I Think I Need To Split My Boar Pair -- Can Anyone Offer Reassurance?

Should I separate my two boars?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 100.0%

  • No -- wait a little longer

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No -- this is normal

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    6
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Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith

Teenage Guinea Pig
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The bond between my two 8-month-old boars has always been tenuous... while they wheek for each other when one is out the cage, they've never enjoyed one another's company. I know this is normal, but ever since I got them four months ago, one of my pigs has been bullying the other, chasing him out of tunnels and the hay loft and just generally not allowing him much freedom.

There have been the usual displays of dominance (a bit on the worse side, with chattering and lunging [though no intent to bite from what I could tell]), with the odd scratch or shallow bite, but in the past couple days things have really kicked up a notch. The dominant pig has been loudly chattering at the underboar, incessantly chasing and humping (he gets just enough respite to eat and sleep, neither pigs have lost weight, though they haven't put any on for the past couple of months either). There have been a few short balls-of-fur type fights, and the underboar has quite a few wounds on his face -- at least 2 shallow bites (very small, maybe 3-5mm in length), one bright red patch from hair-pulling, one still-healing deepish nose bite, and just this morning, a long but neat and apparently shallow bite on his upper lip.

All of yesterday they were either eating, sleeping, or scrapping. Underboar was pushed onto his back by dominant boar rearing up at him. Trying to clean then out last night, I put them in a carrier which they have had no issues with before, and within 5 minutes the dominant boar was chattering and there was a big ball of fur -- they actually managed to knock the door open with the force of their fighting. I instantly put them back in their cage, and fiancé said they were fine for a couple hours. However, this morning there has been two small scuffles already. I think it's time to separate, but I'd like a second opinion. They have a 3x4 C&C currently, so they'd each have 2x3 side-by-side 'til I could work out something a little bigger.

Can anyone tell me about what happened after they split a boar pair? Were they happy to live side-by-side alone or did you get them new friends (either boars or neutered and then sows)? Does anyone have pictures of a split cage they'd be willing to share?

EDIT: It's maybe worth noting they do have their moments of calm -- sometimes they like to sleep about an inch apart, and right now they're happily munching hay in the litter tray together.
 
If they are fighting, I'd say it's best to split them before one hurts the other, same thing happened here, I adopted to apparently bonded himi's last year... they has a nasty fight and drew blood on each other so they were split, sadly one had to be put to sleep a few weeks ago due to the lack of knowledge in regards to a nasty intestinal parasite he had.
 
Sorry to hear about your chap... I'd been reading up on your himis because I knew you had to split them. Did they get other friends in the end? Every time my boys cross the line, I put off separating them because I know it's permanent, once done there's no going back really. It's really hard to know when to just put my foot down, but I think I need to this time :no:. I'll need help re-structuring the cage as it's all zip-tied and the connectors require superhuman strength to detach from the grids... might have to wait until OH gets home in a few hours (unless there's a big fight obviously).

On another note, I never know what "drew blood" means... none of their bites have ever dripped or sprayed blood, or even left any on the fur (unlike some of the horror stories I've read). Does it simply mean a bite? I believe there was a really good discussion on "when to call it a day" with regards to bites and scratches on Guinea Lynx or GuineaPigCages, but of course I can't find the thread :doh:.
 
I would separate.If they have wounded one another and broken skin I would call it a day.I had two girls that did the ball if fluff fight and had to separate them.They hated each ither
 
I would call it a day too, my 2 go through occasional phases of not getting on but they have never done ball of fur fighting and never broken the skin! Wookie is just very dominant, luckily Scruffy lets him be. They have a nice big playhouse to live in so that they can get away from each other if they like.

Before I had Scruffy (Wookies current buddy) he lived with 2 other young boars, one of whom he bullied non stop, poor Sabian was absolutely covered with scabs around his rear to the point where he looked as though he had a nasty skin condition and one morning I found Wookie with a bite on his nose. All have been much happier since I separated them 10 months ago.
 
My 2 boys fell out and I had to separate them. I split my 2x6 c&c in half. They would chew the bars to get to each other and then lunge/chatter. I have since got them a new Boar friend each and they are at opposite sides of the room from each other. But your 2 may live side by side quite happily, as my 2 just needed to see each other and were lunging at the bars. ;(
 
I've only just managed to split them up, fighting didn't abate and there were a couple of small new wounds. It's heartbreaking, they're chewing the separator to try and get to one another. Some plaintive squeaks too. :( Tell me it gets better.
 
I bought my 2 boys as a pair and they lived happily together for a couple of months, then started fighting. I tried everything to keep them together but in the end they fought so badly I had no choice but to split them up. Their cages are now right next to each other, they can almost touch noses through the bars, and they are much happier. At first they used to chatter angrily up at the bars, but after a while it stopped. I think they're happy to have companionship and they know they have a "buddy" close by, but they are much happier and more relaxed living separately. Good luck!
 
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