• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

Baby boar rumblestrutting?

Ace10

New Born Pup
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Points
45
Location
West Midlands
Hello, I’m a new piggie mommy. I have 2 beautiful boar brothers now nearly 7 weeks old. I’ve had them a week. There both settling in great, I often see them zooming around their run and popcorning but the last few days I witnessed my one boar make a sound I think is associated with rumblestrutting? He only does it for a few seconds and twice has chased my other boar and tried to mount him briefly. I know these are dominance signs but should I worry? I’m so worried they will fight. They very often sit and eat together and cuddle so I know they get on I just don’t quite understand the reason for the rumblestrut? They have a large run attached to the bottom of the hutch and different hideys so they have plenty of space for time apart. Apologies for the long post, Thank you :)
 
Rumblestrutting Is a very normal behaviour, boars will do it throughout their entire lives, in itself it’s absolutely nothing to worry about. As long as they can create a functioning hierarchy with one dominant and one submissive, and they want to be together, then they will be absolutely fine.

do they get locked into the hutch at all? If so, you need to ensure the hutch itself is big enough (180cm x 60cm for two boars).

they will only fight if they aren’t character compatible. Being brothers does not guarantee compatibility and if there are going to be problems you’ll see it when they become teenagers (around 4 months of age). What you mustn’t do is confuse dominance with fighting - If it’s just dominance behaviours, you leave them to its a process they must go through.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
Thank you for the reply, the run has a little ramp to go upstairs in the hutch there both free to roam it all at anytime. Without sounding stupid what would fighting look like as a posed to dominance behaviour? Injuries caused maybe?
 
So they don’t get locked into the hutch. Does the run part meet size requirements for two boars? It’s so important teen boars have enough space.

are they indoor piggies?

it would look like a full on, fur ball rolling around fight. Yes possibly injuries caused. Any fight, blood drawing, is grounds for immediate and permanent separation. Bullying can also occur whereby there may not be a full on fight but one piggy can be constantly chased from hides and food, to the point they lose weight through stress, not being allowed to eat and become withdrawn.

please don’t alarm yourself though, do be aware of what to look for, but more boar pairs make it together than not. It’s just important to make sure they have plenty of space (not enough territory can cause problems), and to follow guides such as handling the dominant piggy first (particularly while they are teens - 4-14 months of age), dont make major territory changes unless you really are dealing with too small of a cage as a change in territory can cause an increase in dominance, and when you change their bedding, leave some soiled bedding in the cage so it still smells of them.

the guides I linked in above, will help you with boar specific behaviours
 
Thank you, they are outside piggies but will come inside to play and have cuddles when we have trust and a good handling routine. The hutch upstairs has hideys and the run attached underneath is a huge square, not the typical long rectangular one. It meets more than enough size for them. Again Thank you for the advice. I’ll have a look at those links :)
 
You can't miss it when things get dodgy. The tension is through the roof. Please take the time to read the text and look at the pictures and videos in our guide links in order to learn to understand guinea pig social behaviours so you can judge for yourself. Guinea pig society is strictly hierarchical but interaction and dominance is very nuanced.

Rumblestrutting is mainly a measuring up between boars as well as displaying to sows. Your boys are now in the important formative 'school weeks' between weaning and teenage where they learn to master their environment and where they are learning to understand and to practise the finer points of social behaviour, ideally from an older 'teacher' bachelor boar who is willing to take them on. They learn by copying behaviours and then practising what they see. The whole often ends with a popcorning session as it is still good fun.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
Thank you, they are outside piggies but will come inside to play and have cuddles when we have trust and a good handling routine. The hutch upstairs has hideys and the run attached underneath is a huge square, not the typical long rectangular one. It meets more than enough size for them. Again Thank you for the advice. I’ll have a look at those links :)

As outdoor piggies, they cannot be brought indoors for playtime as the temperature fluctuations is too much for them at this time of year and can lead to illness.
Piggies as young as yours should really be indoors for the winter now, as piggies but particularly youngsters, aren’t hardy. You don’t say where they are outside, but They should not be put on grass at this time of year. So if they are locked into the hutch at all then the run size is irrelevant in a sense - the hutch needs to be 6ft x 2ft.
if they are outside (not in a shed), ensure their hutch is out of the elements, has full thermal and waterproof protection along with snugglesafe heatpads and lots of thick hay as bedding so you can keep them as warm as possible. They shouldnt be exposed to temperature below 15 degrees.
 
Last edited:
As outdoor piggies, they cannot be brought indoors for playtime as the temperature fluctuations is too much for them at this time of year and can lead to illness.
Piggies as young as yours should really be indoors for the winter now, as piggies but particularly youngsters, aren’t hardy. You don’t say where they are outside, but They should not be put on grass at this time of year. So if they are locked into the hutch at all then the run size is irrelevant in a sense - the hutch needs to be 6ft x 2ft.
if they are outside (not in a shed), ensure their hutch is out of the elements, has full thermal and waterproof protection along with snugglesafe heatpads and lots of thick hay as bedding so you can keep them as warm as possible. They shouldnt be exposed to temperature below 15 degrees.
Thank you for the advice, I was only asking about rumblestrutting as I have more than researched and prepared everything else. Their hutch is large enough, They have thermal wrap around the sides and back of the hutch, a fitted cover over the body of the hutch and also an extra waterproof/windproof cover over the run along with plenty of soft bedding AND hay with 2 heat pads in 2 separate hideys. They are propped up on a large sturdy wooden pallet and put in the corner of the paving area by the back door. I might not be an expert but I’m educated enough to know they are perfectly fine and safe outside this time of year :)
 
Is the run part underneath the hutch or a ‘separate attachment’?

No one said you weren’t educated or otherwise. There is a lot of information out there, so you need to pick and choose what you take on or not.
 
Welcome to the forum.
There’s lots to learn here and a lot of fun too.
Hope we will see pictures of the boys soon.
My boy loves to rumble strut to his wives and then promptly popcorns away, very pleased with himself.
Hope you enjoy watching them interact
 
Welcome to the forum.
There’s lots to learn here and a lot of fun too.
Hope we will see pictures of the boys soon.
My boy loves to rumble strut to his wives and then promptly popcorns away, very pleased with himself.
Hope you enjoy watching them interact
They are super cute when the popcorn and zoom. Thank you for the reply :)
 
Back
Top