Please, Please Reassure Us

[TheCavySlave]

SO.
The boys are currently in a divided playpen because the C&C fleece is about to be washed. Anyways I'm worried-
They were together for five seconds (this wasn't intended) and fought, no damage seems to have been done.
They have much less space and I feel guilty, though they'll be back to normal tomorrow or so
They're rumbling and chattering through the bars- are they unhappy to live so close?
Neither seem happy in the C&C- one stays in the C&C and the other in the playpen, what if the C&C is too small? It's 2x4 for one pig and the playpen is a bit bigger I think.
I'm so stressed, what if we're bad owners?!

 

[lauraboara]

Stop fretting, they will be fine. I have two boys who won't go together after one had an op and they live in a play pen with a divider. They still interact through the bars. Rumbling and mild chattering is fine. I have 8 boys and I worry if I can't hear rumbling from one of them at any given time!

 

[Swissgreys]

You are doing a great job with your boys.
2x4 is perfectly big enough for one piggy - in fact it is over the minimum recommended guideline size for 2!

I share your worry though - they are such complex little creatures, and I sometimes wish I could just tell them to stop trying to kill each other and live in harmony with lots and lots of lovely space.
I did try, but Ruby is still refusing to take my advice on that one.

I had to split my 4 (1 boar, 3 sows) into 2 pairs back in January.
This also meant splitting the C&C so each pair had less space.
Over a period of 6 weeks I tried several re-introductions, before finally accepting that they can no longer all live together.
It breaks my heart, as Lucy adores Eddi, and they often try to sit by the divider with their noses together.
Unfortunately for Lucy (sweet, easy going Lucy) she is the only pig that Ruby has ever fully accepted, so she gets to live with Ruby (who she also adores, but I still think she misses the rather divine Eddi).

Because of this I made sure that they had a 2 grid section of shared wall in the cage so they could interact.
I see people on here who do that all the time, and I think it is a wonderful idea.
For us it was a disaster, and even 3 months later they can not have an uncovered grid between the cages, otherwise Ruby becomes extremely aggressive - chattering and rumbling at the open grid, which terrifies both Eddi and Oreo.
Ruby will then also sometimes turn on Lucy, and I can't risk that bond failing, otherwise Ruby will be on her own.
Now the shared wall is permanently covered oven with cardboard, but on the odd occasion someone has chewed at it and pulled it down, all hell has broken loose.
I don't say this to paint a bleak picture - maybe your boys just need a cooling off period and will then settle down and be happy to interact through a grid - but I also wanted to let you know that sometimes (well once anyway) it hasn't worked.