Dominance I had to separate my pigs

[kaylynns]

i just need some advice. i have two guinea pigs- pippin and astoria. the poor little guys have been through a lot lately-changing homes/owners and getting a new cage. i built them a 2x4 c&c cage which they were pretty happy in. for their whole lives (they're 1) pippin has been the dominant one. tonight, i switched their cage to having fleece instead of bedding. this is where it went wrong. astoria began humping pippin and wouldn't leave him alone. i let them figure it out for about an hour but it just kept getting more and more violent. eventually they broke out into a fight and even though no blood was drawn, i knew they had to be separated. i was about to go to bed and i didn't trust them alone. they are now in two separate cages and they can't see each other. i'm kind of new at this and i just want to know if i did the right thing? and where do i go from here tomorrow morning? i was thinking adding a cage divider for a while, but i'm not sure. thanks for the help!

 

[sherri86]

every forum always states unless blood is drawn, let them be. I know this would be hard because you don't want either one to get hurt. maybe give them a buddy bath tomorrow, rearrange the interior of the cage so it seems different to both of them, also clean the cage with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water solution. introduce them on a neutral ground , and if no blood drawn after a couple hours, try putting them back in the cage. watch them for another couple hours, if all is good.. then should be A ok

hope everything works out

 

[jaycriae]

Is one of them fixed? Or are they both boars, and Astoria just has a feminine name? A 2x4 isn't nearly big enough for two boars, you'd want at least a 2x5, which is likely why a dispute broke out once the scent changed some. It's also possible Astoria's in heat, if a sow.

Sherri86's instructions are good, but I'd expand the cage first if possible, and my personal preference is to skip the bath unless they fail reintroductions the first time, since it is so stressful for them.

If it seemed like the fight was quickly escalating to the point where blood would be drawn soon, and you needed to go to bed, I think you did the right thing- it's better safe than sorry. I would've put in a divider, personally, but it sounds like that wasn't an option for you, and it also wouldn't have left either of them with much space.

Good luck! (And Pippin and Astoria are lovely names, I'm just a little confused about what kind of dynamic we're dealing with, exactly.)

 

[pouty]

Get a soft bristle brush, put a little bit of coconut oil on your finger, and rub a very tiny amount onto the brush and brush your piggy's fur with it. Use very little or you'll end up with a greasy pig.

Do the same to the next piggy and give them floor time with a bowl of veggies to share. I would not give them an entire
room for this floor time so they can still run into each other but have enough space
to not fight.

My piggies fought a lot the first day, and blood was shed - I gave them each a bath and it occurred to me to try some of my coconut oil. Worked great. I don't see them sharing a hidey anytime soon, but they're tolerating each other now and sharing food bowls.

 

[bpatters]

I answered you on GL. Put 'em back together.

 

[PotterThePiggie]

You're the only one who can assess the situation fully, so if you feel the fighting will lead to one getting injured then go with your gut and get a divider for them to be separated.

I'd at least try some of the suggestions first though and see how you feel from there.


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