Fighting Piggie bullying his brothers and I can’t fix it!!!!

[Caylarose]

Hi there I’m new here and have resorted to writing a post because nothing I have done is helping my piggie be less aggressive. I have 4 male guinea pigs. 2 are older (over a year old) and 2 that I just got recently in December (about 5-6 months old). I first had the two little ones in a cage together and the two older in a cage together. The younger ones got along fine the first month or so. Then I noticed that one of my younger piggies was getting scratched and his hair pulled out by the other. I thought they were fighting over a bed I had in there so I removed it and the fights kept becoming more consistent and more aggressive. I thought it might have to do with them both seeming to be dominant young piggies so I switched so that the aggressive young piggie was with one of my older ones. They were only together for 2 nights when I woke up to them fighting and now my older piggie has a huge scratch and hair pulled out of him. I don’t know what else to do to make my little piggie stop being so aggressive. I never had issues when my older 2 were younger. Their cage dimensions are 63.8(L) x 23.62(W) x 16.68(H). Do I need to put my aggressive piggie in his own cage by himself or am I doing something wrong?? The last piggie that I have not tried to put in the cage with him is definitely NOT dominant and I’m afraid since he’s already attacked the other 2, he will attack him too and I don’t want to put him through that. Any feedback would be so greatly appreciative I’ve been stressing so much about this!!!

 

[Caylarose]

They also aren’t fighting over food. He eats fine with the other piggies. He seems to get aggressive when it comes to where he wants to go. He always seems to be kicking the other pig out of the spot they may have been laying in. I have multiple hide outs so he can go so a separate place away from the other but he seems to want to pick on them on purpose???

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

You may very well have a pig that just doesn't get along with others.

I do have to ask however, how you are introducing these pigs? Are you following guidelines, or simply plopping one in a cage with another and hoping for the best?

This is the recommended way of doing introductions between any pig. Bear in mind that you may need quite a bit of time to let them adjust so make sure you've got a day to be free.

https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

Doing it any other way than this will likely result in pigs not getting along at the very least, and could end up with one seriously injured or worse.

 

[bpatters]

Also, are your measurements in centimeters or inches? If centimeters, that's not nearly a big enough cage for two pigs.

And ditto @Guinea Pig Papa about not just switching the pigs between cages. You'll only make things worse by doing that.

 

[Caylarose]

Thank you for the response!! And yes when I first got the 2 younger piggies I introduced them slowly to eachother before putting them in a cage together. And then after they seemed to get along I introduced them one by one to my other 2 piggies. They all go outside and roam around together with no issues. When I switched who was in which cage we completely deep cleaned so no one was territorial. They all get along great just my one piggie randomly attacks. I can’t seem to find a pattern on why he chooses to do what he does. It’s always a quick fight like he scratches them and is done and I never hear teeth chattering til AFTER the incident took place so I haven’t been able to redirect. The cage is in inches.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Are you saying all four boys are in one cage? If so, THAT is your problem right there.

Boar's work best in pairs.

Even if they live in different cages, floor time with all four together is a bad idea. Pigs are hardwired to establish dominance whenever they meet another pig they are not constantly housed with.

 

[Caylarose]

No I have two separate cages with two pigs in each cage. I’ve seen multiple and follow multiple people who have more than two male piggies so I never thought it would be an issue for them to hang out together in a neutral environment outside of their cage like I do now. I have never had issues during floor time outside with all four of them being together.

 

[Smileandnod]

I have a female who is very territorial. She will lunge and be aggressive with any other pig if she is in a cage that isn't AT LEAST 3 grids wide (just over 42"). That's just her personality. Give her a larger, wider cage and she is as sweet as can be.

If my calculations are correct, your cage is about the equivalent of a 2x4 c& c cage...but about 5 inches more narrow. That is too small for those boars to live in harmony.

Also, your younger boars are now in full blown adolescence...they want & need more room as they compete for space & dominance.

You definitely need a bigger cage for each pair of boars. Otherwise it's just a matter of time before one gets seriously injured.

Take a look at the pictures on this forum for ideas. Also, people here would be very willing to offer suggestions if you would like.

 

[ItsaZoo]

They should have multiples of everything, like water bottles, hay piles, pellets, and hideys. Their hideys should have two entrances, so one pig can't be cornered or trapped by another, that becomes a nightmare very quickly. And it helps to have fleece or some other fabric dividers hanging randomly in the cage to block direct views from one part of the cage to another. Sometimes just seeing the other pig is enough to set off a fight.