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Fighting Fighting lead to separation, ok to leave one alone?

Isaque

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(First of all im sorry for my english, it is not my first language)


I've had a guinea pig named Bobo for about a month now, he was in a 14 square feet cage and i wanted to get him a new piggie because i've read they do better in groups.

I went to the nearest place with guinea pigs (a breeder at a 1 hour drive distance) and bought another male.

I was unable to introduce them properly (my biggest mistake) because i got home at 6:00 and had to leave for class in 20 minutes, so i simply put him inside the cage.
Straight away Bobo was weirded out and on guard. This was wednesday, today i friday.

Following the next day Bobo had been very territorial constantly, snapping his teeth at the new guinea pig and slowly shaking his butt, doing the thing where he kinda raises himself on his back paws too.

Bobo was a huge coward when it came to the new guinea pig though, if he as much as moved Bobo would run away instantly. Bobo never tried to chase him or bit him, he did come close and smell his butt though.

Whenever they were out of the cage they had no trouble being close, but inside tha cage Bobo was territorial. I did clean the whole cage and change eveyrthign around to throw Bobo off a bit but he still was territorial.

The new guinea pig showed NO territorial behaviours whatsoever at first, but today he started to chase Bobo around and make the territorial signs back at him. I read that this was normal and that i should let them deal with their dominance issues on their own. So i did leave them alone and went to class.

I just came back from class and Bobo has a bite on his nose...... I've separated them and plan on taking the new guinea pig back to the breeder.

I know piggies do well in groups but after this i feel very reluctant to get any new piggies, im considering raising Bobo by himself.
Getting a female is out of question due to the fact that i am from a very small town in the south of Brazil and there are no vets that can neuter a piggie anywhere nearby...

Please what should i do? Would it be okay to leave Bobo alone or should i one day consider getting another piggie? (not this one though)


20190510_163701.jpgunknown.png this is the floor plan of the lower level of their cage, each one had a hiding place and each hiding place had two entrances.
 

LittleSqueakers

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Also, that cage is far too small for 2 boars to share; that's probably a big part of the problem. Boars need more space than sows in order to live together peacefully, and 2 boars need a minimum of a 2x5 C&C (about 12 square feet of open space). The 2x1 upper level is a problem, too. It's too small, and makes it hard for the pigs to move past each other without fighting. Ramps are an invitation for pigs to guard it and fight over it.
 

bpatters

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Ditto to all the others.

And that's nowhere near a 14 square foot cage. It's barely large enough for one, and definitely not for two. You need to make that cage at least half again as large before you redo the introductions. I'd take that useless loft off and use the grids to extend the main floor space.

Do the introductions when you've got hours to give to it, and don't rush things. Just before you put them back in the cage, put a tiny drop of vanilla on each nose. That way they'll both smell the same, and it may discourage any initial squabbling.
 

CupcakeCavy

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First off I just want to let you know that I understand that it can be scary introducing a new piggy, especially when it doesn't seem to be going well. However from what it sounds like I don't think that there is any reason to return the new pig.

It sounds like a mixture of a smaller sized cage for the both of them, and a rushed introduction. My recommendation would be to extend the cage as much as possible, or to a 2x5 at the very least. Then make sure to rid the cage of any piggy scents as that can lead to territorial behavior by deep cleaning everything and washing the fleece with vinegar.

I would keep them separate for a couple days or around a week to give them some space and then do a proper introduction. This would look like an open area, preferably one that neither pig has been in before, and large piles of hay spread around. This should take several hours and should start with nothing but hay and water and work up to cozies and tunnels (make sure all hides have two exits to prevent issues) For the most part it is important to let them work out small issues. Keep a towel nearby just in case you need to separate (if blood is drawn).

The slow shaking of the butt is called rumble strutting and it is not a bad thing at all. My girls are very close and have lived together for years and still rumble at each other, its just a little dominance thing but it doesn't have to mean anything bad.

It is actually a really good sign that they are okay with each other outside of the cage because that may indicate that the cage is the issue, not the other pig. Overall there are very few circumstances in which guinea pigs should be alone, and this is not one of them. If you do end up returning the new pig (which I would not recommend) you should look for another pig, because no matter how much time you spend with them, it doesn't replace the need for interaction.

