Fighting What cage is big enough for 2 boars?

CavyTV · Jun 8, 2016

Hi. I have 2 boars, Flyn and Kasper, who I'm guessing are around 2-4 months old. I have just recently made a 6×3 c&c cage with a 3×1 loft for them. It's their 4th day in the new cage. Even though it's a big, i still catch them rumblestrutting a lot. When one sniffs another's chin, the one being sniffed nips the other. Nothing really serious. I'm wondering how long this will last. They've been together for over a month. I did proper introductions. Also, i'm wondering what i should do once i leave for my 2-month trip, this saturday. I have extra grids, so should i split the cage while im gone? I'd rather be safe than sorry.. I gave them a buddy bath, so this only happened before: i saw them having an arguement several times. They were really loud, and they were trying to see who could lift their heads highest. It got to the point where one guinea pig would take a few steps forward, and the other would back away, making loud whining noises. Luckily, every time i saw this, i stopped the fight by making a loud slap on the bed to scare them. It was the only way to stop the fight from getting worse. That happened like 3-5 times. But like i said before, i gave them a buddy bath b4 i put them in their new cage, so it doesn't happen anymore. If i did split the cage, both pigs would have a 1.5×6 area, with no loft. It would only be for 2 months, so when i come back, i'll put them back together. idk if this is a good idea or not. Let me know your opinion and what i can do to stop them from rumblestrutting and nipping each other.

CavyMama · Jun 8, 2016

There's no reason to take any precautions. Everything you mention sounds like perfectly normal. Rumblestrutting, chasing, nipping, mounting - it's all normal behavior. Stop making a loud slap noise to scare them - it's not necessary and it unnecessarily stresses them. Don't separate them. There's no need. Every time pigs are brought together after being separated, they have to start over establishing dominance.

pigmommy89 · Jun 8, 2016

Boys will be boys. You can't make them stop rumbling and mounting. If your pig sitter is experienced you could leave them together and have the sitter separate if necessary. If you do divide the cage, I would do it the other way, giving each a 3x3. But I honestly think they're fine and there's no need to separate them.

bpatters · Jun 8, 2016

They're going to nip and chase and rumble and mount for the next several years. If it bothers you, the only thing you can do is swap them for two sows, and even that won't completely solve the problem.

Just let them alone. They've got plenty of room, and they'll work things out if you'll just be patient. As @CavyMama says, don't make a noise to scare them -- that completely interrupts the process of them establishing dominance, and just slows things down.

CavyTV · Jun 8, 2016

I know the slap was not a good choice, but i was worried they might really start fighting, and once that happens, they wouldn't be able to be in same cage ever again.. I didn't want one to choose to attack the other, so i did the only thing i could think of. I know it was wrong but i didn't want to take a risk and let them continue.....

CavyTV · Jun 8, 2016

pigmommy89 said:
Boys will be boys. You can't make them stop rumbling and mounting. If your pig sitter is experienced you could leave them together and have the sitter separate if necessary. If you do divide the cage, I would do it the other way, giving each a 3x3. But I honestly think they're fine and there's no need to separate them.

The only person who can take care of them while im gone is my mom. But honestly, she is not experienced at all. She doesn't even like guinea pigs

But she's the only one that's home, besides my brother, but he's only a toddler. The only reason im thinking of seperating them is because i know she won't be in my room for most of the day, like i am, since school is over, so she most likely won't be able to see if they argue/fight. Plus, she has my brother to take care of, who is a real handfull. She'll probably only come in the room to check on them once or twice, and of course, when they need to be fed.

dyannew5 · Jun 12, 2016

we adopted Coco Puff ,he was ,4 weeks.old. now 14 months. We thot he should have a buddy. We got Cinnamon Bun a cage of.his own, he was same age as CC.PUFF. KEPT CAGES TOGETHER, PUT IN TUB TOGETHER, AFTER A WEEK, FINALLY TOOK THE DOORS OFF. THEY HAD THEIR SQUABBLES, BUT ARE PEACE FUL. TURNED THE GAGES TOWARD.EACH OTHER.. CCPUFF IS LITTER.TRAINED. CINAMON NEEDS WORK. STILL.THINK.THEY NEED A BIGGER CAGE?

