Fighting Had to separate boars, but they're supposed to share a run soon at kennel!

[belfastyank]

We had a routine of keeping our 2 males in the outside hutch during the day and in their indoor cage overnight. I knew that Pumpkin had starting showing dominance and pouncing on Harry when they were in the cage, but I only noticed recently that Harry is actually getting hurt. The other day when I took him out of the cage in the morning, his ear had been ripped! :sad: So, I started keeping Pumpkin in the hutch all night while Harry spends the night in the cage. It's been ok because they don't seem to fight during the day when they are in the hutch and perhaps the cage was just getting too small for the pair of them. However, in about a month we are going away and they are booked in to share a run. I'm a little worried about Harry getting bullied in the run but it's too late to book a second run, as I had booked the last available run for them. So, my questions are this: should I try get them to share the cage or hutch again overnight before we go away? Should I call the man who runs the boarding place to ask him what he thinks?

 

[campusgirll]

We had a routine of keeping our 2 males in the outside hutch during the day and in their indoor cage overnight. I knew that Pumpkin had starting showing dominance and pouncing on Harry when they were in the cage, but I only noticed recently that Harry is actually getting hurt. The other day when I took him out of the cage in the morning, his ear had been ripped! :sad: So, I started keeping Pumpkin in the hutch all night while Harry spends the night in the cage. It's been ok because they don't seem to fight during the day when they are in the hutch and perhaps the cage was just getting too small for the pair of them. However, in about a month we are going away and they are booked in to share a run. I'm a little worried about Harry getting bullied in the run but it's too late to book a second run, as I had booked the last available run for them. So, my questions are this: should I try get them to share the cage or hutch again overnight before we go away? Should I call the man who runs the boarding place to ask him what he thinks?

You should call to see what options they have available. Also, make sure they have enough space at home. To have their own space so to speak. They should have a big enough spot in the run.

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[bpatters]

What size are the cage and the hutch?

 

[belfastyank]

What size are the cage and the hutch?

The cage is about 30" x 18". I know there's no room to run in it, but I was only putting them in it overnight (because we got them in late Autumn when the nights were cold, and the cage is indoors). The hutch is 60" x 18".

 

[BeckieL]

the cage and the hutch are both too small

 

[bpatters]

DItto @BeckieL. You're just asking for trouble with both of those enclosures. One HUGE reason for guinea pig aggression is lack of space. Neither of those spaces is large enough for one pig, much less two, much less boars. Boars require a LOT of room to run and roam if they're going to live together peacefully.

 

[belfastyank]

Time for me to start looking into something new for them then. Do you think 2 or 3 tier cages are any good, or do they need the space all on one level? Unfortunately I don't have much floorspace in my house.

 

[bpatters]

They really need room to run, so one level cages are better. There's a tons of examples in the photo galleries of creative ways to use space to expand a cage.