Help! My boys are trying to kill each other and its all my fault.

[red_paw_prints]

Please don't lecture me, I knew that adult males will not get along nicely if there are females around. But I didn't expect the problems to happen so fast. I tried to head off the problems by setting up a large patio area with plenty of accessable cages and hiding places so they would all have enough space and 'privacy' to get their heirarchy sorted out, but now its impossible to let them all run around together. The boys have become a pretty even match and Samaurai no longer backs down from Breadstick. What can I do to make them all a happy family again? Putting one of the boys up for adoption is a last resort. I was wondering if getting one of them neutered would help to settle them down again, or is it too late now? I'm not planning on keeping any more boys when babies arrive and will find good homes for them, but is there any hope for the two I have now?

[Percy's Mom]

Originally Posted by red_paw_prints

I'm not planning on keeping any more boys when babies arrive and will find good homes for them, but is there any hope for the two I have now?

Do you have intact males and females living together? Are you breeding your pigs?

[Haley0489]

Originally Posted by red_paw_prints

I was wondering if getting one of them neutered would help to settle them down again, or is it too late now?

I believe I've read some where that two neutered boars will still fight over females.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Not if the sows outnumber the males greatly. But it depends how big their enclosure is.

Males can get along fine even if sows are in the same room. You have to match them correctly and give them enough space.

[Ly&Pigs]

It's never a good idea to put unaltered boars and sows together even if the sows greatly outnumber the boars. That only encourages breeding and this forum is anti-breeding.

[paula.m.moore]

Originally Posted by red_paw_prints

I knew that adult males will not get along nicely if there are females around. But I didn't expect the problems to happen so fast.

When you say that you didn't expect the problems to happen "so fast" ... Exactly how long did you expect it to take?

Yes, it's your fault. So fix it. Separate them. You should have had a plan for when this didn't work out - as you seem to have known it wasn't.

Boys can live together in the same room with females. I have three pairs of males that live in the same room (not cage) with six girls. When the girls are in heat the boars squabble a bit more than usual, there's more mounting and strutting than normal, but it is nothing like the bloody situation that would be created by putting the boys directly into the same cage with female(s).

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Oops. Sorry. Yes, I of course meant if the males are neutered, or the sows spayed, if they are to be in the same cage/ enclosure. You shouldn't be putting them together unless the appropriate gender is neutered.

But I have male and female guinea pigs in the same room (separate cages or neutered herds), and have done it for awhile, haven't had issues other than the males getting excited when they smell or hear a sow.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

red paw - if you're breeding, please read http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

Putting unaltered males and females together is a very bad idea. Of course they are going to fight esp. if they are not neutered. Please separate them asap until you can neuter the males.

If the sows give birth with the males still there, they can be backbred. It's very hard on their bodies. Also, the babies may be trampled if there is fighting going around. Stress is bad for pregnant sows.

[red_paw_prints]

I thought this was a friendly, helpful site, but I'm feeling slightly attacked now. Especially by one particular member. I admitted my mistake and am here looking for solutions, not to have my nose rubbed in it and made to feel worse than I already do. I don't live in America and when I was looking for a friend for Ninja, I couldn't find an available piggy within a 30 mile radius, or rather kilometer as we say here. I've never heard of guinea pig rescue shelters. I had to wait weeks for the next guinea pig breeders show, so that I could buy a Ninja friend from there. I am learning along with the rest of you and until finding this site, I was considering breeding, seeing as I had such a hard time finding a guinea pig when I wanted one. But now I have learned more. But it doesn't change the fact that I have what I have and I'm trying to deal with it in a responsible and caring way. Hindsight is 20/20. Bagel was already pregnant when I got her. She was part of a breeders extra pedigree stock he was trying to sell before handing all his pigs over to another breeder. She was going to have babies whether I bought her or not, it didn't seem a problem until I found this site. It never occurred to me that I would have problems finding homes for babies because at the show, people were handing over their $30 per piggy like as if there was about to be a national ban on them or something. Of course I have separated my boys I'm neither stupid or cruel, everyone is now safe, but I'm looking for a more permanent solution where everyone can be happy and healthy. I phoned my local vet for advise and was told that neutering one of the males would cause him to back down from a fight and accept a submissive role, but that it would take about a month. I have several cages, two of which can be divided. My pigs have a large enclose patio where they have plenty of room to run around as much as they want, all day generally, but at the moment I have the girls in the house in order to try and calm the hostilities between the now separated boys.

[Metroid & Boo]

From what I read neutering one of the boys wont make them more submissive, neutering them is only good if you want them to live with a sow. I'm not sure why your vet told you that?
I know you want all your piggies to get along but obviously that isn't going to happen, not for now anyways, but I don't think that is a reason to get rid of one of your boys, even if it's last resort.
Just keep them in separate cages and they should be fine. It's not what you had in mind but that's not really their fault, is it?
Can you neuter the boys, keep them in separate cages and let out to play with the girls for a few hours every day? I do feel for you, I would be really sad if my boys didn't get along but there is no way I would get rid of one of them

[pigsforlife]

Local vets wont be able to help you - try and get into Dr Vickridge from Rabbit Medicine.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

How big is your enclosure?

Letting the males run around with the females (neutered or not) then repeatedly separating them is likely making things worse. They have to sort out their dominance all over again with other pigs' smells.

If the males are the same age and adolescents, that is a factor too.

And ditto the above. Your vet is wrong.

[Cherish]

Your vet is wrong, he's applying the same rule for all species, and guinea pigs just don't work like that.
Male guinea pigs don't even seem to notice when they've been neutered; they still mount females, they still fight each other for dominance etc.

The boys probably won't ever get along well together now, the best thing for you to do, is to get them both neutered and let them live seperately with different females.

Oh, and I live in the UK too. My boys are all rescued; adopted from either shelters, or local people who couldn't keep them for whatever reason.
It really isn't that hard to get a guinea pig without supporting breeding, you just need to have patience, and put the effort into searching around a bit.

Please don't buy from breeders again. Just think; that breeder couldn't have been very responsible if she just gave you, a relatively inexperienced owner, a pregnant pig, could she?

[Biscuit]

I have to say, your pigs have really cute names. Bagel, Breadstick, hah.

[Ziggy&Herald]

As people have said before, neutering wont help, it doesn't change their reaction to females at all. If they wont get along with the females around, there's nothing short of separating the two boys, having them both neutered, and pairing them with female mates. I know it's not what you had in mind, but it would be best solution for all, pigs and you alike. Good luck with your sow and the bubs, hope the delivery goes as expected and please do remove un altered males from the females, it sounds as if your problems are already more then can deal with.

[red_paw_prints]