Teeth Chattering

[Rebeccaxx]

hi any ideas why all of a sudden my two guinea pigs constantly teeth chatter to each other and fight I've had then since may?

Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Which gender and what age are they?

 

[Rebeccaxx]

Hi sorry I should of said they are Boars and around 6months old

 

[Wiebke]

Sounds like they have hit the big teenage hormones then... 6 months is a typical age for another major hormonal spike. All you can do is keep a close eye on them. Don't separate for a night unless things are really touch and go, as you cannot do it too often without further compromising the situation; separate for good if there is a proper fight with bites.

If you temporarily separate, you will need to do a formal re-introduction. If one of the boys perks up considerable when on his own, you know that the bond is not working. The teenage hormones generally last between 4-14 months of age before boars reach a hormonally much more settled adulthood.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/

 

[Rebeccaxx]

hi thanks for your help I had to separate them as things got bad over the weekend today I put them together in a run and they just sort of went for each other and constant teeth chattering

Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

I am sorry, but it sounds like you have two boys whose personalities are clashing.

Your long term options are:
- living side by side with interaction through bars/mesh for mutual stimulation
- boar dating under expert supervision at one of our recommended rescues that offers this service
- neutering by a vet who is either well practised in neutering or experienced in small animal ops (quality of vet is crucial). Then pairing up with a girl each after 6 weeks safety wait when the boys are 100% safe. I have got the baby from a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post op boar living here, so it can happen that late! Cross gender bondings once initial accpetance has happened are the most stable f piggy bonds. Again, in order to create a happier, character compatible bond, dating at a good rescue that has mandatory quarantine and a pregnancy watch is recommended to avoid further problems.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

 

[Rebeccaxx]

Aw it's so sad thanks so much for your help

 

[Wiebke]

While more baby boar couples than not make it through the big hormones, sadly a quite large percentage do not.