(2) Fighting Gunineas

Question
Help....! WE have been through a lot! My son was volunteering at a nearby shelter when someone abandon 2 male guinea pigs.  They were very ill with a parasite. After lot's of meds and beni-bak they were doing much better but the diarrhea caused one to lick the other and an ulcerated sore developed. WE called our little critter expert vet in Kensington CT Dr. Giddings. He is wonderful with our African Grey and we trust him. He said separate them until the sore heals. One kept digging at it and making it worse. So seprated we did. Now Big Dunkin is all healed. We kept the cages very close with a peep spot so they could visit. Tonight we introduced them again in the same cage. Oh my God! We never saw anything like it. It went beyond the normal chatter to full blown war. They were in a ball biting, chattering we had hairball flying it was no minor episode. We held them to calm them down one with my son and one with me. WE sat on a bed and let them sniff eachother. The chattering began at once they don not even want to be in the same air.Now what?  We have spent a small fortune and I do not want torn ears and more bills. Not that I mind care but I don't want to invite it. We would like to combine the cages but fear they will never adjust again! THey were happier together though. Now no play and squeaking all night. They stay in their iglooos and wait for fruit and veggie time but have little activity?????????????? Help, we want them back together!
Any advice would be great EMERGENCY!
Maria & Marcus

Answer
Hi

The problem might have been the way in which the two pigs were introduced together again. If you put one male pig in the house that belongs to another then fighting is always a possibility.

The only advice I can give is to keep trying to introduce them in neutral territory but you might have to accept that they will live apart now. Take a look at http://www.diddly-di.fsnet.co.uk/The%20New%20Arrival-existing.htm for some other tips.

Good luck

Andy