Bonding two males

Question
hi i have a male pig who is about 4 months old and have just taken the care of another male pig who is only about 3 months old. I have been trying to get them to bond but only have limited knowelege of this. I cleaned an area and removed as much of the sent from my 1st pig then put them both in the area while we kept an eye on them they seemed to be fine for about 5 mins then started with very loud teeth chattering. The younger one has decided that a corner of the area is his and when the other comes near he haunches on his legs and both pigs do the teeth chattering. They have done what i have heard is the normal thing of butt chasing mounting and niping but neither have actually fully attacked the other. i only allow them to be in the same area for about 15 mins then try again about an hour later.

Does this sound like normal territorial behaviour and how can i overcome it? i know that key to things is neutral ground but i dont have much of that as the house is small!! I have descovered that if i have them both on my coffee table with doesnt offer much grip so they cant move quickly they are content to just sit next to each other for quite some time but eventually the younger one starts getting angry. Any advice on bonding will be greatly recived!!

Andrew Muff

Answer
Hello,
To introduce both guineas make sure you clean the hutch or cage you plan to keep them in very well so it doesn't smell of either guinea.
You could give both of the a bath so they don't smell or you could just spray some perfume on both of them to mask out their natural smell. Make sure you don't get it in their eyes, nose or any other sensitive part of their body. When you first put them together put some greens and food in their hutch so they are distracted from each other and make sure you place a bolt hole for the baby that your older guinea can't get into because the baby will slightly smell of his mother and the older guinea may try to mate with him. If it doesn't go well make sure you are prepared with a towel and some strong gloves to between the fighting.
It looks likes it is going reasonably well because they havent hurt eachother yet, the teeth chattering is because they are trying to decide who is boss. Block any holes and put them on the floor in a small area of your home, go out of the room and then peek behind the door to see how they are reacting.
I have also heard before that putting them in a cardboard box (with breathing holes) in a car and then going for a little drive may help bond them. It is thought that because it is quiet, dark and they may be a little scared so bond together. I do not know if this works and have never tried it.
Hope it goes well and please write back if you need anything else.
Thanks
Aleksandra