Boar frantic to attack separated pig.

[Cryptillian]

I’ve been bonding a new male, Pumba with my existing pig, Pete. A long time ago I tried putting Pete in with my existing herd at the time. Pete got along well with two of my seniors, but my younger male, Chuck and him ended up having a fight while I had left them unattended (I left since everything had been fine for an hour). I was going to pair him with one of my seniors, but he sadly passed away and my other two boys are a bonded pair so I couldn’t separate them which is why I adopted Pumba. Pete and Pumba had a meeting at the shelter and things looked promising with them which had my hopes up.

Last night after asking if it was ok here to leave Pete and Pumba alone, I came back to find Pete had ripped apart the C&C caging, getting into the other enclosure and had attacked Chuck (luckily he’s fine). Let me just say before I continue, I have been crying since yesterday over all this and I’m extremely upset and anxious so I apologize if I seem dramatic. After reenforcing the grids with over 10 bungee cords, he wasn’t able to get back in, but ever since he’s been acting extremely frantic, violently trying to pull on the bars constantly.

After I took the blanket off the separator (I tried to block his view and it helped for a while) he ripped it down and I just took it off to see if he’d calm down and lunged at Pumba which he hadn’t done before. He also bit me several times while I was just trying to pick him up and almost drew blood, it’s almost like it flipped a switch in him.

Before this everything was going fine with their pairing, in fact, I noticed he had been a lot calmer and had many positive interactions with Pumba. He hadn’t once even chewed on the bars before I’d left the room. Before he lunged at him, he was letting Pumba hump him and he didn’t even chatter once until now. I separated him in a carrier to calm him down, but he’s so desperate to get to Chuck, I’ve never seen anything like this before and I can’t find anything on it. Even if I take him away from Pumba he will still try to get to Chuck and be aggressive towards me when he’s sees/smells him.

What do I do? Like I said I tried putting a blanket over the separator but he kept ripping it down, I’m worried he’s going to hurt himself because he‘ll be going at it for hours constantly chewing and pulling violently on the bars. I‘ve never seen him like this before, even when they fought the first time. I have been wondering if maybe since the wall came down all their scents are mixed in each other’s enclosures and maybe that’s why he’s been like this? Whenever Chuck’s scent was on my bed Pete would chatter and freak out and I’m wondering if that’s what’s setting him off right now. I’m going to do a full clean again when I can, our dryer is broken so it’ll take a while to get things dry.

Does this mean my pairing has failed now? I just feel so stupid and hopeless for adopting Pumba now thinking this won’t work, I don’t want him to have to be alone and I’m way to scared to even consider trying to put him with my other two boys right now.

I’m sorry this post is all over the place, I’m just so upset. Pete wasn’t originally mine, he was my sister’s and before I took him over he wasn’t cared for properly and he has been a source of stress for me because he was pushed onto me without warning during a rough time in my life. I just lost one of my senior pigs a month ago so I’m having such a hard time right now.

 

[Siikibam]

I would temporarily house him either above the other pair or alone in another room. Keep Pumba next to him as well if possible. The bar biting is him wanting to get to Chuck, but not in a positive manner. After a couple of days you can try bonding Pete and Pumba again - neutral area and preferably away from your other pair. Then if all is well you can put them back into a thoroughly cleaned and rearranged cage. However, I would suggest you put them above the other pair.

How old is Pete?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Can you please move Chuck away for the time being, whether that is in a temporary run or carrier. Pete wants to get at him for more strife, not because he loves him.

During that time you may want to see whether you can put a physical barrier between the two cages or get some more grids to move them phyically; or get them to live on top of each other. A blanket is no use as they can wiggle though that in a matter of minutes. Done that and have the t-shirt.

Always handle, feed, treat and groom Pete first so you do not carry chuck's scent across. Wash your hands and have a special pullover for either Pete or Chuck when you cuddle them so they do not share any scent.

Cage invasions can cause some real grudge. They are also an issue when boars want to show off against each other and manage to wiggle grids loose. I always have some spare cable ties and som cardboard or spare coroplast handy, just in case - neutered boars haven't lost their social instincts...

If it is any consolation to you, I had recently the same issue when 7 years old Pioden managed to squeeze into Dylan's neighbouring pen and really upset him. In the end I had to swap Pioden and his wife Dryw with a pair living at the other end of the room since the hubbub created upset the whole piggy room; even after I put in a solid divider between Dylan's and Pioden's pen for a week. Poor Dylan's feelings have been really hurt even though neither boar is aggressive and there was no damage done. Pioden unfortunately couldn't find the exit again and had gone to ground in one of Dylan's hideys.

Once Pete has calmed down (which may take a couple of day or so, you can see whether he and Pumba will bond or not; you can keep them next to each other. Right now is not the right time to push it while he is so riled up.

