Bonded Boar Pair Fall Out :(

[Wilbur&Otis]

Feeling fed up with my boys today and could use some advice. I have a pair of 2yo boars that arrived as a bonded pair in Feb - Cooper & Alf.

I also have a 2.5yo boar Mini that has been living alone since his buddy died in Jan.

Mini has been living on his own below the pair and over the last few weeks I’ve let them meet briefly through the bars during floor time a few times.

Cooper & Alf have been quite aggressive with each other lately. both doing a lot of teeth chattering and Cooper chasing Alf. Alf has started to stand up to Cooper and rumble, chatter back. I noticed Alf had a small cut on his face a couple of weeks ago so have been watching them closely and kept them away from Mini. Whilst Cooper & Alf are certainly not the best of friends their home has plenty of space & they have avoided each other and the aggressive behaviour seemed to calm down. Until today...

I’ve had all 3 pigs out in the garden in side by side runs with a towel between to block their view. Almost as soon as I brought Mini outside Cooper started aggressive behaviour towards Alf. Chasing, chattering and actually jumping at Alf with teeth bared. I gave them a big pile of readigrass to distract but after a while it started again and before i could remove Alf he’s ended up with a bite to the face & has a cut lip.

Does this mean I need to permanently separate these 2 now with blood being drawn? If so any suggestions of what I should do next would be welcome. I could try to pair Mini with one of the fallen out pair in a few days?

Ugh! Blooming boys!

 

[Wiebke]

Feeling fed up with my boys today and could use some advice. I have a pair of 2yo boars that arrived as a bonded pair in Feb - Cooper & Alf.

I also have a 2.5yo boar Mini that has been living alone since his buddy died in Jan.

Mini has been living on his own below the pair and over the last few weeks I’ve let them meet briefly through the bars during floor time a few times.

Cooper & Alf have been quite aggressive with each other lately. both doing a lot of teeth chattering and Cooper chasing Alf. Alf has started to stand up to Cooper and rumble, chatter back. I noticed Alf had a small cut on his face a couple of weeks ago so have been watching them closely and kept them away from Mini. Whilst Cooper & Alf are certainly not the best of friends their home has plenty of space & they have avoided each other and the aggressive behaviour seemed to calm down. Until today...

I’ve had all 3 pigs out in the garden in side by side runs with a towel between to block their view. Almost as soon as I brought Mini outside Cooper started aggressive behaviour towards Alf. Chasing, chattering and actually jumping at Alf with teeth bared. I gave them a big pile of readigrass to distract but after a while it started again and before i could remove Alf he’s ended up with a bite to the face & has a cut lip.

Does this mean I need to permanently separate these 2 now with blood being drawn? If so any suggestions of what I should do next would be welcome. I could try to pair Mini with one of the fallen out pair in a few days?

Ugh! Blooming boys!

Your boys seem to have hit puberty full tilt. You can try an re-intro (see tips how best to in the guide) tomorrow or the day after once tempers have cooled down, but I would not put my hopes up too far and would have my oven gloves and a divider at the ready.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

You can try to introduce the more submissive of the pair to Mini, but be aware that your younger boys are currently at the most difficult age to bond while their testosterone levels are at an all-time high. I would wait a few days however; he will be shocked and in pain right now and may react with fear-aggression if you push too soon.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics