What a pair of pigs

[Guineapigdrama]

Shamelessly posting here with misleading title for traffic 🤣
I have two guinea pigs, horrendously spoilt things. Recently purchased them a new house (see image when uploaded) hence spoiled.

Now, one of them will not let the other into the bed area, chases him out. There's two beds in that area, completely separate and the same. So the ousted one sits in the other area all the time.

What do I do? Shut them both out of the bed so it's can't be hogged by one of them all day (pun intended)?

Or shut them both in at night and let them get on with it? I shut them in together for an hour yesterday and they were fine, no issues.

Going out of my mind with trying to please these two animals 🤣🤣

Was it a guinea pig rescue or just a general rescue? Because if the latter they may not be experts and may try to convince you to keep trying....don't.

Do you have a temporary pop up cage or some c and c or something you could put one of them in to? They don't do great alone but it's better than of them fighting to the death, which they are more than capable of, particularly if as stressed as you have said..

Who would you pick to go with two females? Would the bully likely be a bully even after neutering?

Minnie upstairs and pom pom doesn't use the ramp so he is safe.

They were from an independent small animal rescue. Very well known and respected where I am.

Minnie is safe on the upstairs level. The biter is not hurt but he seems just as unhappy. He's on constant guard of 'his' area

No way of knowing. Neutering may or may not change them - the killer pig I mentioned previously, obviously, had to be neutered to go with females (that's why we neutered him) but he was still tricky to bond. But we had a lot to choose from so could trial and error til we got a good match. I assume, if the rescue is well respected, they had bonded these two previously and not just given you two males? Unfortunately, a move to new environment can upset them anyway, even if previously ok. We have previously neutered young males (the rescue, not me personally) so they can be mixed with females in future jic as a precaution (though they have to be kept separate for six weeks after neutering). But the rescue may not agree to that solution and want both of them back. If they do, don't give up on guinea pigs, they're so rewarding. But try for females or a bonded male/female pair and maybe add another female or two in...

PS I'm not sure, given they've drawn blood, you can trust one not to go up the ramp - can you block the access off completely?

Two in tact boys?!?! Thankfully the fight hasn't escalated. It could have been much worse.

You need to separate them properly, not just rely on one not using the ramp. Hormones will be raging.

You need to get them both neutered. An experienced person may be able to rebond them a few weeks after neutering but it's not guaranteed. They'll each need a female friend.

Stress is very dangerous for them so if you've got any way to completely separate them until you've got back up from the rescue, would be best.

Sorry OP, I've assumed you're new to Guinea Pig ownership?

Sorry, haven’t read full thread but are they both boars? If so, do take care. They can turn on each other after living together peacefully and, sorry, sometimes fight to the death.

Ours started with being territorial and it became so bad we had to house them separately. Sorry, again 🥴

Sounds as if they might not be getting on. Perhaps best not to have ‘’bedrooms’ that one Guinea can corner another in; they can kill each other fighting.

I’d get two cardboard boxes and cut a couple of doors in them; get rid of the other one, at least until binding issues are sorted.

Oh dear. I'm surprised the rescue place didn't neuter your pigs. There was no way the animal shelters I got my last two would let any piggies go without neutering, because there were way too many piggies who were being rescued in terrible conditions. But that was in Australia about 15 years ago, I'm not sure what the thinking is in the UK now.

When I was a teenager, I had 6 piggies, 1 male and 5 females, and then I got a male from someone who wanted to rehome him. He almost killed the original male, the poor old thing. I had to separate them with a barrier, each with their own harem, and it was incredible how hard the new male was trying to break into the enclosure next door to get to the original male's harem and to beat him up. He was relentless.

If I got piggies again, I wouldn't get two males and all of them would be neutered. Even the girls can be aggressive when they are not neutered.

Unfortunately neutering guinea pigs doesn’t alter behaviour the only reason to do it is to allow a male to live with females. If you have a dominant male it will always be a dominant male even if it was neutered.
Two boys can live happily with plenty of space but they are more likely to fight than females. If a female become aggressive there’s often an underlying health condition.

Sad for such a lovely thread to get bad news, I hope they are OK OP

Thank you for your advice. The boys were a bonded pair. Previously bought by a family from pets at home and surrender to the rescue.

I have removed access to and from the ramp so both are separate now

Yes, I had guinea pigs as a child but that was it. Thought I knew what I was doing, we've had these boys since end of march and all ok until relatively recently.

It's more than one pig won't let the other into entire areas of their home.

I'm feeling a bit surprised too now, I've been researching all day and trying to work out what is best to do.

What would be your suggestion if we had to choose to re-home one. Re-home the aggressive one? Even when neutered he may still be so aggressive?

I know, such a turn of events today. All calm now they're separated but this can only be a temporary set up, the space isn't right to split long term as I have. Trying to make decisions on what is best to do.

OP can I ask where you got your home from?

Neutering is very unlikely to change their behaviour. Talk to the rescue. They may have several suggestions. Mine would be to get a duplicate set up, neuter them and give them.a bunch of females each to live with 😆

If you do neuter, just be sure to use an experienced exotics vet and remember that they are "semi-skimmed" for 6 weeks after i.e. still fertile!

I think that generally speaking Guinea pigs that are aggressive to other males are ok with females. It’s the double set of boar hormones that causes the issues. With a female or 2 to keep him company he’ll likely boss them a bit or find himself bossed around, the ladies usually ignore a rumble strutting boy.
Get some advice from where you had them, they might have another placid boar to bond your more timid one with. The alternative is to have them living side by side so they can see each other but not be together but your timid boy might be happier living with someone else.