Boars fighting to the point of injury - I think!

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tworedboots

Hi all, first post here, joined for some advice.

We have 2 boars (Caspian and Reepicheep) who came from a pet shop a couple of months back, so I assume they are about 4 - 5 months old. When they first came here together they fought a little bit and I was worried we'd have to keep them separately when we don't really have the space, but they settled and have generally seemed happy together, with the odd bit of rumbling/mounting occasionally.

We went away for a few days over half term, and left the pigs in the care of friends. Came back to hear a report from other neighbours that they didn't think these friends had been in as much as we'd asked them to, and we also noticed a biggish (about 1cm long and .5cm across, seemed big to me) scar/wound on Caspian's back today, just behind his neck. It seems dry and doesn't look infected, he doesn't seem bothered by it, and of course we'll be keeping a close eye on it, but I'm still feeling awful and wondering whether we should do anything?

Because we weren't here, I don't know exactly how it happened but can only assume it was Reepicheep who attacked him. It's surely not possible for it to be self inflicted, is it? What reason would a gp have to do that to himself? I'm obviously watching them like a hawk today, but has anyone got any other advice please?

Thanks,
Sarah.
 
Unless his skin looks sore or he is itchy (either of which could point to fungal/parasitic problems) I would say it is a fight injury. Keep a really close eye on them now as you may have to spilt them if they have been fighting badly.

Have a look at www.barmy4boars.co.uk for more advice.
 
By the sounds of it Reepicheep has attacked Caspian. Keep a close eye on both them and the wound. Boars go trough a teenager stage, which basically makes or breaks the relationship. Do they try and mount each other? Rumble to each other? Or does one do both the mounting and rumbling? You may want to think about getting them neutered, even though neutering doesn't always stop the behaviour it does take the edge of. Other then this you will have to consider seperating them if they just don't settle with each other. Visit the website Starshine has put a link to, it has loads of useful information. Hope this has helped and welcome to the forum. :)
 
Thanks for those replies, both of you are saying things I've read already (had found the barmy4boars site before getting here!) which is reassuring, I'm just hoping that there are no more injuries to either of them through leaving them together. I was surprised to find Caspian injured tbh, as when I watch them it's usually Reep who is mounting Caspian, so if anyone had been hurt I would have expected it to be Reep as a result of Caspian defending himself.

I am concerned though, just don't know how long to give them to settle down, or whether they even will - and don't want either of them to get hurt any more, obviously. I'm trying to think of ways I could divide up their space without it costing me a fortune, but can't see an easy way around it in the space we have available here.

Probably going to take him to the vet after the weekend just to get the wound checked over - especially as I've discovered a problem with my hamster over the weekend as well so will be visiting with him anyway - feeling quite the disastrous pet owner here today, even though I'm not sure what I could have done to prevent it :(
 
Welcome to the forum :)
Could I ask what type of housing they are in? Hutch, cage, indoors, outdoors?
I had the same problem with two of my boars and have now separated them. If you have to do that, you can get ideas on how to house them and save space on here. It sounds like something kicked it off...could be if your friends were not checking on them as much as you had hoped, being together in a smallish space for several days without floor/run time could have just made them P155ed off with eachother and set off a fight. If they were vying with eachother for dominance before this, being stuck together probably didn't help. Are they together now? Keep a close eye on things and see how they are when they are out of their house. Having 2 lots of everything can help, hidey houses in particular, so they can get some space away from the other.
Keep an ear out for their noises, rumbling and mounting are not particularly worrying but chattering of teeth and rearing up ready to pounce are.
Lets us know how things go O0
 
They are outside, in a hutch with a run attached, the hutch part is about 2ft x 2ft, and the run another 4ft x 2ft after that. They have a couple of hidey holes but one's outside and one's inside. Only one water/food supply at the moment. It wouldn't be an easy cage to divide but I could easily provide more hidey holes and another water/food supply for them.

Yes, they are together at the moment, and neither of them seems afraid to be in the same space as the other, but there is still a fair bit of chasing one another round the cage (mostly Reepicheep chasing Caspian) and rumbling at times. At other times (like now!) they seem as peaceful as ever. I just don't want another incident to make anything worse, that's all ...
 
plenty of places to hide is a good idea, so they can get away from eachother,the space they have might be an issue though, the bigger the better, they do like their own space.
 
tworedboots said:
They are outside, in a hutch with a run attached, the hutch part is about 2ft x 2ft, and the run another 4ft x 2ft after that.
Click to expand...

