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 🤣🤣

our bonded boar pair recently had a huge fight with one as the main instigator, after a long time together. We have them in a hugeC and C cage and have put a panel down the middle so they each have their own space but can still see each other. It’s not ideal (and takes up most of storage room we have) but both are getting on a bit and seem happy. A few weeks ago a friend looked after them and put them in a playpen whilst she cleaned them out and they instantly fought again so the tension is still there- thankfully she intervened immediately and neither were hurt.
I wouldn’t get boars again, personally.

I've been speaking to the wonderful lady at Piggybank sanctuary tonight, look them up on Facebook if you don't know them, she's has been so helpful and we've worked out a way to keep them living side by side. Or rather one up one down. A poster early on suggested adapting the upstairs space which is what I'm going to do. So cut an additional hole through from the main area to the bed area, at the upstairs level, another shelf in the bed area side to the same height so they have access there. The upstairs is narrower than the downstairs but I'm going to put the smaller pig up there and it's still more than the minimum recommended size. This way they can live near to one another and we don't have to re-home. I hope!
Ramp access removed tonight so there's no way Minnie can be injured by pom pom and I've begged a local handyman to come tomorrow to help me fingers crossed
The relief I feel is crazy, I was so upset he'd been hurt and how we might need to re-home one of them. Can't wait to tell my daughter tomorrow that we have a solution.
Will keep you updated on their amended set up. Thank you everyone for such helpful advice and comments ❤️

Here's the buggers now.

Sorry you're dealing with similar troubles. Stressful isn't it!

That sounds like a decent solution hope it works for them! It’s a good job they are very cute isn’t it!

I miss our pigs but not quite enough to get any more…

Yes a very good job! I've been so stressed all evening 🤣

Is Piggybank where you got them from originally?
Anyway, sounds like something to try but be aware that their hearing and smell are by far their better senses and, as such, will very much know each other are still there. This sometimes works but not always because one, or both, may still remain immensely stressed by this set up. Keep a close eye on their behaviour and make sure they are acting ‘normally’ (eating properly, drinking, pooing, over grooming, repetitive behaviour, noises they’re making etc)

Sounds like a good plan. It's probably worth neutering them both too. It won't get rid of the tension immediately but it might help over the long run.

No. Piggybank are a sanctuary with 97 piggies rescued or surrender to them and they do not re-home, they offer a home for life.
This idea is very much so they know one another are there but can't get to one another. We're just going to have to see. Minnie looks more relaxed already somehow, fast asleep.

Pompom, you TWAT. So sorry, OP. I think boars are always a bit more volatile than sows. It sounds like you've got a solution in place so hopefully you won't need to re-home but you must have been frantic at the time.

It sounds silly but can't tell you how stressed I was. Didn't sleep until gone midnight last night and woke at 4 worrying about them.
My wonderful handyman has been round today and we've cut an extra hole on the top level, added a shelf through in the bed area and now they're living one up one down but they both have the same set up.
Pom pom the bully is on the top shelves, mainly as he's smaller but I didn't want him to continue to guard the bed area against a non existent threat. Minnie now living the dream downstairs.
In a couple of weeks the main shelf upstairs will be extended into an L shape to make it bigger too. Bit of work to do to make new barriers as they're bodged at the moment to fill the gaps where the ramps were.

Both boys seem very happy, if tired from stress of house rejig today but they've enjoyed their hay trays and beds ❤️

Minnie might like a friend though, you could consider getting another baby to live with him <runs away>

Oh well done OP, looks good. They can be stressful little things, totally understandable that you were worried. Hopefully everything works out well for you and the floofs!

Well, as someone who lay awake worrying about one of her piggies getting hay poke a few weeks ago even though said pig perked up as soon as the hay was removed, I absolutely understand. They are such tiny vulnerable little things and they get right under our skin. Your set up is palatial and I am just not going to show the photos to mine because they will be outraged.

So tempting but I'd want to see how they settled down first. I'd be so worried about Minnie getting savaged again.

he might be the dominant one this time! Having a bossy one is fine, as long as it doesn't lead to violence like this unfortunately

Palatial indeed.

Late to this thread @Guineapigdrama but just wanted to offer solidarity - I also have two bloody guinea pigs, both boars, both about 7 months old, we also got them at the end of March. They are the BANE of my life, I love the little buggers and worry about them constantly; plus I have a long running, expensive and confusing project in train to create a winter palace for them (they live outside in a shed like yours and I'm very worried about temps dropping soon) which has taken up my weekends for ages! I'm trying to DIY it all myself and spend more time than I ever thought I would googling hinges, latches, mesh and liners, not to mention buying house after house and fleecy hidey after fleecy hidey. Your set up looks fantastic.

Mine also went through a worrying period of fighting recently and I'm almost certain they absolutely hate each other. They get along well enough right now but constantly rumblestrut at each other and square off regularly.

I hope your two are ok now. Who knew you could worry and care so much about two teeny rodents!

Give me a few days to reduce my blood pressure haha

Same, I think they both just need to settle in and relax 😀

Oh sounds like you have a grand project underway. I hope your boys maintain a friendly relationship ❤️

They've both been able to sleep in cosy hay areas in peace last night and look happy

Here they are this morning

Very late to this thread, but there is a Facebook called Guinea Pigs UK that is a brilliant source of information and help

Late to this. It is a risk with piggies especially boars that they can fight.
We had DD two boys (brothers) who got on fine except when they gorged coriander .Some things are like guinea pig crack cocaine, ours were fine with parsley , mad with coriander. Lesson learned.
They had a big shed and a haybox made from an old cupboard with an open side for ease of access. They slept in this but not together, each had a corner, you could tell by the pooh nests. DH made a lovely wide shallow carpeted ramp to the roof of the haybox . They shunned it

We had the Guinea Pig Spiral ,one dies, you get another .
We only castrated the ones who had wives .
One of our boars was the double of your little fuzzy boy . Is he a Teddy? Our boy Bert was the soppiest boy but in rescue as he fought with his brother .

We went through the bonding process with boars+boars, boars+sows. The big fail was two new sows who didn't want to join the herd.
We did baths ,nice strong Gorgeous Guinea shampoo. Steamed the pig house, white vinegar for deodorizing and fresh paper and hay. Moving things baffles them . Bathing them makes them smell the same and the common hate denominator is you. Careful bathing in winter they need to be bone dry.

Our boar had to side by side with the last 2 girls he wasn't bonded with . When the little terror died he bonded with her cagemate which was lovely , they were two oldies .

You might need to keep them separate but in sight and squeaking contact. They do need company but appropriate company . It's risky to rebound, some rescue will do it.
I could never get my sow from the last pair to accept the others so she kept her original cagemate till her end.

Lots of rescues now castrate boars as it is easier to marry them off and if you do end up with a single boar you don't need to wait the 6 weeks to go sterile . Bert was ready neutered but only 2 weeks post op so he was side by side with his original wives till he was sterile. And he got to know them through bars.

Rescue will use vets that give them a price for volume if they're doing lots.

And you might want to Google this ( or not) but castrating reduces the risk of impaction . The main downside of boars !