Boar pair fighting- help please!

[pedsmarv]

Hello! This is my first post to the forum but I am stressing out!

I have a pair of boars, they are brothers and are around 10 months old (I understand this is their teenager time which is probably the cause of my problem as they are both in the same stroppy teenage phase at the same time - I understand now that a large age difference between piggies would have been more beneficial in creating a successful bond).

I have had them for around 8 months and until today they have been the best of friends, with only mild dominance behaviours apparent between them (rumbling, mounting, chasing), which usually dies down in a few minutes.
However, today it has been constantly going on for over 2 hours - Pedro will not stop chasing Marvin and mounting him - Marvin is getting obviously annoyed/upset/distressed and is squealing/squeaking and kicking Pedro, but to no avail.

I have since put a divider between them in the cage and Marvin has managed to settle but Pedro will not stop trying to get to the other side of the cage - he keeps biting and pulling the bars.

I think what I am asking for is a bit of support/advice from more experienced boar owners - any help and advice for next steps would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this

Around this age there is another hormone spike. It usually passes without the issues of the younger months but occasionally, the 9/10 month spike can break a bond and they suddenly decide they really don’t like each other.

You have absolutely done the right thing by separating them. The reaction you need to pay attention to is the submissive piggy ie Marvin. If Marvin has settled and is happier to be away from Pedro then that is likely the answer you need to say their bond is failing. Pedro, as the dominant, will always be upset by a separation so his reaction to separation is what you would expect.

Give them a couple of days separated to settle down. Then you can attempt a neutral territory reintroduction. It will become quite clear quite quickly whether a reintroduction will be successful or not. If not, then sadly their separation will need to be made permanent.

Age is much less of a factor when it comes to a successful bond, its character compatibility which is vital. Therefore, having an age gap between the two does not necessarily mean a successful bond.

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[pedsmarv]

I’m sorry to hear this

Around this age there is another hormone spike. It usually passes without the issues of the younger months but occasionally, the 9/10 month spike can break a bond and they suddenly decide they really don’t like each other.

You have absolutely done the right thing by separating them. The reaction you need to pay attention to is the submissive piggy ie Marvin. If Marvin has settled and is happier to be away from Pedro then that is likely the answer you need to say their bond is failing. Pedro, as the dominant, will always be upset by a separation so his reaction to separation is what you would expect.

Give them a couple of days separated to settle down. Then you can attempt a neutral territory reintroduction. It will become quite clear quite quickly whether a reintroduction will be successful or not. If not, then sadly their separation will need to be made permanent.

Age is much less of a factor when it comes to a successful bond, its character compatibility which is vital. Therefore, having an age gap between the two does not necessarily mean a successful bond.

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Thank you for replying to me so quickly!

After an hour separated and now that they have both had time to calm down and Marvin has managed to get a little snooze he is up at the bars also biting at them and they are sniffing each other and talking through the bars - do you think this is a good sign?

I will leave it a few days before reintroducing them. Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Interactions through the bars aren’t necessarily indicative of what will happen during reintroduction so it’s never an easy one to call but hopefully it’s a good sign. Marvin’s squealing while they were together is submission squealing - it was him telling Pedro he is no threat to his dominance but Pedro doesnt sound as if he was listening.
Hopefully Pedro has just taken leave of his senses for a short time, will calm down in a few days and reintroduction will be successful.

The important thing with boars is lots of space (180x60cm or a 5x2 c&c) and open ended hideys (nothing with only one door) so do ensure you have those if they do go back together.

Keep us posted.

 

[pedsmarv]

Interactions through the bars aren’t necessarily indicative of what will happen during reintroduction so it’s never an easy one to call but hopefully it’s a good sign. Marvin’s squealing while they were together is submission squealing - it was him telling Pedro he is no threat to his dominance but Pedro doesnt sound as if he was listening.
Hopefully Pedro has just taken leave of his senses for a short time, will calm down in a few days and reintroduction will be successful.

The important thing with boars is lots of space (180x60cm or a 5x2 c&c) and open ended hideys (nothing with only one door) so do ensure you have those if they do go back together.

Keep us posted.

Fingers crossed it was just a testosterone fuelled day and things settle down - it will break my heart if I need to separate them permanently as they really were the best of friends.
I have them in a 4x3 c&c cage and have 2 of everything (bottles, food bowls, hideys, hay areas etc.) However I have been using pigloos which only have 1 entrance, I will change this to open ended - thank you for the advice.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s never a nice situation to find yourself in if you do have to separate them but hopefully it won’t come to that. The guides I linked in explain everything in more detail, including the reintroduction process - it must be done on neutral territory.

Cage is a good size so they shouldn’t have a space issue. It would be wise to remove the pigloos - enclosed hideys can pose a risk of defensive injuries if one piggy feels trapped by the other.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

@Piggies&buns has given you excellent advice. Please take the time to read the links in the posts; they will give the in-depth information and all the little tricks and helpful tips that we cannot repeat with every post we write. You will know much better what to look out for, how to avoid flashpoint and understanding what is going on.

More information on dominance and territorial behaviours in these two links here, which you may additionally find helpful:
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[pedsmarv]

Hi both, thank you again for getting back to me so quickly and for signposting me to the correct information.
You will be pleased to know that after separating them for a few days and reintroducing them on neutral territory that they were able to sort their differences and were soon back to being their usual happy popcorning selves - I think it was just a particularly testosterone fuelled day for Pedro and thankfully there are no signs of their bond being broken.
Thanks again

 

[Piggies&buns]

That’s great news!