Desperately need advice on fighting boars

[natw1181]

Got 2 boars around 7 months old now, had them from babies. They seem to get on most of the time, sleep next to each other and eat together without fighting. One is a little bit bigger and has slightly longer hair, which makes him again look bigger, definitely the more dominant. A couple of times a day, they will start really badly teeth chattering, resulting in the dominant one chasing the other one around. Only recently noticed, as his coat is really thick, but the less dominant one's lower half if covered in bloody scabs! Looks so sore but the dominant one hasn't got a mark on him. What should I do? I thought they must have bonded well as they seem to like each other's company? Dominant one has had a sore penis for the past couple of weeks, which is pretty much all better now, could that of caused it? As the less dominant one does like to do the vibrating horney dance ( as I call it) alot more.

 

[Livia Rabideau]

How big is their cage? Boys need a lot of space and two of everything. They are probably going through the teenage years when their hormones are spiking.

 

[Wiebke]

Got 2 boars around 7 months old now, had them from babies. They seem to get on most of the time, sleep next to each other and eat together without fighting. One is a little bit bigger and has slightly longer hair, which makes him again look bigger, definitely the more dominant. A couple of times a day, they will start really badly teeth chattering, resulting in the dominant one chasing the other one around. Only recently noticed, as his coat is really thick, but the less dominant one's lower half if covered in bloody scabs! Looks so sore but the dominant one hasn't got a mark on him. What should I do? I thought they must have bonded well as they seem to like each other's company? Dominant one has had a sore penis for the past couple of weeks, which is pretty much all better now, could that of caused it? As the less dominant one does like to do the vibrating horney dance ( as I call it) alot more.

Hi! Please separate (if necessary with a temporary divider that you tie into the bars/grids) and have both your boys vet checked to see whether it is bites, mange mites or fungal - the latter two can be brought on by stress.
Your vet needs to assess whether the wounds need cleaning and potentially an antibiotic depending on how deep they are if the are full on bites. Biting is a defence mechanism when a guinea pig feels cornered in a hidey or a cage corner and sees a full-on attack as the only way out.

Your boys are unfortunately right in the middle of the teenage months when the testosterone level is at an all time high and when it decides whether they are personality compatible or not. They need lots of space and nothing where one of them can be cornered. Once serious bloody bites have happened won't go back with each other.

Please take the time to read these two guides; the second contains information about fungal infections and mange mites. The guides are very detailed and should hopefully answer any questions you may have.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)