aggression

Question
Hi, I have a guinea pig I bought as a friend for my guinea pig. It took like 3 months before they ever could be put in same cage due to his high aggression. They were pretty much polar opposites. Mine was a big baby, he just liked to be cuddled and eat. Rarely did he run away. My new one would always chatter and rattle the cage and make like weird chirping sounds that I've read means he exploring or something. Anyways I could not say they were buddies but they were fine being around each other with the new one occasionally pickin on him. Well recently my old one had passed away. I had worried he might get lonely as that's the reason I had the other one in the first place because I adopted him and he was really depressed due to his friend dying. Anyways I just recently got a new guinea pig. I put em both in a cage with a wall between him. My aggressive piggie just doing whatever he could to tear the wall down by head banging it, chattering, pulling on it and wouldn't stop. After he calmed down I tried putting him together and at first it was okay until my aggressive piggie tried to mount him and they just straight out attacked. We separated em again and left the wall up. He kept trying to get at him. I don't know what to do. I've tried holding him and petting him everyday but it seems like he is so angry. He showed no remorse for our other one. Then again he did die at the hospital and not in the cage. Is he going to stay aggressive forever? It's been like 5 months

Answer
Unfortunate we can't put human emotions on an animal. Your aggressive pig is simply acting on instinct. Unless raised together from birth most boars will not get along with another boar. In the wild all herding and pack animals operate on the same dynamic. There can only be one alpha boar and he maintains the exclusive breeding rights, period.  Another boar coming into the herd is an unwelcome rival.


If left together they will fight to the death as that's natures way. They don't really need companionship like the sows do. It's just the law of nature and we cannot change it. The exception is when an old boar simply gives up his right to be leader. He allows the younger boar to take over.

They will be fine with a barrier between them to prevent either from getting hurt. But expecting them to live in the same cage without serious injury or death is not likely to happen. As for remorse, that's a human emotion. Animals don't know what that is. They live in the now. They don't feel regret or guilt. That's just the way nature works and we are helpless to change it.