Injury Help Fighting brothers and 1 injured

[WeirdGirl]

Hi! I just got two baby boars (males) a few days before Christmas so I?ve had them for a few weeks. I have never had Guiana pigs before so I?m a new mother. My boys seem to get along but if you take a look at the pictures I attached you can clearly see they have fought. The ear on was bitten by his brother or at least I?m assuming and I?ve been putting Neosporin on it. They will NOT let me touch or pick them up. To get the Neosporin on his ear i wait till he is eating and take a Qtip and swab his ear till he runs away. He ear looks fine now and it?s been two weeks since that picture. I woke up today to my poor baby having what looks like a little hole near his nose. The picture i attached is not the best but it?s all he would let me take. He does not seem to be in any pain and he is acting normal. He definitely will not let me put Neosporin on it so I?m not sure what to do. What should I do for him or should I separate him from his brother? Also how can I get them to let me touch them or pick them up? They will eat food from my hand but will not let me touch them all they do is run away.

 

[WeirdGirl]

I apologize for the text and grammatical errors

 

[bpatters]

First, that cage is WAY too small for them. Boars need a lot of room, and lack of space is a major reason for aggression. No pet store cage is large enough for one pig, much less two, much less two boars.

You MUST pick them up. That's the only way you're going to tame them, and you have to check them for injuries, lumps, nail trimmings, whatever. Catch them and put them on your lap, cover them with a light cloth, and feed them a favorite veggie. They won't want to stay long at first, but they'll get used to you.

You can gently shoo them into a corner, or gently trap them with a small box. They're prey animals, and they may never learn to like being caught, but they're usually fine once you've got them.

One other thing -- that food is crap. You need a plain timothy pellet, or plain alfalfa pellet if they're younger than six months. They should never have hard nuts or seeds, because they've got tiny, tiny throats and they can easily choke. The only two brands of pellets in the U.S. that we recommend are KMS Hayloft (available only online) and Oxbow.

Here's some recommended reading for new pig owners:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!

 

[WeirdGirl]

How would you know if my cage was too small if I didn’t show a picture of my cage. I also didn’t share what type of food I give them. They are eating Timothy hay and pellets that’s all I feed them. I also give them fresh apples and oranges. I asked for advice but what you said came off rude.

 

[bpatters]

Because I can see the bars of your cage, and it looks like a typical pet store cage.

I can see the junk in the pellets.

Fruit is not suitable for pigs on a regular basis. They're not engineered to process sugar well, and it can cause major digestive upsets. If you'll read those links I gave you, you'll find a list of suggested appropriate foods.

 

[Soecara]

For guinea pigs ear injuries almost always occur when they are housed in cramped spaces. When guinea pigs are overcrowded in too small of a space they often will chew the ears of other guinea pigs, this can even happen with a mother sow chewing the ears of her own pups. I wouldn't separate the two if you don't absolutely have to, because if you do separate them you would need to re-introduce them from scratch if you ever want to house them together again, but do consider whether or not your cage is a suitable size for two boars (the absolute minimum recommended size for two boars is 10-11 sq feet, but 13 sq feet is the ideal recommended size).

As for facial injuries such as the one shown in the photo, they often occur when one guinea pig corners the other. This often happens with hidies with only one entrance, if you have any such items consider either removing them and replacing them with something else with multiple entrances (such as a fleece forest, which is cut fleece draped down from the top of the cage), or cut another hole into the existing one entrance hidey.

What you can do for him now is monitor his existing injuries for an signs of infection. Also be very careful when applying the neosporin, if he manages to ingest any it is very bad for him, so apply it very sparingly and rub it in very well.

Even though they run away when you go to pick them up it is important to still do it. Guinea pigs will almost always run away when you go to pick them up no matter how tame they are, as they are prey animals it is just in their instincts, but they may calm down a little bit as they become more used to you picking them up.

 

[Kim37040]

I have 2 boars and had them in a 2x4 C&C and that was too small for them. I switched them to a 2x3. That was too small for them. Small meaning they were both far too territorial and would fight constantly.
I changed it to a 3x3. Still no go. After many issues with bites and some that got infected and had me at the vet, I moved them to side by side 2x3 cages. Unfortunately, it worked better for them. They would hang out where the cages joined but had their own space.

So, definitely go bigger. The bigger the better.

And I wold check out this link for food info.
The healthier you feed them the healthier they will be.
I keep a copy of this on my fridge to this day and I have had pigs for years.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List

Until your comfort level is better - catch them in a box or towel as suggested. They more you handle them the more at ease they will get with you and their environment.

I had pigs years ago and was not a smart piggy mom. And my pigs suffered for that. Now I know better so I do better. the more you read here and listen to advice and suggestions, the better you and your piggies will be.

Good luck!