How To Stop Guinea Pigs From Fighting? 5 Best Reasons Why!

Are you worried about not knowing how to stop guinea pigs from fighting? Have you ever seen your guinea pigs argue with each other? Do not worry, as we’ve compiled the best tips that could help you stop the fight between your guinea pigs.

Fighting is a common occurrence for everyone. It is a given that not everyone could get along at all times; this is the same with your pet guinea pig.

You might be worried that they may hurt themselves with all those fussing and fighting.

So it is essential to know what to do at these times.

Well, you can also get mistaken bonding as to their fighting, but how will you be able to distinguish them? What will you do? What should you do?

Here are the things you should do to determine whether your guinea pigs are fighting and how to solve them.

Reasons For Guinea Pigs Fight

So, how to stop guinea pigs from fighting?

Fighting doesn’t only happen without reason.

Finding the reason why guinea pigs are fighting will help you determine the best solution.

Upon knowing the cause, various solutions will help you stop them from fighting. 

#1. Fighting over a girl

Well, housing two male guinea pigs and one female could pose a severe problem. Imagine having two suitors under the same roof; of course, they will fight to find out who’s more worth it.

And it is the same in guinea pigs. Animals like guinea pigs tend to show their animal instinct when it comes to having their mates.

It is not a good idea to house two males together, even if there is no female.

With their animal instincts, they tend to fight over their dominance.

This act may seem a bit aggressive and may not be an all-blown-fight, but as they say,’ prevention is better than cure.’

Neutering and spaying is also an option to prevent them from fighting as it makes them unable to reproduce. Neutering also eliminates certain health risks for example uterine cancer, memory tumors, and ovarian cysts. 

#2. Pain and illness

Guinea pigs are peaceful pets that could work well together when paired correctly. If your guinea pig acts differently than what they usually do, they may be feeling a little bit of discomfort.

With that said, the feeling of discomfort a pain anywhere could result in a cranky mood.

Be sure to observe and examine your piggy for potential pains like bruises or open wounds. Always remember to clean their cages.

#3. Pairing

Since guinea pigs are social animals and get along really well when they are pared as advised.

When pairing guinea pigs, you have to do it correctly and adequately. That is a key to keeping things balanced in your guinea pig cages.

Don’t mix males with females as mentioned above that this will result in mating fights.

A recommended pairing includes two females or a female and a neutered male.

Another way is to introduce the guinea pigs at a young age.

This way, the guinea pigs will establish dominance at an early stage. The earlier you introduce guinea pigs to each other, the better.

#4. Cage size

Guinea pigs love to have the company of others. Someone to play with and someone with whom they can be friends.

Fighting is not a problem if guinea pigs are paired correctly and kept properly.

The appropriate cage size for guinea pigs should be provided.

Because who doesn’t complain about a stuffy place, especially when you can’t seem to move inside? That is precisely how your pets feel when they are cramped inside a small cage. 

These small cages can also be one of the reasons why your guinea pigs fight. Your small cages are not enough for them.

When raising multiple guinea pigs, a larger cage is recommended.

#5. Bored

Yes, you’ve heard it right. Boredom could be one of the reasons why your guinea pigs fight. Make sure to provide some sort of entertainment for guinea pigs to avoid boredom.

If you aren’t stimulating your guinea pigs, they get bored easily; this will also result in a cranky mood and eventually make your guinea pigs fight.

The best thing to do is to provide recreational toys for ginea pigs so that they can play inside their cage. 

You can also build an obstacle course that they can play with at the same time can exercise.

Ways To Stop Guinea Pigs From Fighting

Guinea pigs may look cute and fluffy, but they can be vicious when they are fighting. If the situation hasn’t turned yet to worse, you have to intervene immediately.

As you now identified the various reasons why they fight so, you should then formulate a solution.

So, what do you do when your guinea pigs break into a fight?

Step #1. Break the fight

Before you put your hand into the cage, think about protecting yourself first.

Make sure to wear thick gloves or have a towel wrapped around your hand. When they are fighting, guinea pigs tend to bite everything close to them.

That would also mean that there is a chance that the Guinea pig will bite you.

If necessary, throw a blanket or a towel over each guinea pig to stop the attack. After you’ve done this, separate them in different areas and allow them to cool their heads off.

To calm an aggressive guinea pig, you have to put them in an area where they can’t see or hear each other.

After your guinea pig calms down, check their bodies for injuries and seek medical attention from your attending veterinarians for spotted injuries.

If you are bitten, and your skin is wounded, never ignore it. Kindly wash your hands with warm water and soap to avoid infection.

You can never be too complacent with these situations, especially if you notice some swelling around your wound and wouldn’t stop bleeding; see your doctor right away.

#2. Re-introduction

It is also an excellent way to do a re-introduction of your pets. This way, they may establish a good relationship again.

To do this, place each guinea pig in the same cage but separated with a see-through barrier in between. You can also use separate cages if you have one.

Let them sniff each other off when they’re doing an introduction. You can also make a playpen for guinea pigs to place them in.

When guinea pigs fight, don’t expect them to stop on their own. Getting in between them as a mediator should be done before they hurt themselves or worse.

Conclusion

As they say, every problem has its solution. In knowing how to stop guinea pigs from fighting, you should know the reason behind it first.

Then when you understand the reason, you will have to formulate the best solution possible.

There are various reasons, and we’ve laid it all above. For each reason, you will have your solution. But the best solution there is to stop the fight before things turn worse.

Fighting could lead to different injuries and wounds. Some fights never end until one stands dominant over the other.

Knowing all of these, I hope you don’t panic when the circumstance arises. Stay calm and stay safe.