Fighting Boars

[Bob and bob]

We adopted a pair of boars about 8 weeks ago, I believe them to be about 6 months old.
They did seem to get along fine but in the last few weeks they have started fighting, in fact it seems to be since we got them a spangly new hutch! Could this be the reason? It's the same size as their old hutch and they actually have more space now as it is in a shed and left open so as they can use the shed as a play space. Previously they were just in the hutch.
One of them seems more dominating then the other but there is a lot of bum sniffing on both parts and chattering at each other.
One of them had a small cut by his mouth the other day.
Are we going to have to split them? I really don't want too as we don't have space for 2 hutches so would have to rehome one of them
Could this just be a temporary thing? Will they grow out of it?
I can shut the top level of the hutch off but then this would mean one of them having no access to the play space.
Help!! Please someone tell me they will be back to normal and friends again soon!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Your boys are currently right in the middle of the teenage months when their bond is at its most fragile as they develop their adult male identity and their hormones are at an all time high. A change of territory, which automatically requires a renewal of a hierarchy sort-out can unbalance that.

The good news is that despite the cut at the mouth (which is NOT a full-on bite), their behaviour is not yet right up or even over the line. Please do not make any further changes and let them get on with it. At least they have got plenty of space to get away from each other; lack of space and escape routes is at the bottom of many full-out fights. Just remove any hideys with just one exit to make sure that the underboy cannot be cornered, which it usually a flashpoint for fights. Right now, I would not interfere but make sure that both have a chance to get out of tonight's frost apart from each other. If necessary, a hay filled cardboard box with two opposite exits can help if they are not yet at the point where snuggling up it OK. if you split temporarily, you will need to conduct a full formal introduction on neutral ground once the boys have settled down.

Your boys will hopefully settle down again. You have still a few touchy months to go, but if they make it through this testing crisis as a pair, they are most likely to stay together.

Please take your time to read through these guides here, they have plenty of tips and help you to understand and interpret what is going on.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.

All the best!

 

[Bob and bob]

Hi! Your boys are currently right in the middle of the teenage months when their bond is at its most fragile as they develop their adult male identity and their hormones are at an all time high. A change of territory, which automatically requires a renewal of a hierarchy sort-out can unbalance that.

The good news is that despite the cut at the mouth (which is NOT a full-on bite), their behaviour is not yet right up or even over the line. Please do not make any further changes and let them get on with it. At least they have got plenty of space to get away from each other; lack of space and escape routes is at the bottom of many full-out fights. Just remove any hideys with just one exit to make sure that the underboy cannot be cornered, which it usually a flashpoint for fights. Right now, I would not interfere but make sure that both have a chance to get out of tonight's frost apart from each other. If necessary, a hay filled cardboard box with two opposite exits can help if they are not yet at the point where snuggling up it OK. if you split temporarily, you will need to conduct a full formal introduction on neutral ground once the boys have settled down.

Your boys will hopefully settle down again. You have still a few touchy months to go, but if they make it through this testing crisis as a pair, they are most likely to stay together.

Please take your time to read through these guides here, they have plenty of tips and help you to understand and interpret what is going on.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.

All the best!

 

[Bob and bob]

Thank you for that.
It's hard to tell who is the more dominant of the 2 and they don't fight all the time, as yet there is no preventing each other of getting food and stuff.

We have 2 heat mats for the night, one in a pigloo upstairs and another downstairs.

The piggie that is the bigger bum sniffer Likes to spend time upstairs but the other one refuses to go up in this new hutch although he was happy to in the old hutch.

Therefor the other mat is downstairs but we have removed the downstairs pigloo as it seemed that him that likes the upstairs one also wanted the downstairs one too!

I wish they would cuddle together to keep warm