Anybody around for some quick advice re: boars!

[1stTimePiggieOwner]

Firstly, I haven't been on the forums for a couple of years- I don't really know why I stopped using them because I always found them so useful before but I'm sorry but I'm back for some quick advice!

My boys have lived pretty much harmoniously (a bit of rumbling and normal boyishness obviously) since they came home as babies, they are both nearly 3 years old now. This week Bailey (who has always been dominant) has been being a little more boisterous toward Guinness but we didn't really think much of it but tonight he is being really bad, he keeps mounting him and climbing up on his head, whereever Guinness goes, Bailey is following him and not giving him a second, if Guinness hides in a cosie then Bailey rumbles at the door and then tries to get in with him, it looks like he is going to bite him but he hasn't (as yet), if Guinness goes for water then Bailey stops him and chases him away.

I'm really worried and not sure what to do about going to bed and leaving the boys. My partner is currently standing gaurd but if there is anybody around to give some quick advise now I would really really appreciate it!

Thank you!

 

[TAN]

Do they have 2 of everything ie food bowls hideys and water bottles as they can be very terratorial - otherwise if they are indoor piggies try giving them a bath together - this usually works .

 

[1stTimePiggieOwner]

Yes, they have two of everything. They had a bath on Tuesday, I'm wondering if that might have triggered this behaviour. They have always got on ok until tonight!

 

[Katie Krafter]

Did you use the same shampoo? You could try dirtying each one with some of the other's smell !

 

[1stTimePiggieOwner]

Thank you for the replies last night.

Quick update is that we separated them after some advice from a lovely member on here via PM, just by a divide down the cage. Bailey (the dominant one) didn't like this one little bit, he was trying to jump over it, chew threw it and was going crazy but Guinness was instantly chilled out.

My Partner stayed up with the boys till about 1.30am, then I woke up and came to check on them about 4.30ish, it was all calm. This morning when we woke up we came down and the boys were both happily munching on some hay and chilling out in their own separate areas.

We'd been advised to bath them (by the lovely member here) but as they were quite calm we thought we would see what they were like back together again without a bath as they only had a bath on Tuesday and Bailey hates it so didn't want to unessarily stress them out. So we popped them out on the dining room floor with a big pile of hay and they seemed fine, there was a little rumbling and hip swaying, a little chasing and Bailey did try to mount Guinness twice but then they calmed down and starting munching on some hay so we cleaned their cage out, litterly stripped it back to its bare bones and disinfected everything and then put them back in. They've been in there for around an hour now and so far so good, we'll be keeping a very close eye on them though. Little Monkies gave me such a fright last night.

So again, thank you for the replies last night and a massive thank you to the lady who was so helpful via PM as she always has been to me, even back when I joined up as a newbie piggie owner.

 

[Wiebke]

I think they can go back together in their cage/hutch. You will see a little bit of dominance behaviour but no worse than first thing this morning. It is just a reaffirmation of the hierarchy.

Whatever it was, it seems to have blown over now.

 

[Wilbur&Otis]

Glad to hear things have calmed down after their timeout. I'm having some trouble with my young boars getting a bit aggressive at the moment.

I read somewhere on here that it's a good idea to make sure all hideys are open ended during spells of bad boar dominance so that the one being chased can always escape and not be backed into a corner. I've swapped their pigloo and snuggle sack for a cosy tunnel and stick bridge for this reason.

Also a trick that rescues use (check out suzygpr's boar dating thread it's fab!) is to put a stuffed toy stunt piggie in with them. If one piggie is looking for a target to hump and be dominant towards sometimes this can help deflect the attention off the other piggie.

This is sergeant ratty who will be joining my boys thisafternoon (note the worried expression)...

 

[1stTimePiggieOwner]

Haha- That really made me laugh! I might try the stuffed toy thing, I was looking at some in wilko yesterday actually and said I might get the boys a teddy but my OH laughed at me and told me not to be daft! He needs to read the forums, I'm sure he thinks I make up half the things i tell him!

 

[CrawleyGuineaPigRescue]

You have had good advice, if things start going wrong with a bonded pair of boys strip things back to bareness and start again is my motto. Hope things continue to stay calm.