The hutch is to small for two guineas, especially boars. They haven't got their own space. Two guineas should be housed in a cage 4ft by 2ft minimum, this may be the reason you are having trouble with them. It certainly won't be helping. :)
 
Hmm, food for thought, thanks. The run is always open to them, so they always have the full amount of space to be in, but perhaps it's still not enough? We're wondering about actually dividing the indoor hutch area so that they have half each, would that help do you think? If so, any advice on getting them to 'own' one half each, given that they'd both theoretically have access to both halves?
 
I don't think splitting the indoor hutch bit will help you at all, it will just cut down space and make things worse if space is the problem. Also the only way to get them to "each own half" is to give them enough space so that they don't feel the other male is encroaching on their territory. Even though they have full access to the run at all times they probably won't use it during the night, preferring to be snuggled up in the hutch which offers more protection.
I would try to find a way to increase their hutch space and see if that helps them settle down.
 
Hello & welcome. Is it a fresh clean looking bald patch of scar & is it sort of dead central to the neck or behind the ear area?
 
thank god i dont have any arguing between any of my pigs,otherwise it would be stand in the corner with your back to the hutch time ;D
 
The scar is to one side, but further down than right behind the ear, iyswim. Seems a little better this morning, but I've also noticed a small bite on the other pig now as well.

Just about to go and buy a second water bottle and food bowl etc. and we're working on splitting them to live side by side. I can't stand the stress of seeing them constantly circling and chasing each other, and if I can't stand it I'm sure it can't be good for them either.
 
Hi,

I have two fighting boars and I just had to bite the bullet and rearrange the housing situaiton. It was a pain as I had bought a lovely single hutch for 2 guinea pigs to share etc. However, I had to buy a new 4ft double hutch which meant that they had to be separated, but they seemed so much happier to get their own space. I then constructed a double indoor run in the garage for using during the day. This was made out of wood and I separated them down the middle with some grids. This meant that they can still see and smell each other during the day but they are safe from injury and puts my mind at rest when I am at work. They run is about 5ft long and 3 ft wide.

The more dominant pig still rumbles and purrs threatenly at the other pig, but instead of the other one cowering in the corner and chattering teeth, he is now happy to sniff bully boy through the grids and then they both pop corn like crazy.

As for during the night, they can still squeak to each other in their hutches and I noticed an immediate calmed atmosphere in both of them. THey are more laid back and they both eat more. Before, one was smaller than the other and I know that bully boy was eating the lion's share of veg. Now I can monitor things much better and see what is being eaten by whom.

It's a tough move, but I now have to think double everything! I am thinking of erecting a new shed and my plans have to accommodate this large indoor enclosure with perhaps two exits for a double separated run on the grass. Yes, it's not ideal, but they have the companionship of the other and their own space at the same time.
 
Boysmum have you considered getting your two boars a girl each? :)

gus and jack said:
I don't think splitting the indoor hutch bit will help you at all, it will just cut down space and make things worse if space is the problem. Also the only way to get them to "each own half" is to give them enough space so that they don't feel the other male is encroaching on their territory. Even though they have full access to the run at all times they probably won't use it during the night, preferring to be snuggled up in the hutch which offers more protection.
I would try to find a way to increase their hutch space and see if that helps them settle down.
Click to expand...

Agree. :)
 
Thanks for all the help on this thread. I've ended up doing very similar to boysmum. We now have a 4' double hutch, and a big run separated by grids down the middle.

532924574_e358f13032.jpg


They are both still rumbling and teeth-chattering when they get close to the dividing wall (sometimes), I sort of still hope we could get them back together once this puberty stage is over but I absolutely had to have peace of mind about it and know that they couldn't hurt one another any more.

Over the past couple of days, apart from the odd rumble, they've both been much more peaceful and have had moments of running and jumping madly about the run, something I never saw them do before, so I think we did the right thing.

I won't be getting them girlfriends for a while (my dh would go mad if I spent any more money on them this month and I'd have to get them both neutered first!) but you never know, perhaps in the future ...
 
my 3 boy pigs o xactly th sam fighting for ominanc at first i sprat thm but thn i rlis thy arnt fighting to kill or ingr thy ar just lik human broths or sistrs who argu for ominanc to rmmbr Guina pigs ar quick halrs if givn th right foo

Goo luck[colorr]
 
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glad everything has worked out for you, I know what you mean about the oh, mine moans about the money i spend on the piggies, but hay ho, i still get to do what i like in the end LOL.
x paula x
 
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