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Help! Fighting!

PeanutKevinNibbles

New Born Pup
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
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Location
Torquay, Torbay
Hi.
I stupidly added a 3rd boar to my 2.
At first they were fine. Now the original 2 fight, literally roll about grappling and have drawn blood.
I feel like a terrible person and don't know what to do!
I currently have one on his own and 2 together. I have 2 cages with an open space between the 2 cages that is fenced off so they can go in and out as they please, so they have plenty of room. But they find each other, teeth chatter and before I can intervene they have locked together and are fighting.
Can I keep one alone and he can still see the 2 boars or do I rehome one of them?!
Any help would be deeply appreciated.
 
Sorry to hear your boys have fought. Three boars isn’t recommended on the forum but like you said you know now! Yes you can keep a boar alongside a boar pair as long as it can see/hear the other two for interaction so it doesn’t get lonely. Once they’ve drawn blood they will never be able to be back together (as the three) but I’m sure you know that now. How are the two that are currently together behaving? Are they getting on ok?
 
Thank you so much and I do apologise for being a thoughtless owner and bringing this situation on. I honestly didn't think and just assumed all would be well. Thank you for a nice reply and not judgemental.
The 2 that are together get on fine, there is still the usual dominance behaviour, but it appears that the domineering one is established and the other is happy to just chill out and let him shake his butt at him.
I am just in full blown panic! The one that hurt the other gets on fine with the third pig. So he is with him, it makes me sad to think the other is alone.
 
Hi.
I stupidly added a 3rd boar to my 2.
At first they were fine. Now the original 2 fight, literally roll about grappling and have drawn blood.
I feel like a terrible person and don't know what to do!
I currently have one on his own and 2 together. I have 2 cages with an open space between the 2 cages that is fenced off so they can go in and out as they please, so they have plenty of room. But they find each other, teeth chatter and before I can intervene they have locked together and are fighting.
Can I keep one alone and he can still see the 2 boars or do I rehome one of them?!
Any help would be deeply appreciated.

Hi and welcome

Sadly adding a third boy to a bonded pair is mostly a recipe for disaster, especially if teenagers are involved. :(
You can keep the single boar as a next door neighbour with interaction through the bars for ongoing stimulation and socialisation.

Please take the time to read through these guide links here. They tell you more about boars work and your various possible options after a fall-out/failed bonding in detail, each with their own pros and cons to allow you to work out which solution covers your own situation best.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
It’s up to you whether you get the single a friend. For now they can live as neighbours. Hopefully there won’t be too riled up if they can see each other.
 
Well when they see each other through the bars they start chattering teeth at each other.
BUT they both get on with the other piggy.
 
As the others have said, you need to keep the two that get on best together and then put the third in a cage on his own but so that he cannot get to them but can see them through the bars for interaction.

If you wish to get your single a new friend, then that is great but as character compatibility is key you can’t just get another piggy on spec ie from a pet shop and assume it’ll be ok as they may simply not like each other and then you will end up with two singles. The safest way to get your single a new friend is via boar dating at a rescue centre. That way, your piggy chooses his own new friend and you can be assured of compatibility and a working hierarchy.
Do bear in mind that a boar pair needs a cage of 6ft x 2ft to have enough space.
 
If the one on his own still teeth chatters at the bars with cages next to each other should I move them so they are further apart but can still see each other?
Also will moving the cages, like turning then length ways instead of width way upset them?
 
Turning the cages won’t make any difference - as long as they share a side to enable interaction
If they are agitated by being close to each other, then you can put a cover over the cage and then slowly remove it over a period of a few hours to see if they calm down.
Piggies can only see about a foot in front of them so if you move them too far apart they won’t be able to see each other. Do bear in mind that interaction is about much more than sight (which is their weakest sense in any event), smell and sound all play their part in social interactions
 
Oh OK I didn't know that, their cages are currently 2 feet apart.
So I can put side by side (length ways) and if they concentrate on just being angry at each other il hang a towel over the end for a bit to calm them down. Thanks for such a fast reply.
 
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