2 New Boars

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Bbpiggies

New Born Pup
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Our family got two 1 1/2 year old boars from a rescue a week ago. They were not a previous bonded pair but the rescue put them together and they were getting along. We get them home and into the 2x6 c&c cage and they performed the dominance behaviors. We thought it was settled but over the past few days the chattering is escalating, the one we thought was submissive is trying to mount and I have seen tufts of hair in the cage. The one we thought was dominant is missing an eye from a previous fight injury with another pig and hates being handled. My question is should we separate them and have them live side by side? The one eyed boy seems stressed all the time like he just wants to be left alone. The other one is super social and runs to the side of the cage to see us. I have not seen blood but I don’t want it to get to that point.
 
Bbpiggies said:
Our family got two 1 1/2 year old boars from a rescue a week ago. They were not a previous bonded pair but the rescue put them together and they were getting along. We get them home and into the 2x6 c&c cage and they performed the dominance behaviors. We thought it was settled but over the past few days the chattering is escalating, the one we thought was submissive is trying to mount and I have seen tufts of hair in the cage. The one we thought was dominant is missing an eye from a previous fight injury with another pig and hates being handled. My question is should we separate them and have them live side by side? The one eyed boy seems stressed all the time like he just wants to be left alone. The other one is super social and runs to the side of the cage to see us. I have not seen blood but I don’t want it to get to that point.
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Hi! New territory requires re-establishing the hierarchy; this can occasionally go wrong and cause an upset/break up even in a bonded pair (irrespective of whether they are related or not; that is a breeder myth!). How old are your boys?

Please follow the tips for a short overnight split to evaluate the bond. Don't look at the dominant boy; it is the potentially bullied boy that counts. if he perks up noticeably when away from his mate, then the bond is no long working and you may want to consider keeping them as a bonded 'can't live together and can't live apart duo' with interaction through the bars or contact the rescue.
If that is not the case, please re-introduce your boys on neutral ground on the following day as recommended in our guide.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
 
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