2 male guinea pigs problem..?

I got 2 male guinea pigs about a months ago.. theyre both about 5 months old ... they have lived together for ever but recently they grind their teeth at eachother and one day im pretty sure one(dobby) had a piece of the other's(spike's) hair in his mouth. dobby seems to be bigger than spike and when they grind their teeth at eachother they raise their heads right to eachother so their noses are touching. dobby gets into a wierd position like he is ready for battle. does anyone know what theyre doing? is this dominance? we have them separated right now, has anyone had this problem? what should i do?

2 male guinea pigs problem..?

Since your boys are still in their adolescence, they are more likely to fight than normal and are sorting out who is boss. There are a lot of things you can do to help resolve this. One important thing to realize is that you should not separate, then reintroduce, your guinea pigs often as they have to start the process all over again every time they meet. Whenever possible, keep them together so they can work it out. Unless someone gets seriously injured, don't separate them. I know it can be very hard to watch them challenge each other, but keep in mind that a lot of it is show. They will rumble-strut, mount, chase, pull fur, and chatter their teeth during the re-introduction process, and all of that is normal. Unless there is bloodshed, keep them together. Introduce them on neutral territory and have an over mitt, towel, or dust pan handy to break up a fight if it's necessary.

Make sure their cage is as big as it can possibly be, and provide two of everything so they have no reason to be territorial. Two hidey houses, food bowls, water bottles, hay racks, etc. After they have been introduced in neutral territory, be sure to have the cage completely cleaned so there is no scent left over when you place them in it. Clean the floor and the bars of the cage, the water bottles, food bowls, etc- a vinegar/water solution is a safe and effective way to do this.

If these methods still don't work, you might want to try doing a "buddy bath." The experience of going through a bath is rather traumatizing for a guinea pig, and they will bond with one another if they go through it together. It will also reduce their smells so they aren't identifiable as enemies to one another.

You can find a lot of great information about your piggies on this page: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm... Good luck!

2 male guinea pigs problem..?

Some male guinea pigs may not be able to live together unless they have a huge amount of space, otherwise they will fight. Yours are probably starting to get to the age of being sexually mature, that's why things are changing. I would keep them separated to be on the safe side... you don't want to come home and find one of them injured from a fight.

Female guinea pigs are usually OK with living together in pairs or groups.

2 male guinea pigs problem..?

This does sound like they are sorting out whos gonna be boss, and i would not have seperated them unless a fur flying fight occured, i know it seems harsh to see them do this but it is their nature. When you say you seen hair in your pigs mouth it may be a case of barbering due to the more dominant pig showing authority and is a less aggresive way of showing who is boss rather than a fight. Now you say they are seperated well i would'nt just put them together again, you may need to let them be together in a run or similar with treats for about 1hr a day to introduce them both again. good luck.

2 male guinea pigs problem..?

This is dominance behaviour, they are establishing (or reinforcing) who is boss.

The only time you need to separate them is if there is bloodshed.