 

[Cryptillian]

I would temporarily house him either above the other pair or alone in another room. Keep Pumba next to him as well if possible. The bar biting is him wanting to get to Chuck, but not in a positive manner. After a couple of days you can try bonding Pete and Pumba again - neutral area and preferably away from your other pair. Then if all is well you can put them back into a thoroughly cleaned and rearranged cage. However, I would suggest you put them above the other pair.

How old is Pete?

If the shelter was right he should be around 3 1/2.

While moving him into a separate enclosure he bit straight down on my finger. I’m ok, but I’ve never had that happen to me before. He’s calmed down now.

 

[Cryptillian]

Hi

Can you please move Chuck away for the time being, whether that is in a temporary run or carrier. Pete wants to get at him for more strife, not because he loves him.

During that time you may want to see whether you can put a physical barrier between the two cages or get some more grids to move them phyically; or get them to live on top of each other. A blanket is no use as they can wiggle though that in a matter of minutes. Done that and have the t-shirt.

Always handle, feed, treat and groom Pete first so you do not carry chuck's scent across. Wash your hands and have a special pullover for either Pete or Chuck when you cuddle them so they do not share any scent.

Cage invasions can cause some real grudge. They are also an issue when boars want to show off against each other and manage to wiggle grids loose. I always have some spare cable ties and som cardboard or spare coroplast handy, just in case - neutered boars haven't lost their social instincts...

If it is any consolation to you, I had recently the same issue when 7 years old Pioden managed to squeeze into Dylan's neighbouring pen and really upset him. In the end I had to swap Pioden and his wife Dryw with a pair living at the other end of the room since the hubbub created upset the whole piggy room; even after I put in a solid divider between Dylan's and Pioden's pen for a week. Poor Dylan's feelings have been really hurt even though neither boar is aggressive and there was no damage done. Pioden unfortunately couldn't find the exit again and had gone to ground in one of Dylan's hideys.

Once Pete has calmed down (which may take a couple of day or so, you can see whether he and Pumba will bond or not; you can keep them next to each other. Right now is not the right time to push it while he is so riled up.

I’ve separated him from everyone now in his own space (unfortunely he bit straight down on my finger in the process ).

You’re right the separator isn’t working at this point, I’m going to take apart the whole enclosure and separate it into two once I get the bedding cleaned tomorrow. He’s calmed down now and no chewing on the bars. Glad I’m not alone in this happening, it’s not just traumatizing for them but me too.

 

[Wiebke]

I’ve separated him from everyone now in his own space (unfortunely he bit straight down on my finger in the process ).

You’re right the separator isn’t working at this point, I’m going to take apart the whole enclosure and separate it into two once I get the bedding cleaned tomorrow. He’s calmed down now and no chewing on the bars. Glad I’m not alone in this happening, it’s not just traumatizing for them but me too.

I know! Thankfully, I was running very late on the forum that night, so I was lucky to be around before things could really get out of hand this time round; the two pairs had been living alongside for several months.
My Maelog and Bedo ended up with a nice set of bites when Bedo invaded Maelog's pen one early Sunday morning crowned with Bedo developing fast growing abscesses in a couple of bites over the following weekend... Maelog (his name meant Battle Prince in Welsh) was unfortunately a bit prone to overreacting when caught on his back foot or feeling cornered. It was his personal hang-up.

Riled up boars react instinctively to any sudden movement; it is actually a defence bite and not an aggression bite. That is why you should never go between fighting boars with bare hands.
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

 

[Cryptillian]

I’ve been bonding a new male, Pumba with my existing pig, Pete. A long time ago I tried putting Pete in with my existing herd at the time. Pete got along well with two of my seniors, but my younger male, Chuck and him ended up having a fight while I had left them unattended (I left since everything had been fine for an hour). I was going to pair him with one of my seniors, but he sadly passed away and my other two boys are a bonded pair so I couldn’t separate them which is why I adopted Pumba. Pete and Pumba had a meeting at the shelter and things looked promising with them which had my hopes up.

Last night after asking if it was ok here to leave Pete and Pumba alone, I came back to find Pete had ripped apart the C&C caging, getting into the other enclosure and had attacked Chuck (luckily he’s fine). Let me just say before I continue, I have been crying since yesterday over all this and I’m extremely upset and anxious so I apologize if I seem dramatic. After reenforcing the grids with over 10 bungee cords, he wasn’t able to get back in, but ever since he’s been acting extremely frantic, violently trying to pull on the bars constantly.

After I took the blanket off the separator (I tried to block his view and it helped for a while) he ripped it down and I just took it off to see if he’d calm down and lunged at Pumba which he hadn’t done before. He also bit me several times while I was just trying to pick him up and almost drew blood, it’s almost like it flipped a switch in him.

Before this everything was going fine with their pairing, in fact, I noticed he had been a lot calmer and had many positive interactions with Pumba. He hadn’t once even chewed on the bars before I’d left the room. Before he lunged at him, he was letting Pumba hump him and he didn’t even chatter once until now. I separated him in a carrier to calm him down, but he’s so desperate to get to Chuck, I’ve never seen anything like this before and I can’t find anything on it. Even if I take him away from Pumba he will still try to get to Chuck and be aggressive towards me when he’s sees/smells him.

