Fighting Fighting comes to blood...

[photobec]

I have two males, about 6 months old. When we got them almost 2 months ago, they came in a very too small cage. The previous owner said they didn't fight. They HAD to be lying. Fighting was often. We buillt a new C and C cage immediately within the first few days following guidelines on this site. The fighting continues even with the larger space. I tried separate everything for a while... food, water, hideys but it didn't improve. I thought no blood had been drawn until yesterday we saw it on a paw and head of one of them. Today they started to go at it and saw blood again. WHAT to do???

 

[Eimear]

I think it may be time to separate them, you could just put a line of grids down the middle of your cage.

 

[Squint96]

If they are 6 months old they are probably going through puberty. Separate them for a few months, and then try introductions from the top again on neutral territory.

I know how you feel, in July I adopted a pig and he and Squint did not get along, so they are separated because he bit Squint's lip, butt ect.

Good luck!

 

[photobec]

I put a cube divider between them before I posted this morning. They're really mad now they keep trying to move it and get at each other. from other posts I noticed that people said not to divide because they can't go back to being together. Has anyone had a good experience putting pigs back together? I'm really sad about this because they like to hang out together so much plus now they have half a cage.

 

[Gigabyte]

@photobec - They might just end up being single pigs, you won't really have a 'for sure' answer on that one. Because all guinea pigs differ, they will either get out of puberty and stop the fighting, or continue.
For their physical health, separation is the most important thing right now. It will either work out or not. Might as well try.

 

[sillylittle]

I don't have any experience with this situation (I don't have any experience with GPs actually; I love them but I'm not in a position in my life where I am comfortable with having an animal [I'm a college senior/sophomore (complicated), the boyfriend is moving across the country and wants me to join him for the summer, and I have no idea where I'm going to live next year]) BUT! I would assume their ability to get along really has to depend on the guys. Separation definitely seems like the right move, given their tendency to fight. However, it could just be that they need to get past puberty (as everyone else is saying) and they'll calm down and stop fighting, and you can put them back together. Or, they wont stop fighting, and they'll be solitaries, as @Gigabyte said. I've mostly heard of people trying to pair young pigs with older pigs, just because the older pig will kinda put them in their place and teach them how to be a guinea pig before puberty, and then they're settled in their ways with the older pig being "boss-man/woman". I bet they're both trying to be boss, but neither really knows how to, so they just squabble. Plus, boys are just silly anyway .

These are just some musings, but I wonder if it is better to keep them in view of each other, or not. It may just aggravate them to see each other but not be able to get at each other, to fight for dominance (as shown by them ripping at the grid separator), or it may satisfy their social needs without being dangerous. But then, even if they cant see each other, if they're in the same room they'll be able to smell each other, which would lead to scent-marking as they both try to "claim" the room. I wonder what someone who has experience in this situation (complete separation of cages vs. some visual contact vs. same room vs. etc) has to contribute for you.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

In cases like this I usually just put in grids to separate them. Keeping them this way usually makes it easier to get them back together after they are out of the adolescence period. How large is the cage?

 

[bpatters]

Ditto foggycreekcavy. If they chew the grids too badly, you could put a piece of plexiglass along each side of the dividing grids. And if possible, extend your cage by a grid length on either end.

Maybe after the hormones settle down you can try again.