Guinea Pigs fighting

Question

I just got two males about 2 days ago and one of them keeps attacking the other and the other is REALLY scared .. what am i supose to do?

Answer 1

separate them or get them a bigger cage

Answer 2

Since they are from a petstore and most likely were not in the best of conditions prior to getting there to begin with, you may want to take them to the vet to treat for mites.  Mites can make pigs more irritable.

Do you know the age of the pigs?  My males squabbled like crazy when they went through puberty.

They might be just fine in an adequate-sized cage.

If you "exchange" the pets like merchandise, it might not help, either, since you don't know how the new one will get along with the one you chose to keep and again, without adequate cage space, you will probably run into the same situation.

Neutering will not change the behaviour of your pigs.

I highly recommend going to http://www.guineapigcages.com and doing some research.

Answer 3

Male Guinea Pigs are territorial.  Separate them in 2 different cages.   I had 2 experiences with finding one dead.  One will prevent the other from eating and drinking until it dies.  

Answer 4

Play fighting between males is normal especially when they first meet or come home.  It may be them deciding who will be the dominent one (I imagine it will be the attacker) now that there is only two of them.  If there is no injuries (very minor ones like small scratches are okay) then keeo them together.  As long as their cage is large enough for the two of them they should sort it out.  

If they get injured or it continues it may be best to take one back.  I would suggest returning the attacker and either getting a docile looking male or getting the current male neutered (not too expensive) and buying a female as there is a better chance they will get on.  

Answer 5

That's what happened to me. my 2 males always fought and bit each other. Male guinea pigs are aggressive with each other.well give one away back to the pet store or i you still want to keep one of them then buy another cage. or you could just train them not to fight.  

Answer 6

Being in a new environment your boys need to re-establish dominance. They may also squbble more as they erach sexual maturity.

Normal squabbling can including chasing, squeeking, mounting, nose-butting, and rumblestrutting (they walk funny and make a purring noise)/

This is all NORMAL! If this is what you are seeing you don't need to do anything - just leave them to sort it out themselves.

You do NOT need to separate them unless they actually draw blood!

Incidentally, one of the most common reasons for piggies fighting is lack of space - so make sure your cage is big enough. A pair of boys should have about 10.5 sq feet of floor space! If you are using a store bought cage that is probably making the problem much worse!

There is no need to neuter your pigs unless they are going to be in contact with females - it won't change their behaviour in any way.

Check out:

http://www.guineapigcages.com

Answer 7

Either you separate them or you give one or both back to the store you got them from. Sometimes you get two guinea pigs that just won't get along. You may want to get a different pair. If you rescued two adults you'd know exactly how they get along.

And just so you know, two males will not always fight, and neutering won't help. Also if there isn't enough space fights between two pigs may break out.

http://www.guineapigcages.com

Add: No, if you get a girl you'll wind up with guinea piglets pretty fast...

Answer 8

I have seven guinea pigs and none of them have fought until a couple of weeks ago...

Your guinea pigs might be fighting if you have any other guinea pigs

a female?

They might be fighting over her if you have one but if it is just them you may want to separate them for a little while until things start settling down. It is probably because they are in a new enviorment and are fighting over things. That is usual. Separate them for a bit pet them get them use to their new enviorment and let them calm down. You should try getting them out of their cages(if they have one) and put up a baby gate or something to let them explore outside of the homes. I really hope this helped.

Answer 9

You need to separate them. Males often fight, and they can seriously injure each other. You can have them neutered, but as far as I know it doesn't help with fighting in guinea pigs - they will still fight, even if neutered. You might want to call a vet (preferably one who specializes in small animals) and find out the cost of the procedure and whether or not it will help. But for now, please separate them. A friend of mine had two males (littermates) who grew up together, but they started fighting and one of them was seriously hurt. Right now, their hatch is divided in two by a mesh wall - they can still see and smell each other, they just can't hurt each other. This would be an ideal set-up. Hope it helped. Google "guinea pig care" for more info, there are lots of good sites out there with great information.

P.S. If you want two pigs who get along, neuter one of the boys, take the other one back and get a female. Or take them both back and get two females. I *think* females generally get along better than males.

P.P.S. I do agree that if you're an experienced pig owner, you could just give them time and watch for signs of trouble (not all squabbles result in injury). But being that you're not, and you don't know what to look for, it seems to me it would make sense to start with females, or female/neutered male pairings. Again, it's possible that your cage is too small for two pigs, and territorial boys will fight - but are you prepared to invest into a better set-up right now? Sounds to me like you're very new, and this is why I recommend going the easier route instead of trying to sort out two males.

Answer 10

If you got them from the same litter they should get along okay.  The one that is attacking the other is being territorial.  They would get along better if they were neutered.  Sometimes males won't get along.  A better combination is too females.  You could separate them for a short while and then introduce them gradually or you can keep them in separate cages.

Answer 11

Well, what you should do is put them in 2 separate cages. I have a cousin that had 2 guinea pigs in the same cage, and 1 of the bit the other ones ear off!!! I hope my advice will help you and your guinea pig problems!