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Guinea pigs don’t usually fight because they’re very social. If they do, you may either have to separate them temporarily or permanently. Fighting usually happens during introductions but I’ve seen many instances of already bonded pigs fighting fiercely. However, don’t mistake friendly sparring for a real fight. With guineas, it isn’t a fight unless there’s either blood being drawn or there’s some serious biting between them.
There are certain things that guinea pigs do that seem like fighting but aren’t. These could later lead to a serious bout but they are really just both pigs trying to establish who the boss is around the cage. These things include harmless bites, grappling (they try to get on top of each other sometimes), snarling etc.
Don’t be fooled, though, because these situations could go both ways: either one pig concedes defeat and they both live peacefully thereafter; or they can’t reach a compromise, so they begin to seriously duel. This is why you need to watch them closely to see if they start fighting.
Fights are often bloody brawls and it’s best to separate the pigs before this happens. If you can’t, then separate them as soon as they star fighting. Never assume that guinea pigs will stop fighting by themselves; a serious fight can even lead to a death.
Also, be careful that you don’t get bitten yourself. Guinea pigs are usually very excited when they’re fighting and won’t hesitate to bite your hand if you’re trying to separate them in the heat of the moment. What I do when I discover pigs fighting is I slap or slightly rattle the cage. Once they’re distracted from the fight, I pull one of the pigs out, keeping my hand wrapped in a cloth just to be on the safe side.
So, once you find that two pigs aren’t getting along, what you should do is put them both in different cages or install a wall in the same cage between the two. If you’re putting them in different cages, you should put the two cages together so that the pigs can see each other but can’t make physical contact.
Keep them this way for a while and after a few days, you will need to reintroduce them. This time, what you’re going to do is bathe them both separately to remove scents and then scrub both their cages clean for the same reason. Now try putting them both in one cage. In most cases, they will forget their bad blood and begin to get along. If not, the only option left is to permanently separate them.
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Source by Jake M. Jones
