I Think My Male Is Bullying My Other Male

[Izzy434]

It only happens when I'm not in the room. I here the less dominant squeak and when I go check he lays in the corner of the cage not in his hide. Should I move their hides across the cage from each other? Is he being bullied? How do I stop it?

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Is there any bites on your boy? Is he being pushed away from the food or water? The squeak you hear could just be the dominant one reasserting his authority or just a minor squabble breaking out. How old are they? Because at around 6 months they may fight due to their hormones etc. If you're worried I suppose you could put the houses further away from each other.

 

[Wiebke]

It only happens when I'm not in the room. I here the less dominant squeak and when I go check he lays in the corner of the cage not in his hide. Should I move their hides across the cage from each other? Is he being bullied? How do I stop it?

Please make sure that they each have their own area across the cage, so the top boar is physically unable to control it all at once. Do the same with a water bottle at each end and by feeding pellets and veg in small portions that can be eaten in one go 2-3 times a day at each end and remove the bowls in between.
Around 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, so your boys are not going hungry in between, but also make sure that access to it cannot be blocked or have two places where you have hay, if necessary on two levels.

I prefer to have only hideys with two exits with my boars; so the underpiggy cannot be "locked in" and cannot be cornered in any hidey or corner. This cuts down on the preventable flash points for problems.

Chucking underpiggies out of hideys is normal dominance behaviour by both genders. Submission squeaking is also not something to worry about.

Bullying starts where dominance behaviour is so relentless that the underpiggy loses weight and is unable to sleep in peace. I don't think that you are at that point.

 

[flowerfairy]

Jingle is the boss of her sister Mistletoe and often takes over any hiding place where M. is resting. M. then squeals very loudly to let J. know that she is submitting to her! They have two hay areas and I always leave at least four pieces of veg. for them to get to.

They have a water bowl and a water bottle.