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dyannew5 · Jun 12, 2016

dyannew5 said:
we adopted Coco Puff ,he was ,4 weeks.old. now 14 months. We thot he should have a buddy. We got Cinnamon Bun a cage of.his own, he was same age as CC.PUFF. KEPT CAGES TOGETHER, PUT IN TUB TOGETHER, AFTER A WEEK, FINALLY TOOK THE DOORS OFF. THEY HAD THEIR SQUABBLES, BUT ARE PEACE FUL. TURNED THE GAGES TOWARD.EACH OTHER.. CCPUFF IS LITTER.TRAINED. CINAMON NEEDS WORK. STILL.THINK.THEY NEED A BIGGER CAGE?

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my NAME IS MOOZLE55. love the piggies! raised piggie 1 from 4 week, now.piggie 2 at 14 weeks. Finally , they are friends. I'm still leaning ,at 55!

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dyannew5 · Jun 12, 2016

moozle55, get a.squirt gun, amazing results, when u see inappropriate behavior starting. C.C.PUFF WANTED TO.HUMP, LOL THE NEW.MALE. HIS.OWN.AGE. CINAMON JUST TOOK IT. I GOT THE SQUIRT GUN, DOENST HURT EM, BUT INTERUPTS THE BEHAVIOR, THEN CINAMON, STARTED STANDING UP FOR HIMSELF! but HE STARTED BITING. OUT CAME THE SQUIRTGUN. SO.FINALLY, PEACE. THEY ARE REALLY NOT.IN NATURAL HABITAT. SOMETIMES MOMMIES, HAVE TO HELP.THE CAUSE ALONG.

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Fay · Jun 12, 2016

Hello @dyannew5 Welcome to the forums

!

You will want to introduce your boars in a neutral territory like your bathroom or kitchen because introducing them in each others territory will cause them to fight (make sure they can't get stuck anywhere or have access to wires or electric plugs/sockets), also make sure to provide food and water. Once you have introduced them in a neutral territory (which might take a few hours) and everything goes okay. You can place them in a cage that's thoroughly cleaned out so there are no smells of any pigs that have previously lived in it. You can read about introductions here:

https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

This cage will need to be big enough for two boars, we recommend 2x5 or 3x4 grid cage for two boars. Note that the measurement is in GRIDS not inches/feet, pet store cages are not big enough for two boars to live peacefully and putting them in a pet store cage will definitely cause issues. Pet store cages are actually not even big enough for one pig let alone two. Here you can look at the cage measurements, this shop also sells pre-made cages but you can also build your own by finding the grids and coroplast yourself for cheap. Let us know if you need help finding materials!

https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

As for the behavior, like humping. That's normal dominance behavior. Please do not squirt your pigs! They're prey animals and they don't understand the concept of punishing them for bad behavior like dogs/cats. All you end up doing is scaring them and prolonging them from settling their dominance, they won't learn not to repeat that behavior like other pets. Even with well established pairs of boars OR sows, it's totally normal to see humping as a dominance behavior. You can read about some of that behavior in the first link I posted.

Finally, have you turned your pigs around and compared their genitals? Miss-sexing is really common. We always recommended that you triple check and ask as many people as you can to confirm their gender. You won't want to put them together if they are male and female because pregnancy is extremely tough on the sow. You can look here for more information:

https://cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
(broken link removed)

Hope that helps

Let us know if you have any other questions!

dyannew5 · Jun 12, 2016

thanks fay, now im stuck, your pictures , helped me.see , we have a female, not a male. The warranty has passed, a week, and i.questioned the sex, I saw.the tities just like in the pix. She said, oh they all have em. COCO PUFF DOES NOT!
then she pushed down on the girls privates , making it look like a boy, what do.i know about piggies, cmom. I think that voids the contract, and we should take her back. We wanted a companion for c.c.puff , not a.litter. watcha think,help!

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sallyvh · Jun 12, 2016

First off, separate them immediately if you think they are different sexes.

Second, all guinea pigs have nipples, whether they are male or female. Coconut Puff certainly does have nipples.

Take a good look and compare both of their undersides to the pictures in the cavy spirit link above. If you're having difficulties you can post clear up close pictures here and our experienced members can most likely tell you.

The best way to know for sure you have males is to express their penis. You can do this by gently pressing above their pertinent parts.

dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

Fay said:
Hello @dyannew5 Welcome to the forums !