What do I do? Like I said I tried putting a blanket over the separator but he kept ripping it down, I’m worried he’s going to hurt himself because he‘ll be going at it for hours constantly chewing and pulling violently on the bars. I‘ve never seen him like this before, even when they fought the first time. I have been wondering if maybe since the wall came down all their scents are mixed in each other’s enclosures and maybe that’s why he’s been like this? Whenever Chuck’s scent was on my bed Pete would chatter and freak out and I’m wondering if that’s what’s setting him off right now. I’m going to do a full clean again when I can, our dryer is broken so it’ll take a while to get things dry.

Does this mean my pairing has failed now? I just feel so stupid and hopeless for adopting Pumba now thinking this won’t work, I don’t want him to have to be alone and I’m way to scared to even consider trying to put him with my other two boys right now.

I’m sorry this post is all over the place, I’m just so upset. Pete wasn’t originally mine, he was my sister’s and before I took him over he wasn’t cared for properly and he has been a source of stress for me because he was pushed onto me without warning during a rough time in my life. I just lost one of my senior pigs a month ago so I’m having such a hard time right now.

Just wanted to update that after some time separated, Pete calmed down completely. Today I separated the enclosures (they were connected and separated by grids before) and there is a solid barrier so they can’t see each other either and that did the trick! So far pairing Pete and Pumba is going super well and Pete hasn’t seemed stressed at all. I have set up a small live camera so I can monitor them while away from my room

 

[Wiebke]

Just wanted to update that after some time separated, Pete calmed down completely. Today I separated the enclosures (they were connected and separated by grids before) and there is a solid barrier so they can’t see each other either and that did the trick! So far pairing Pete and Pumba is going super well and Pete hasn’t seemed stressed at all. I have set up a small live camera so I can monitor them while away from my room

Glad that everything is going well for Pete and Pumba!

 

[Cryptillian]

I’ve been bonding a new male, Pumba with my existing pig, Pete. A long time ago I tried putting Pete in with my existing herd at the time. Pete got along well with two of my seniors, but my younger male, Chuck and him ended up having a fight while I had left them unattended (I left since everything had been fine for an hour). I was going to pair him with one of my seniors, but he sadly passed away and my other two boys are a bonded pair so I couldn’t separate them which is why I adopted Pumba. Pete and Pumba had a meeting at the shelter and things looked promising with them which had my hopes up.

Last night after asking if it was ok here to leave Pete and Pumba alone, I came back to find Pete had ripped apart the C&C caging, getting into the other enclosure and had attacked Chuck (luckily he’s fine). Let me just say before I continue, I have been crying since yesterday over all this and I’m extremely upset and anxious so I apologize if I seem dramatic. After reenforcing the grids with over 10 bungee cords, he wasn’t able to get back in, but ever since he’s been acting extremely frantic, violently trying to pull on the bars constantly.

After I took the blanket off the separator (I tried to block his view and it helped for a while) he ripped it down and I just took it off to see if he’d calm down and lunged at Pumba which he hadn’t done before. He also bit me several times while I was just trying to pick him up and almost drew blood, it’s almost like it flipped a switch in him.

Before this everything was going fine with their pairing, in fact, I noticed he had been a lot calmer and had many positive interactions with Pumba. He hadn’t once even chewed on the bars before I’d left the room. Before he lunged at him, he was letting Pumba hump him and he didn’t even chatter once until now. I separated him in a carrier to calm him down, but he’s so desperate to get to Chuck, I’ve never seen anything like this before and I can’t find anything on it. Even if I take him away from Pumba he will still try to get to Chuck and be aggressive towards me when he’s sees/smells him.

What do I do? Like I said I tried putting a blanket over the separator but he kept ripping it down, I’m worried he’s going to hurt himself because he‘ll be going at it for hours constantly chewing and pulling violently on the bars. I‘ve never seen him like this before, even when they fought the first time. I have been wondering if maybe since the wall came down all their scents are mixed in each other’s enclosures and maybe that’s why he’s been like this? Whenever Chuck’s scent was on my bed Pete would chatter and freak out and I’m wondering if that’s what’s setting him off right now. I’m going to do a full clean again when I can, our dryer is broken so it’ll take a while to get things dry.

Does this mean my pairing has failed now? I just feel so stupid and hopeless for adopting Pumba now thinking this won’t work, I don’t want him to have to be alone and I’m way to scared to even consider trying to put him with my other two boys right now.

I’m sorry this post is all over the place, I’m just so upset. Pete wasn’t originally mine, he was my sister’s and before I took him over he wasn’t cared for properly and he has been a source of stress for me because he was pushed onto me without warning during a rough time in my life. I just lost one of my senior pigs a month ago so I’m having such a hard time right now.

Final update: Pete and Pumba worked out perfectly! They are still not 100% used to each other, but everything has gone amazing and I can safely say they are a match!