Best of luck with everything! Let us know if you have any further questions :)
 

Isaque

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Thank you all! I had no idea it wasn't 14 square feet due to feet not being a meassure used here so i had to try to change it from square cm (12800 cm², my mistake!) :O ! I will definetly update the cage before any further introductions. Im happy to know that I don't need to send the new piggie back
 

Isaque

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I meassured my room and a 2x5 may not fit where the current cage is but a 3x4 will, is that okay? Or does it have to be 2x5?
 

bpatters

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3x4 is even better than a 2x5.

And for the next time you need measurements, google is your friend: (broken link removed)
 

Isaque

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meassures.jpg
I did google it tho and it says it's 13,7 square feet, which is why i had called it 14 square feet in the beggining =( ,,,,,
each grid is 40 cm long (1.3 feet). Making the lower level of the cage be 3.9 feet by 2.6.
Yes i'm still gonna update the cage anyway

I know you are trying to help but that "google link" was hurtful and didn't make me feel very welcome here on my first day on the forum...............
 

bpatters

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Sorry you didn't like the link. But stick around -- I point a lot of people to it, because we get asked dozens of questions that are much more easily answered by google.

Your grids are larger than the ones we see -- ours are 14 inches, so you do have more square footage than I thought.

But one thing you should be aware of... Our 14 inch grids come with either eight or nine squares per row. The ones with only eight have holes that are large enough for even an adult guinea pig's head to get caught. And your larger grids only have 8 squares across, so you might have piggies that can escape, never mind getting their heads stuck. You'll need to either line the inside with something high enough to keep them from sticking their heads through, or get some more grids and overlap them so the holes are smaller.
 

Isaque

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Oh i think i know an easy way to solve it, thank you for letting me know! A local store has tiny metal grids by meter i think i could buy some and line the cage with it, it won't be too expensive! I'll be definetly be doing it i wouldn't want them to get hurt or escape <= ( .....
 

Isaque

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Back with an update!

After a few days separated I did the introduction ( in my bathroom, where they never go!)
During the first 45 minuts of the introduction there was some minor territorial behaviour such a chasing, chattering and also butt-dragging. But other than those nothing else! (Which is a huge relief)

After 2 hours in the bathroom I took them and put them in the cage (both at the same time). The cage i had previously already cleaned EVERYTHING (even the grids yes) of any smell of Bobo and I also closed off the ramp to the second floor (given that the lower level alone is 10 square feet it's okay.)
I've also closed of the grids which were too far apart and a danger to them.

Upon being placed back onto the cage there hasn't been any territorial behaviour yet! Not even chattering, though Bobo still does not like when Coco (new piggy's name) stands too close to him so he just moves away.

I am SOO relieved to see that this is working thank you all for the help!!
20190515_213310.jpg the cage

D6PHA-XWAAUU39B.jpg Bobo
D6PHB5qWAAoid-Q.jpg Coco
 

bpatters

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Sounds like things are going well.

Cute piggies!
 

CupcakeCavy

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Congratulations on the introduction!!! Also I wanted to let you know that there is no need to apologize for your English, because it is fantastic :) I hope things continue to go well for you and your piggies!
 

Isaque

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Hello! It has now been nearly two weeks since the introduction and things havve been going well enough. After the one week mark coco started to chase bobo against though not as often or as agressivly looking, and sometimes he'd mount him. He stopped the mounting after one day but he still chases Bobo sometimes. Bobo does nto initiate any territorial actions anymore he's acting submissive and there has been no blood drawn (though i do keep a towel close by still just in case)

They have no trouble eating side by side and do not fight for food but they do dislike the idea of sharing a hidei (good thing i've got two of them)
I've read that these behaviours are normal but im quite conserned about the uhhhh timeline? Is it normal to take a long while for them to get used to eachother?
D6-hHKlXsAE9MDu.jpg
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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My current boys, Punkin and Scooter, are littermates. They are 2 years, 7 months old, and they still constantly mount each other, grumble at each other, and sometimes seem like they're bickering.

That said, I also know that they love each other to bits, and are very inseparable. Punkin had to go to the vet yesterday, and Scooter pouted in a hidey the entire time, lost. They dislike sharing hideys as well.

So far, it sounds like everything is going well with your boys. I wouldn't worry about it unless one is bleeding or losing weight.
 
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