My male guinea pigs are dominant. When can they live together safely?

Hi thanks for using PetCoach. It sounds like you’re doing a great job introducing Sebastian and Cosmo. I would probably give it a little more time before you cage them together 24/7. Continue introducing them in a neutral territory. Here is a bit more information on introducing GP. If both guinea pigs are mail, it may be a good idea to consider neutering them as males can often be territorial. http://www.guineapigmanual.com/introducing-new-guinea-pigs/

In any grouping of animals you will have some sort of dominance hierarchy. Problems arise when one is so dominant that it won’t allow the other to eat enough, or when they start to injure the others then I worry that it isn’t a safe situation. If you have noticed scabs or wounds on them you may need to consider separating them when they are not being supervised. The same situation will apply when you add in a third. The dynamic will shift with 3. Either it will be easier and they will get along better, or one will clearly be the submissive and get picked on too much. Monitor closely and make decisions to make sure they are all safe. Best of luck and have fun with your pigs! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Usually siblings raised together will be able to live together. It sounds as if you have one overly dominant female though. You can try keeping them in a larger cage with additional bowls, bottles, toys and hides. This may give them enough "elbow room" which may decrease the squabbling. If not, you may need to separate them for a few days. A gradual reintroduction can be tried, but if they continue to fight, permanent separation may be the only option.

Thanks for reaching out. Not all animals get along. The biggest question is are they fighting or trying to establish hierarchy. Separate then for now and introduce them slowly in a neutral territory. Neutering them to lower testosterone might help. You should contact the store, to see if they can help also.

It would probably be best and more successful if you slowly introduced the two guinea pigs to each other. I would start by placing them in separate cages but writhin view of each other. Then slowly move the cages closer together over a few days until they are next to each other. Once the guinea pigs do ok being in close proximity you can put them in the same cage for a short amount of time, under your supervision. Do this multiple times a day for a week or so and once they seem comfortable you can start keeping them in the same cage. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

As long as the cage is large enough and you introduce them gradually, you should be able to house 3 boars together. Be sure to provide additional bowls, toys and hides to prevent resource protection. Monitor for signs of aggression and separate them if necessary.

Sounds like you are on the right track! I see that Sebastian is a male, and I assume that you are getting another male - I apologize if that is not correct, as that is what I will be speaking to. To introduce the boys, you can put their cages next to each other - they will have visual and auditory (hearing) contact, but no physical contact. If you don't see any signs of aggression, such as putting up their hair, chattering their teeth, or lunging at one another, then you can move towards supervised contact. I usually wait 4-5 days to do this - this will allow for your new guinea pig to get used to your house as well. During supervised contact, I will often feed the guinea pigs, as this will create positive experiences with one another. After a few days of putting the pigs together for sessions, then you can put them together. The part that worries me is that if both of your guinea pigs are intact males, that they may end up fighting in the future. I would recommend getting them castrated if there is a veterinarian in your area who is comfortable with performing the procedure. I hope that this helps!