Things got bad

eleove

eleove

Junior Guinea Pig
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So my boars have been living together for about a year now and all of a sudden they seem to be not liking each others company. The have been teeth chattering almost non- stop for the past couple days. Yesterday, I found a clump of hair and I was worried it would escalate so I decided to separate them for the night (Keep in mind they were still next to each other). Now today I put them back together and the same thing happened with the teeth chattering (which I expected) but they seemed fine eating veggies together.I don't know what to do should I leave them together tonight and see what happens or should I be safe and separate them again?
 
Advice would be very helpful!
 
I'm not very good with advice on this subject, but il tag in some folk that do know. @PigglePuggle
@Wiebke
And many more but these are first that come to mind.

This is a UK based forum, so you should get very good replies in our daytime hours tomorrow, very active forum so no worries 👍

Edit, I thought you was a new member so that's why I wrote the above explaining

What size cage are you using for them, as the minimum for 2 boars is 140x60cm minimum. Any under can cause arguments between boars
 
So I made a forum talking about how my guinea pigs were showing signs of not liking each other (check that out if u want the full story). This evinging I put them back together and it escalated so fast! they both started fighting so i quickily grabbed a towel and reached in where they were THEN one of my guinea pigs grabbed a hold of my hand I of course flinched and he fell down about leg height I just feel horrible that I reacted this way. He seems fine thank god, but me not so much he left a deep bite on my knuckle. For the time being I put them separately (in a midwest cage with the barrier between them). Please tell me what to do next as I know this cage isn't big enough for them being separate.
 
Hiya, I tagged some experienced members into youre original thread about this situation you are in, I doubt you will get any help tonight, but I think you have done the right thing in splitting them but they can still see each other and smell. The widest isn't big enough for two boars anyway, I believe its only 120x60. You need two if everything with 2 boars. So....

2 hidey houses with atkeast 2 exits on each.
2 water bottles
2 food bowls if you use bowls. I guess you can try and see if they get along with this. I'm not sure if it has gone too out of hand already.
 
I've seen your other thread and I don't want to double up replies, but it sounds like you're using a single Midwest? If that's true then it's not quite big enough for two boars, they'd have to be very laid back and relaxed with each other for it to work. Most of the time they'll need just a bit more space. I realise they've gotten along all this time but if they're fighting like this now then yeah, I'm going to blame the space.
You can attach one Midwest to another. I'd recommend a second one, if nothing else (and if they won't go back together) it means that the interaction is still there between the bars which they'll still appreciate.
 
eleove said:
Advice would be very helpful!
Click to expand...

Please be aware that moderators and admin do this in whatever little spare spare time they have they are just ordinary members like you and me and do not get paid. Most lead very busy lives with full time jobs, families etc and cannot be on the Forum 24/7. As @SkyPipDotBernie had already mentioned this is mainly a UK based forum so the time you posted your query was 2 o'clock in the morning in the UK so I think your comment above was very uncalled for! Everyone has to sleep you know. When everyone has woken up and it's a reasonable time on a Sunday morning, I'm sure you'll get a few responses and words of advice.
 
What size cage do they have? Too small a space will lead to fall outs.
Do you have two of every item - food bowls etc?
Has anything happened that you know of that could lead to one trying to take over as dominant piggy?
Do you ensure you handle the dominant pig first?

Fall outs can happen at any point.
Teeth chattering can mean a couple of things from normal dominance - in case which you should not do anything - to more of a warning if it is accompanied by other signs (see the links below). However, separating them is very stressful for them and can damage their relationship further if done at an incorrect time. Please read the links below to identify the behaviours you are seeing.
If tempers are really fraying then a temporary separation with a grid between to let things calm down can sometimes be done followed by a proper reintroduction to see how things stand between them. However, as I’ve said separating is incredibly stressful for them and should only be done if you are very confident there is really a problem between them. A bit of teeth chattering without any other warning signs wouldn’t ordinarily warrant a separation. Only a full on blood drawing fight would indicate a complete bond breakdown

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
I have commented on your other (and later timed) thread. I am going to ask an admin to combine your threads as with two threads on the same subject in two different areas of the forum, the advice is going to be very confused. @Lady Kelly

I agree with lorcan. Midwest cages aren’t big enough for boars. They are often only 120cm and boars require at least 150cm x 60cm. You mentioned it was teeth chattering on your other thread, hence my reply on your other thread but if a full on blood drawing fight has occurred between them, then their relationship is most likely broken down too far and they won’t ever go back together. You will need to get another cage and they will need to live separately.

If you are going to attempt any reintroduction (I wouldn’t recommend) with a bigger cage, bearing in mind that after a fight it is likely to fail, then any reintroduction needs to be done properly and following the bonding procedure. You need to prepare a big enough neutral area and place them in that for a time. The procedure can be found in the behaviour section of the forum.
 
I'm sorry to say but I think once they've started to fight and draw blood it's the end of their friendship. They may be able to live side by side but I wouldn't put them back together without a division between them.
 
Hi!

I am very sorry that things have gone haywire for you!

It happens occasionally that boars that have had no problems through the usually trickiest teenage months can suffer a fall-out right at the end of them when most of the others are out of the thick of it.
Please take the time to carefully read our guide links from the previous posts. They contain all the necessary information of what you can do and what you shouldn't do. It has taken me days to write those guides and make sure that they are complete and comprehensive, but they will allow you to work out whether your boar bond it still functional or not and what your possible options are if things are not working out between them. I have included as wide a range of ways forward as possible to enable as many people as possible find a solution that works for their individual situation.

PS: Can I please remind our members, especially the new ones, that our Care sections are specifically monitored for any questions and help from experienced members while the Chat sections are here for exactly that - talking about your own guinea pigs but not asking for advice.
Many of the various Care sections, especially the sensitive ones dealing with emergency cases, will trigger an alert when a new thread is posted so we can deal with any emergencies as soon as we come on.
Can I also please ask our regular members to notify admin via the report button if a chat thread needs to be moved to the appropriate Care section. The members concentrating on time consuming support in the Care sections cannot all mind the Chat sections, too!

We are a UK based forum when it comes to the hours we are active in. Any of us is doing this for free in our free time and the forum is entirely run by member donations. There are no guinea pig forums with a paid staff and round the clock cover anywhere in the world, I am afraid!
 
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