guinea pigs fighting

Question
I have 3 guinea pigs one has been w the others for two weeks everything was going great they all were getting along and then yesterday I came home and they were chattering there teeth really loud but then they stopped so I start floor time then all of a sudden they started doing it again and then two of them jumped at each other. So I seperated them and gave them some time and put them together again and they did the same thing so i have them seperated is there  anything to stop it and let them all live together the third one likes being around them both so its hard to make them happy...any advice would help thanks

Answer
You don't say if these are sows or boars so I'm going to assume they are probably all girls. Since sows come into heat about every two to three weeks it's very likely a hormonal thing as the aggressor may be the one in heat. They get PMS (piggy bitchy syndrome)much as we human females do.  If that's the case that should resolve in a couple of days.

If they are all boars they too run on hormones although after being together for two weeks they usually resolve any issues the first week. The teeth chattering is a severe warning of "I'm going to bite, HARD!" So whatever you do don't put your hand near them while this is going on.

If you need to break up a fight or stop one before it gets going use a garden glove, preferably leather. Don't put in on (they can and will bite right through it) just use the glove to give a quick slap on top of the pigs and they will break it up.

Some sows are just antisocial and will only house with one or two of their own favorites. I too have a couple like that. I would recommend you wait a couple of days to see if the aggressive pig has gotten over her hormonal attitude, then try to reunite them. If as you say one of them is more passive and likes being with company that would be the one to put with a room mate.

If these are all boys and they are reaching or have already reached sexual maturity group housing may not work. In the wild the boars are territorial and protect their harems. They won't allow another adult boar to stay in the herd. They will allow a youngster to stay until he reaches his sexual maturity then out he goes so there is no competition for breeding rights.

I hope this helps you out. This is always a difficult situation. When introducing very young pigs to and old group it's usually not a problem. With adults it's a little different.