You will want to introduce your boars in a neutral territory like your bathroom or kitchen because introducing them in each others territory will cause them to fight (make sure they can't get stuck anywhere or have access to wires or electric plugs/sockets), also make sure to provide food and water. Once you have introduced them in a neutral territory (which might take a few hours) and everything goes okay. You can place them in a cage that's thoroughly cleaned out so there are no smells of any pigs that have previously lived in it. You can read about introductions here:

https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

This cage will need to be big enough for two boars, we recommend 2x5 or 3x4 grid cage for two boars. Note that the measurement is in GRIDS not inches/feet, pet store cages are not big enough for two boars to live peacefully and putting them in a pet store cage will definitely cause issues. Pet store cages are actually not even big enough for one pig let alone two. Here you can look at the cage measurements, this shop also sells pre-made cages but you can also build your own by finding the grids and coroplast yourself for cheap. Let us know if you need help finding materials!

https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

As for the behavior, like humping. That's normal dominance behavior. Please do not squirt your pigs! They're prey animals and they don't understand the concept of punishing them for bad behavior like dogs/cats. All you end up doing is scaring them and prolonging them from settling their dominance, they won't learn not to repeat that behavior like other pets. Even with well established pairs of boars OR sows, it's totally normal to see humping as a dominance behavior. You can read about some of that behavior in the first link I posted.

Finally, have you turned your pigs around and compared their genitals? Miss-sexing is really common. We always recommended that you triple check and ask as many people as you can to confirm their gender. You won't want to put them together if they are male and female because pregnancy is extremely tough on the sow. You can look here for more information:

https://cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
(broken link removed)

Hope that helps Let us know if you have any other questions!

i.truly thank u, for all your help! i made a post ,but we were so.upset ,when we thought Cinamon was a girl! they had just bonded. I was so.angry. that fish/ pet place was going to gender Cinamon for us today. They gender their piggies 2X b4 putting them out, and 2x again by different xperts there, before selling them. We bought C.C.PUFF there. Last nite ,poor Cinnamon, we were checking ,with what you sent, and out popped the weasel! it was undeniably a boy! we were so.happy, mostly for.C.C.PUFF. thank u my friend for.ur.kindness.

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dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

cavylover5 said:
I know the slap was not a good choice, but i was worried they might really start fighting, and once that happens, they wouldn't be able to be in same cage ever again.. I didn't want one to choose to attack the other, so i did the only thing i could think of. I know it was wrong but i didn't want to take a risk and let them continue.....

i know.how u feel, when u are a mother , it never goes away! this idea of dominance is new,LOL, to.me too, but when we watch shows in the wild , the dominant ,elephant, monkey, etc, watches out for.the rest of.the clan. I think ok. But in my house no fighting, the kids werent allowed , did it.anyway,,,hahaha,. But i think the girls are right. They are in our enviornment, but still have their own system. We gradually introduced the guys, and they still had it out. One morning we woke up,.and they were in 1 igloo together. Whad a ya know...

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dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

dyannew5 said:
i know.how u feel, when u are a mother , it never goes away! this idea of dominance is new,LOL, to.me too, but when we watch shows in the wild , the dominant ,elephant, monkey, etc, watches out for.the rest of.the clan. I think ok. But in my house no fighting, the kids werent allowed , did it.anyway,,,hahaha,. But i think the girls are right. They are in our enviornment, but still have their own system. We gradually introduced the guys, and they still had it out. One morning we woke up,.and they were in 1 igloo together. Whad a ya know...

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[emoji64]

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dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

[emoji102]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]
im sorrry, folks, i can figure this complicated phone out, LOL, but i am having trouble figuring how to work this application....someone take pity on me n help?
my report cards always had high graded, but always was checked" does not follow directions ". Hurt my feelings. Adh kid...

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dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

yes, please, we want to build our own cage, that woul b so lovely to know where to get materials! thank u,,,been so helpful.

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dyannew5 · Jun 13, 2016

dyannew5 said:
[emoji102]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

im sorrry, folks, i can figure this complicated phone out, LOL, but i am having trouble figuring how to work this application....someone take pity on me n help?
my report cards always had high graded, but always was checked" does not follow directions ". Hurt my feelings. Adh kid...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]
fay, thank u dont know where the friendnsign is but im inviting u...

dyannew5 said:
yes, please, we want to build our own cage, that woul b so lovely to know where to get materials! thank u,,,been so helpful.

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lissie · Jun 13, 2016

dyannew5 said:
yes, please, we want to build our own cage, that woul b so lovely to know where to get materials! thank u,,,been so helpful.

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See this thread.
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107825-Where-to-find-C-amp-C-cage-materials

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Fighting What cage is big enough for 2 boars?

CavyTV

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