Waring boys! Help separation or persistence

[mummyemily]

Advice please I bought 2 male piggies in February from the same breeder different litters, at the beginning of March I think they hit puberty lots of hip swaying chattering teeth and generally being unpleasant,
They were in a 4’ hutch but as they were charging and chasing I bought a second 3’ hutch and joined them via a tunnel,
So 2 and a half months on they have 7’ of living space, they each seem to have chosen a hutch -dominant one has the larger one of the two and only communication or crossing of thresholds is if one finishes snacks before the other then they are off again, they have to go out in the run separately as the dominant one constantly chases the other I mean there is no let up at all treats are abandoned until I split them up.
Do I continue and persist or do I separate them totally, my last 2 piggies were from different litters and they got on brilliantly.
My other concern is they will come in in the winter not in hutches put indoor pen in the kitchen and I will not have enough room to house them separately and be able to give them each enough space they need.

 

[Julie M]

Hi, unfortunately it could be the tunnel that's causing the issue as its like 2 Seperate areas as opposed to one large area. Have they actually fought and drawn blood?

 

[Wiebke]

Advice please I bought 2 male piggies in February from the same breeder different litters, at the beginning of March I think they hit puberty lots of hip swaying chattering teeth and generally being unpleasant,
They were in a 4’ hutch but as they were charging and chasing I bought a second 3’ hutch and joined them via a tunnel,
So 2 and a half months on they have 7’ of living space, they each seem to have chosen a hutch -dominant one has the larger one of the two and only communication or crossing of thresholds is if one finishes snacks before the other then they are off again, they have to go out in the run separately as the dominant one constantly chases the other I mean there is no let up at all treats are abandoned until I split them up.
Do I continue and persist or do I separate them totally, my last 2 piggies were from different litters and they got on brilliantly.
My other concern is they will come in in the winter not in hutches put indoor pen in the kitchen and I will not have enough room to house them separately and be able to give them each enough space they need.

Hi and welcome

Personally I would keep them as neighbours, as they obviously do not gel.
Key to any successful guinea pig bond is mutual liking and character compatibility, and nothing else; it is a thousands of times debunked yet totally persistent breeder myth that brothers won't fight or fall-out. You are about average with your boar pair success rate, not that this is any consolation for you now that you have drawn the short straw in your babies not getting on.

Please take the time to read the links below. They will hopefully help you by giving you all the relevant information and help you to chart the best way forward for you. There is no 'one size fits all' solution for these situations; you have to work with what is available and feeling right for you to try to give both boys what they need - and that is not always easy for any caring owner like you obviously are.
Take the time to thinks things through and research different options. We are here to discuss some aspects you would like to know more about with you once you have a bit more of an idea which options are a possibility for you and which you would rather not take into consideration.

Here are our links:
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[mummyemily]

Hi, unfortunately it could be the tunnel that's causing the issue as its like 2 Seperate areas as opposed to one large area. Have they actually fought and drawn blood?

No physical fighting, they are worse when in the run I think one would just run the other round until it has a heart attack he just run small circles and has the other one tearing round the perimeter it’s quite distressing to watch

Hi and welcome

Personally I would keep them as neighbours, as they obviously do not gel.
Key to any successful guinea pig bond is mutual liking and character compatibility, and nothing else; it is a thousands of times debunked yet totally persistent breeder myth that brothers won't fight or fall-out. You are about average with your boar pair success rate, not that this is any consolation for you now that you have drawn the short straw in your babies not getting on.

Please take the time to read the links below. They will hopefully help you by giving you all the relevant information and help you to chart the best way forward for you. There is no 'one size fits all' solution for these situations; you have to work with what is available and feeling right for you to try to give both boys what they need - and that is not always easy for any caring owner like you obviously are.
Take the time to thinks things through and research different options. We are here to discuss some aspects you would like to know more about with you once you have a bit more of an idea which options are a possibility for you and which you would rather not take into consideration.

Here are our links:
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

thank you so much for your advice and information, the hutches are side by side at the moment, think I will see if there are any changes in the behaviour over the next week then I might take both the ends off remove the tunnel and put a wire mesh up, then they can see one another but not get at each other, they will have to continue to take turns in the run.
Is a three foot hutch big enough for one piggy to live comfortably? He will go in the run for about 4 hours a day whilst the weather is good, (have a small waterproof hutch in there, grass water etc), will have to rethink winter plans but have the summer to do that.

 

[Wiebke]

No physical fighting, they are worse when in the run I think one would just run the other round until it has a heart attack he just run small circles and has the other one tearing round the perimeter it’s quite distressing to watch

thank you so much for your advice and information, the hutches are side by side at the moment, think I will see if there are any changes in the behaviour over the next week then I might take both the ends off remove the tunnel and put a wire mesh up, then they can see one another but not get at each other, they will have to continue to take turns in the run.
Is a three foot hutch big enough for one piggy to live comfortably? He will go in the run for about 4 hours a day whilst the weather is good, (have a small waterproof hutch in there, grass water etc), will have to rethink winter plans but have the summer to do that.

Are you sure it is chasing and not just zooming around like mad with joy of life? Some piggies do that with amazing energy and endurance while you sit there and think they must surely crash into the wall any time now?
I've had a few of them over the years; sub-teenagers and teenagers are usually the ones with the most energy...

If there is no physical fighting and your second boar is not showing any signs of being bullied, then I would not worry.

 

[mummyemily]

Are you sure it is chasing and not just zooming around like mad with joy of life? Some piggies do that with amazing energy and endurance while you sit there and think they must surely crash into the wall any time now?
I've had a few of them over the years; sub-teenagers and teenagers are usually the ones with the most energy...

If there is no physical fighting and your second boar is not showing any signs of being bullied, then I would not worry.

No he’s being definitely being chased, as soon as I take the other one out he hides for about 10 minutes then come out and grazes, I’ve noticed he hides in his basket when in the hutch and only seems to come out when the dominant one goes into the run. I think I might separate them totally and see if there is a change in his behaviour, my run is sercure and locked and has a hutch in so one should be safe and snug in it for a few days.

 

[Wiebke]

No he’s being definitely being chased, as soon as I take the other one out he hides for about 10 minutes then come out and grazes, I’ve noticed he hides in his basket when in the hutch and only seems to come out when the dominant one goes into the run. I think I might separate them totally and see if there is a change in his behaviour, my run is sercure and locked and has a hutch in so one should be safe and snug in it for a few days.

Those behaviours sound more like bullying. If your underboy is noticeably perking up when his companion can no longer chase him round and get to him, then you have your answer. Seeing how underpiggies react to a separation is the closest we can come to ask them of their honest opinion about how they feel about their relationship. It is not always easy to unravel it.

All the best!