical tips and detailed information that allow you to judge the situation and where to go from there. Teenage is also not an even process; there are distinct phases.
If you want to switch your boys to a larger cage or extend your existing cage, please read the tips in chapter 3 of the boar guide in order to minimise the risk of triggering another hierarchy sort-out in new territory which could lead more dominance and - if you are unlucky - a fall out.

We would be very grateful if you kept the discussion about an ongoing problem with the same piggies to just one thread as it will otherwise get very confusing and you can easily end up with conflicting or misleading advice. We all do this for free in our free time as and when we can, so none of us is able to read everything unless the information is in one space and we can have a quick look as to what has already been said and recommended. Thank you!
 
You've been given some great advise above. I've asked for your threads to be merged so it's easier to follow.
 
Hi!

You are dealing with the first hormone spikes caused by the testicles starting to descend. This is the typical age for the onset of the teenage months.

Please take the time to carefully read our green guide links. You will find them very helpful in the coming months. We can't repeat all the important points in every post all the time but the guides contain all the practical tips and detailed information that allow you to judge the situation and where to go from there. Teenage is also not an even process; there are distinct phases.
If you want to switch your boys to a larger cage or extend your existing cage, please read the tips in chapter 3 of the boar guide in order to minimise the risk of triggering another hierarchy sort-out in new territory which could lead more dominance and - if you are unlucky - a fall out.

We would be very grateful if you kept the discussion about an ongoing problem with the same piggies to just one thread as it will otherwise get very confusing and you can easily end up with conflicting or misleading advice. We all do this for free in our free time as and when we can, so none of us is able to read everything unless the information is in one space and we can have a quick look as to what has already been said and recommended. Thank you!
Where can I find the green guide links?
 
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