guinea pig fights

Question
Hello pat. I have recently bought 3 boy guineas, they have been together since birth and have recently started fighting with one getting hurt by the others, I believe that are about 6 month old, it doesn't seem to matter if they are in the run or hutch, my dog also runs around the run often and I don't know if this is making things worse. I would appreciate any help as this is making them very nervous and I am trying to get them used to people as I have 4 children that want to pat them. Thank you very much, Diana.

Answer
Unfortunately sometimes even those boars that have been raised together will begin getting aggressive to one another once they reach sexual maturity. It seems to be worse when there are three than if there were only two in the cage.  These are herding animals and live in groups in the wild.

As in any herd there is always an alpha male and an alpha female. The alpha male will allow other males to live in the group unless they begin showing signs of challenging the boss. Then they are banned from the herd. If there is only one that is getting picked on I would remove him and see if the other two can live peacefully together. Again, as in herds there is also an omega (last) male and female. It sounds as if the guy getting beaten up is the omega.

Typically the omega pigs know their roles and submit to eating last and not having the chosen spot for bedding, etc. But if he is getting injured he needs to be in a cage by himself before he gets seriously hurt.

If the run is on the ground and the dog is running around it that could indeed cause panic and result in a chaotic kind of battle between the pigs. They are prey animals and their instinct is to run if they feel threatened. A dog racing around the run could make them feel threatened, thus sparking panic.

In general I think boars make better pets for children as they seem to enjoy the cuddling more that sow. Maybe that's because the sows do go through estrus every few weeks and get PMS (piggy mean syndrome). The boars seem to always have the same disposition rain or shine.

The more they're handled the more they settle down. That being said, there are some pigs that will make you chase them and 'earn' the right to handle them. Once in your arms they're fine. So don't take that running away as a sign they don't want to be touched. I think it's just a component of that flight instinct.

So just to recap try taking out one of the boys and see if two of them can get along together without the third. You might find that there are two who will be friends, you'll just have to find that out through trial and error. If they're determined to hurt one another then separate cages may be your only alternative.