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guinea pig care

What Happens When Two Male Guinea Pigs Don’t Get On?

Putting two male guinea pigs together is never an easy thing to do

We had one male guinea pig called ‘Rocket’ and we’ve been looking to acquire another boar to give him some company.

So we found ‘Uno’ a two year old tortoise shell who was raised by an experienced breeder to  put with him.

The way we have done this is to put ‘Uno’s’ cage next to Rocket’s and to help them get to know each other.

The previous owner of Uno is an experienced breeder so we know that there is no problems with him, so I didn’t have any qualms with putting them together.

two male guinea pigsThey seem to be ok together so I decided to bite the bullet and introduce them together on neutral ground.

At first they seemed to get on great and were quite happy sussing each other out.
However after about an hour, Uno started chasing Rocket about and there was quite a lot of chattering of teeth and rumbling

So what do I need to do when my guinea pigs don’t get along?

Two Male Guinea Pigs Chattering Their Teeth

Firstly, just to say that this chattering of teeth is quite normal. It is a signal of wanting to create dominance if its done a little. If it is sustained then the guinea pigs are getting ready to possibly attack.

What about biting?

Light nips and bites are also quite normal and again this is another sign of wanting to create dominance.

At this point I lost my nerve and separated them. They can see each other but cant touch each other, but than through the cage bars.

I will try again tomorrow and will keep persisting. Guinea pig zone is really helpful with this.

I won’t give up

They say to keep persisting and not to back down unless there is real fighting with bite attacks, a combination of rhumblestrutting, raised hackles, and loud and angry teeth chattering, both guinea pigs rear up on their haunches face to face, and a full-on battle.

Even with this posturing, I am glad to welcome ‘Uno’ to our home and think it will work out great in the long term.

Update – 20th October

With another month gone, I’m pleased to say that they’re getting on great.

They definitely need their own space but do share the communal areas well.

They spend a lot of time together and eat together as well. They are always chatting away to each other and seem to enjoy each others company.

There is the occasional chasing each other but there has been no violence.

They do still chatter their teeth, especially when I give them clean bedding or nice veggie or hay. But it’s like them saying ‘hey this is mine, don’t you touch that!’ 🙂

Overall it’s working out great, and I’m glad that we pushed through that initial difficult period.