Should I permanently separate my Boars?

[GuineaPlanets]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and as well as being a farely new Guinea Pig mom. I'm still trying to understand the behaviors but as I understood, it's recommended to separate Guinea Pigs if they draw blood. Well, I'm really hoping it doesn't have to come to that, but if it's for the better of my Guinea Pig, then I'll do it.

I have 2 Guinea Pig boars. Venus and Pluto! They were given to me by a lady and I've been excited to take on this new role as a caring mother. Ever since I've had them, they've always been chattering at each other, but never anything too ugly. When I have them run in my room, they enjoy the space and Pluto has been very much been popcornin' around to my delight! There was no violence, just the occasional chattering as Pluto tries to mount Venus. Venus in turn will try to do the same, but once again its the chattering of teeth and sometimes the wiggle of the butt.

It was like that for a few months until recently my sisters friend offered to give me her Guinea Pig. Once again a male! I accepted the requested and was excited to be home to see him in my room. I've named him Mars and he's fairly smaller than my 2 Guinea Pigs. The friend told me the pig was a year old (although I'm still unsure how old my Guinea Pigs are but I'm guessing a year too?).

I got home and immediately went to introduce the pigs. I set out some food in my room, had Venus and Pluto out to eat and then let Mars out to meet them. (Although I've come to read that I was suppose to wait 2 weeks before I put them together? I'm so sorry if thats the case, I have yet to put them together since.)

Immediately, Venus started chasing Mars trying to mount him. And Mars chatter before lunging at him but nothing too serious. It was my first time seeing that and it scared me but I continued to let them be around each other in hopes that it will help them know each other.

This is when it gets scary. While Pluto was eating, Mars lunges at him and they begin full on fighting. I immediately separated them and put Mars back in his cage. I noticed that the corner of his ears were missing too and I have no idea what to do.

I put the boars away and have Mars cage right next to theirs. Venus keeps sniffing Mars cage and in turn started getting aggressive. Venus then started attacking Pluto. It's been 3 days and I've noticed that my Guinea Pig has been hiding under his fleece blanket frequently even when I have food out.

I since moved Mars away from the cage and out of sight to see if it'll ease their tension but they continued to fight.

When I had them out today to eat and run in my room, Pluto was alot more vocal when I picked him up. I noticed his ears have also been bitten and that he has some bites on his back. I regret letting Pluto stay in the cage with Venus as long as I did.

While I put the cage back together, I put a border in the middle of their once shared cage and it really broke my heart as their mother.

Will it ever go back to the way they once were or is this it and I need to keep them permanently separated? Please let me know!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and as well as being a farely new Guinea Pig mom. I'm still trying to understand the behaviors but as I understood, it's recommended to separate Guinea Pigs if they draw blood. Well, I'm really hoping it doesn't have to come to that, but if it's for the better of my Guinea Pig, then I'll do it.

I have 2 Guinea Pig boars. Venus and Pluto! They were given to me by a lady and I've been excited to take on this new role as a caring mother. Ever since I've had them, they've always been chattering at each other, but never anything too ugly. When I have them run in my room, they enjoy the space and Pluto has been very much been popcornin' around to my delight! There was no violence, just the occasional chattering as Pluto tries to mount Venus. Venus in turn will try to do the same, but once again its the chattering of teeth and sometimes the wiggle of the butt.

It was like that for a few months until recently my sisters friend offered to give me her Guinea Pig. Once again a male! I accepted the requested and was excited to be home to see him in my room. I've named him Mars and he's fairly smaller than my 2 Guinea Pigs. The friend told me the pig was a year old (although I'm still unsure how old my Guinea Pigs are but I'm guessing a year too?).

I got home and immediately went to introduce the pigs. I set out some food in my room, had Venus and Pluto out to eat and then let Mars out to meet them. (Although I've come to read that I was suppose to wait 2 weeks before I put them together? I'm so sorry if thats the case, I have yet to put them together since.)

Immediately, Venus started chasing Mars trying to mount him. And Mars chatter before lunging at him but nothing too serious. It was my first time seeing that and it scared me but I continued to let them be around each other in hopes that it will help them know each other.

This is when it gets scary. While Pluto was eating, Mars lunges at him and they begin full on fighting. I immediately separated them and put Mars back in his cage. I noticed that the corner of his ears were missing too and I have no idea what to do.

I put the boars away and have Mars cage right next to theirs. Venus keeps sniffing Mars cage and in turn started getting aggressive. Venus then started attacking Pluto. It's been 3 days and I've noticed that my Guinea Pig has been hiding under his fleece blanket frequently even when I have food out.

I since moved Mars away from the cage and out of sight to see if it'll ease their tension but they continued to fight.

When I had them out today to eat and run in my room, Pluto was alot more vocal when I picked him up. I noticed his ears have also been bitten and that he has some bites on his back. I regret letting Pluto stay in the cage with Venus as long as I did.

While I put the cage back together, I put a border in the middle of their once shared cage and it really broke my heart as their mother.

Will it ever go back to the way they once were or is this it and I need to keep them permanently separated? Please let me know!

Hi and welcome

Unfortunately it looks like you have reached the end of the line with intentional bites to the ears and rump. It is always a very gutting realisation.

Sadly boar trios, especially those with teenagers (4-14 months), are a straight forward recipe for disaster with a very high fall out rate of up to 90%. Adding more boars to a pair is not a good idea at any age anyway as it can lead to the bonded boars falling out. At the worst you end up with three singles that won't go back with any of the others.
Anything that forces a renewal of the hierarchy (adding new piggies, changes to the territory or medical separations) can potentially derail even an adult boar bond, but it should be avoided at all cost during the teenage months.

Please take the time to carefully read the guides below so you can understand better what has happened. I am very sorry, but it is going to be a bit of a crash course in guinea pig social interaction and boar quirks! But it should help you to work out where to go from there. Don't be tempted to compound your mistake by a knee jerk reaction and rather take the time to think through your options (which are listed at the end of the teenage guide with all their various pros and cons) before you decide which way you want to go down. There is not a single perfect solution; a lot depends on your available space, rescue and vet access etc.

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
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[GuineaPlanets]

Hi and welcome

Unfortunately it looks like you have reached the end of the line with intentional bites to the ears and rump. It is always a very gutting realisation.

Sadly boar trios, especially those with teenagers (4-14 months), are a straight forward recipe for disaster with a very high fall out rate of up to 90%. Adding more boars to a pair is not a good idea at any age anyway as it can lead to the bonded boars falling out. At the worst you end up with three singles that won't go back with any of the others.
Anything that forces a renewal of the hierarchy (adding new piggies, changes to the territory or medical separations) can potentially derail even an adult boar bond, but it should be avoided at all cost during the teenage months.

Please take the time to carefully read the guides below so you can understand better what has happened. I am very sorry, but it is going to be a bit of a crash course in guinea pig social interaction and boar quirks! But it should help you to work out where to go from there. Don't be tempted to compound your mistake by a knee jerk reaction and rather take the time to think through your options (which are listed at the end of the teenage guide with all their various pros and cons) before you decide which way you want to go down. There is not a single perfect solution; a lot depends on your available space, rescue and vet access etc.

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
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Thank you so much for answering. I have to admit that I did cry a bit reading that this is where they'll have to be. But I can say that it'll def be worth it as long as my babies aren't hurt and not so stressed out.

I'll make sure to read the guides and hope to be a better mother to them! Thank you for taking your time to answer