guinea pig advice needed

[Sabine]

Since there are loads of people with piggies on here I thought I'd start here rather than joining a guinea pig forum and waiting ages for replies.
My first guinea, Rusty, lived with a rabbit for a months and later by himself but was out in the run with the rabbits every day (something I would get slaughtered for on a piggy forum anyhow) About two months ago I got him a little companion, Sherbert, and bonding was instant. Sherbert must be about 4 months now and reaching sexual maturity I guess.
This morning, when I opened the hutch to take them out, I realized to my horror that one of Rusty's ears was torn to shreds. We actually rushed to the local vet around the corner but missed their surgery hour and won't be able to go out to our regular vet today. I think there is not a lot that can be done about the ear since it is a rather clear tear with little blood.
I put them both out in a different run where I can keep a better eye on them and I noticed that Sherbert has started persuing Rusty, who keeps running away getting very little peace. They are both eating grass and going after their own business but I am somewhat scared putting them back together into their hutch tonight. We have no female pigs about so there is no reason for aggression.
Would it help to get Sherbert neutered to calm him down? Is it save at all to leave them together? Will they sort it out between themselves? My vet advises against neutering male pigs by the way but would surely do it if I insisted. I just wonder is there any point. One of the main reasons we got Sherbert was as company for Rusty. I absolutely hate the thought of two solitary piggies. Rusty was much better off with the rabbits in a way. They even groomed him and there was never any incident. This really sucks.

 

[grumpybabies]

There's no point neutering the pigs, it doesn't change their behaviour like it does in rabbits. I would keep them seperate for the time being, let all of this calm down and be forgotten and then try to start the bonding process again, but do it slower and if you can get them to get on, try them in a cage in your room if you can so you can hear all of their activity. If bonding doesn't work then you have to decide if you want to keep both, and if so maybe get them neutered and get them a girl each, bonding to a girl is easier i think, or maybe bond Rusty to another guinea pig and keep the new one on his own, he does sound overly aggressive.

 

[DeniseJP]

Oh, hope everyone heals...

My piggies were always solitary (they were too full of themselves to exist together except for females with nursing litters and everyone seemed to do fine... can they go back to the rabbits or different groups of rabbits to have company?

I have a new baby mini horse in the barn and she is not bonding with the other horses except for my Morgan filly (who is way too big for her to be turned out with) and the pot belly pigs....

Good luck!

Denise

 

[Sabine]

I put Rusty into the large run with my five rabbits. Initially they were a bit wary of him but after a while they just ignored him and let him go after his own business. Sherbert is in a smaller fenced off section in the large run too (Had intended to let the grass grow there) Rusty is not seeking Sherberts company at all (Can't blame him) but I would like Sherbert also to become accustomed to the rabbits and maybe at some stage enjoy the large run too. I am a bit nervous of letting Sherbert in with the rabbits as I once had a guinea pig attacking a rabbit. Although I am sure it happens I have never seen the rabbits hurt the guinea.
It's just a bit of a nightmare re-arranging the living conditions.
Oskar's two-tier-hutch will have to be seperated into two closed off section and the guinea pig hutch will be Oskar's new hutch for a while. David is going to love the bit of carpentry work I'll ask him to do when he gets back from work

 

[bustersmom]

Maybe you should try to give them a buddy bath and make sure that when you put them back in the cage it has been cleaned. It sounds like the one pig is showing a dominant thing which is common in males.