Newer owner with two adopted boars, photos, and a few questions

[mygingerbread]

Hi
I have two different subjects I need help on.

We have adopted two males that I was hoping to house together but they don't get along. Both are very social, love to be held, and talk to us all the time. Patches was adopted first and we have had him about a year (he is about three years old) and Checkers was adopted in November (he is about 5 months old). We have tried to introduce them to each other and it turns into a fight everytime. We adopted them with cages included (I will be making bigger ones now that I know they are smaller than needed). I have tried putting the cages next to each other thinking they would get to know each other and they have bedding and poop flung everywhere, which doesn't
happen if they are in seperate rooms. Patches is twice the size of Checkers, so I don't want to leave them together. What can I do?



Checkers

Patches

Patches, look at his nails. When I got him his nails were curved all the way back into his feet. I keep trimming them more every couple of weeks trying to get the quick to shrink up. How close to the quick can I cut and not hurt him?

 

[SurfingPigs]

Hello and welcome! And let me say, you have some very handsome gentlemen there!

Did you do intros according to how they are described halfway down the following page?: Guinea Pigs Social Life

I cut as close to the quick as I can. For him, I would just keep doing little weekly trims and you should be able to get those nails in order soon. Good thing they are clear nails and not black.

 

[SurfingPigs]

Something else that would help is a large cage. What size is the cage you put them together in? Checkers is likely going through some hormonal changes so extra space will help the two get along when they are together.

 

[mygingerbread]

The fights happen when Patches tries to mount Checkers. I know they are both males (sexing them is very easy), so I assume it's a dominance behavior. I was trying to let them sort it out but Checkers will draw blood with his bites. I am wondering if they are both as too alike in their personalities, or if I should wait until Checkers is a little older and no longer a crabby teenager.

 

[mygingerbread]

As for cage size, they both have 30x17x16 cages that we connected end to end with zip ties.

 

[SurfingPigs]

Personally, I would try constructing a larger single cage and putting them in that after doing proper introductions. Boys will be boys, and they need their space. And yes, they are just working out who is top pig.

Did you do introductions properly (according to the directions in the link I provided) when you first tried them together?