Introductions Introducting 2 Males

Bogart · May 7, 2017

So i have a Guinea Pig named Bogart he is 3 years old and is pretty small, i got him from a local animal rescue. He believe he lost his brother this year as he came into the shelter with him and the brother never exited. We got him about 2 weeks ago and he is not very vocal and just sits in his Pigloo and comes out for food occasionally. So yesterday i went up to the same shelter and found Gunther he is 2 years old and is bigger than Bogart, he has a lot more energy and more vocal. We came home and introduced them since they have to be cleared by a vet before being put up for adoption. So we introduced them and they both tried mounting each other and Bogart came to one of us for protection and ended it about a minute later. I was wondering if you guys had any tips or helpful things that we could do thanks.

bpatters · May 7, 2017

See the bible on guinea pig introductions: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html. When you put them together, don't separate them because one "came to you for protection." That's not helping, that's hindering the process. They have to work out the pecking order, and you have to let them. Only separate them if there's bloodshed, or about to be. Nips don't count.

Get rid of the pigloo and any other hideys that have only one door, or else cut another hole in the them. Structures with only one door are just invitations to war between pigs.

How big is the cage? Boars need a lot of room, as they're more territorial than females. No pet store cage is large enough for two males, and lack of space is a major reason for guinea pig aggression.

Bogart · May 7, 2017

bpatters said:
See the bible on guinea pig introductions: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html. When you put them together, don't separate them because one "came to you for protection." That's not helping, that's hindering the process. They have to work out the pecking order, and you have to let them. Only separate them if there's bloodshed, or about to be. Nips don't count.

Get rid of the pigloo and any other hideys that have only one door, or else cut another hole in the them. Structures with only one door are just invitations to war between pigs.

How big is the cage? Boars need a lot of room, as they're more territorial than females. No pet store cage is large enough for two males, and lack of space is a major reason for guinea pig aggression.

right now i have them in too separate cages one is 4x2 and the other and the other i 4x1. And in introduced them in my bathroom that is at least 5x2

bpatters · May 7, 2017

The introductions in the bathroom are fine. But neither of those cages is large enough for two male pigs.

And don't introduce them and then put them back in separate cages. Guinea pigs are wired to establish dominance every time they meet a new pig, and they start from scratch every time. So wait until you've got a satisfactory cage before introducing them again.

CavyTV · May 7, 2017

I'd recommend a 2x6 for 2 boars. Get 2 of everything - bowls, water bottles, hay racks/ areas, hideys, etc.

lisa325 · May 7, 2017

I keep my two boars in a 2X5 C&C cage, but they're basically only in there overnight, they're out now, running about and playing, as there is always someone here to keep an eye on them. I must second the post about proper introductions. If you use and follow the steps in the link posted by bpatters, then you will have much greater success at bonding them, and having them live peacefully together. Stopping and starting introductions just puts must more stress on them and dooms the bonding to failure. Study the instructions in the link, set aside several hours, and stick with it until you see they are more or less settled, and have sorted out the hierachy, you will be surprised at how well it works when you follow the correct steps.Good luck to you, Bogart and Gunther

.

CavyTV · May 14, 2017

lisa325 said:
I keep my two boars in a 2X5 C&C cage, but they're basically only in there overnight, they're out now, running about and playing, as there is always someone here to keep an eye on them.

You keep them out for floortime all day? What lucky boys

I try my best with floortime, but one of my pigs always ends up chewing on something they're not suppose to, or peeing on the carpet, or pushing the barrier that I made and crawling under the bed so they can poo under there. *Sigh* How do you do it? Your boys look/sound so well-behaved

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