Hi all, I have posted about my piggies a few times but still trying to learn and make sure i'm being the best piggy-mom I can be, so i'm looking for some advice and opinions.
Brief background: 2 boars named Felix and Griffin. They were rescued from the shelter and were already bonded when we adopted them. We adopted them 1 year ago and they were both listed as 1 year old (which makes them 2 years old now). However, we think Felix may have been a bit younger because he was less than 800grams when we adopted them and Griffin was around 1100 grams. Personality wise too, Felix seemed younger.
Their dynamic for the past year has been that Griffin is the dominant one and Felix typically submits. Griffin will rumble and mount Felix and Felix will whine and take it and then they go on with their day. Most of the rumbling and mounting tends to be a ritual when i'm cleaning their cage right before dinner time (not often at other times).
Throughout the year, Felix has tried to test boundaries. He has rumbled and tried to mount Griffin a few times. Each time, Griffin has rumbled back and Felix immediately returns to a submissive role and seems to apologize profusely (from the sounds of my human ears).
This week, things seem to be getting tense. I have read that this can happen in the spring time, especially since the boys are both in their "teen" years. Felix has been pushing boundaries a bit more with the dominance thing. He has tried to mount Griffin a few times. This has not resulted in fights, Griffin tends to run away at first, but then it seems to push him to assert his dominance more by chasing Felix around, rumbling more, mounting more. They both spray each other when they run past each other now (which is really funny to watch even though its concerning). Felix is also not accepting being mounted anymore. When Griffin comes for Felix, Felix has been turning around and snapping at Griffin. No one has actually been bit, no blood has been drawn, and that does tend to fend Griffin off for a bit, but again, it seems to spur him on more to keep trying to reassert his dominance.
Last night, i sat next to their enclosure for a few hours at 2am because they were seeming to get pretty worked up (i had a towel in my hands in case i needed to intervene). They eventually got tired and went to sleep.
I am wondering if i should be concerned. I think today we will be doing a buddy bath and changing all their bedding and hope that helps calm them down a bit. Does anyone have other suggestions or anything that i should look out for to make sure they are both safe?
Additional information:
- When they are getting aggravated and chasing, mounting, snapping, etc, there hasn't been much teeth chattering (if any) and minimal yawning (the yawning seems to come when things calm down and they lay down, it appear to be an actual yawn not aggression).
- They let each other eat pretty happily, but when they eat near each other they tend to get verbal, seemingly argue with each other. They share the hay in the hay holder fine and their fresh veggies i tend to either spread around the cage or split up into 2 separate piles of equal amounts so they each have their own meal. there is no fighting over the water bottle and when i put pellets in a dish, they share it just fine (their dish is pretty big anyway).
- Their cage is a 5x2 homemade cage. Its on the floor and has a door that we open daily to give them floor time. We do not let them roam free in the hosue for floor time (white carpets and a rented house, plus 2 hormonal males) but we have a play pen enclosure that is 5 feet diameter. So for floor time they have the 5 foot pen attached to their enclosure to go in and out. In their enclosure, they have 3 hidies, both with 2 entrances and chew toys. When they get floor time, there's an additional 2-3 hidies also with 2 entrances in floor time. So it doesn't appear to be an issue of space, or resources.
Thank you for your suggestions and help!
PS: i've seen someone mention "Honey the Humping Teddy" in another threat and said it helps with these hormonal bursts but they didn't explain what it was and i couldn't find anything. Sounds like a stuffed animal for them to hump out aggression? thoughts? haha
PPS: Please be kind. I have had people make some comments that bothered me in the past suggesting that i am treating my pigs in a way that was extremely untrue. I am trying to get advice to make sure i am doing the right thing. Please do not assume that i am an idiot who treats them like toys and not living beings
i care very much for my piggies and am doing everything i know to be the best mommy i can be which is why i am here asking for advice. Thank you.
Brief background: 2 boars named Felix and Griffin. They were rescued from the shelter and were already bonded when we adopted them. We adopted them 1 year ago and they were both listed as 1 year old (which makes them 2 years old now). However, we think Felix may have been a bit younger because he was less than 800grams when we adopted them and Griffin was around 1100 grams. Personality wise too, Felix seemed younger.
Their dynamic for the past year has been that Griffin is the dominant one and Felix typically submits. Griffin will rumble and mount Felix and Felix will whine and take it and then they go on with their day. Most of the rumbling and mounting tends to be a ritual when i'm cleaning their cage right before dinner time (not often at other times).
Throughout the year, Felix has tried to test boundaries. He has rumbled and tried to mount Griffin a few times. Each time, Griffin has rumbled back and Felix immediately returns to a submissive role and seems to apologize profusely (from the sounds of my human ears).
This week, things seem to be getting tense. I have read that this can happen in the spring time, especially since the boys are both in their "teen" years. Felix has been pushing boundaries a bit more with the dominance thing. He has tried to mount Griffin a few times. This has not resulted in fights, Griffin tends to run away at first, but then it seems to push him to assert his dominance more by chasing Felix around, rumbling more, mounting more. They both spray each other when they run past each other now (which is really funny to watch even though its concerning). Felix is also not accepting being mounted anymore. When Griffin comes for Felix, Felix has been turning around and snapping at Griffin. No one has actually been bit, no blood has been drawn, and that does tend to fend Griffin off for a bit, but again, it seems to spur him on more to keep trying to reassert his dominance.
Last night, i sat next to their enclosure for a few hours at 2am because they were seeming to get pretty worked up (i had a towel in my hands in case i needed to intervene). They eventually got tired and went to sleep.
I am wondering if i should be concerned. I think today we will be doing a buddy bath and changing all their bedding and hope that helps calm them down a bit. Does anyone have other suggestions or anything that i should look out for to make sure they are both safe?
Additional information:
- When they are getting aggravated and chasing, mounting, snapping, etc, there hasn't been much teeth chattering (if any) and minimal yawning (the yawning seems to come when things calm down and they lay down, it appear to be an actual yawn not aggression).
- They let each other eat pretty happily, but when they eat near each other they tend to get verbal, seemingly argue with each other. They share the hay in the hay holder fine and their fresh veggies i tend to either spread around the cage or split up into 2 separate piles of equal amounts so they each have their own meal. there is no fighting over the water bottle and when i put pellets in a dish, they share it just fine (their dish is pretty big anyway).
- Their cage is a 5x2 homemade cage. Its on the floor and has a door that we open daily to give them floor time. We do not let them roam free in the hosue for floor time (white carpets and a rented house, plus 2 hormonal males) but we have a play pen enclosure that is 5 feet diameter. So for floor time they have the 5 foot pen attached to their enclosure to go in and out. In their enclosure, they have 3 hidies, both with 2 entrances and chew toys. When they get floor time, there's an additional 2-3 hidies also with 2 entrances in floor time. So it doesn't appear to be an issue of space, or resources.
Thank you for your suggestions and help!
PS: i've seen someone mention "Honey the Humping Teddy" in another threat and said it helps with these hormonal bursts but they didn't explain what it was and i couldn't find anything. Sounds like a stuffed animal for them to hump out aggression? thoughts? haha
PPS: Please be kind. I have had people make some comments that bothered me in the past suggesting that i am treating my pigs in a way that was extremely untrue. I am trying to get advice to make sure i am doing the right thing. Please do not assume that i am an idiot who treats them like toys and not living beings
i care very much for my piggies and am doing everything i know to be the best mommy i can be which is why i am here asking for advice. Thank you.
