Reintroducing Boars After Illness

[LaubM]

I have 2 boars called Jeremy I and Jeremy II (approx 18 months old although as they're rescues we don't know for sure) who were bonded when I adopted them 8 months ago. They've always been very close with Jeremy I being the dominant pig throughout that time. Jeremy I has been quite ill recently and lost a lot of weight. I noticed during this time that Jeremy II seemed to take advantage of Jeremy Is weakness, started rumbling at him and asserting his dominance which I had never seen before from Jeremy II. Jeremy I has been to the vets and has put a lot of the weight back on and is back to his normal chirpy self. The vet did not know exactly what was wrong with him but prescribed antibiotics which seem to have solved the problem.
Now that Jeremy I has his strength back I have been trying to reintroduce them to each other. They were separated for 3 days so Jeremy I had the chance to recover. They've been back together for about 3 days and are in a good sized run inside. Mostly they sit in their separate houses and ignore each other (whereas before they always snuggled up together in 1 house) but if they're out and about and come across each other there is a lot of rumbling and they get quite aggressive, facing each other head on and snapping at each other. They have not drawn blood and tolerate each other enough to eat together from the same bowl (although there are 2 available). I think the main problem is that they're trying to figure out who is dominant as it was originally Jeremy I until he got poorly and then Jeremy II took the upper hand.
I'm just wanting some reassurance as to whether I'm reintroducing them correctly and if not how I should go about it differently? Would you recommend a buddy bath in this situation? Or should I just leave them to it and carry on observing?
They have a smaller cage which they normally use overnight but I haven't wanted to put them in it yet as I'm worried the fighting will get worse if they're in a smaller space.

 

[DM030819]

@LaubM It's normal for them to be introduced in a neutral area so neither feels territorial but now that you have them in their cage then I'd leave them to it and observe. It sounds like it's going okay.

I know many people recommend buddy bath's but I personally don't bother with them. I find that it stresses the pigs out unnecessarily and it just masks their scent, which means in a few days when they're back to normal then the fights might start.

 

[Wiebke]

I have 2 boars called Jeremy I and Jeremy II (approx 18 months old although as they're rescues we don't know for sure) who were bonded when I adopted them 8 months ago. They've always been very close with Jeremy I being the dominant pig throughout that time. Jeremy I has been quite ill recently and lost a lot of weight. I noticed during this time that Jeremy II seemed to take advantage of Jeremy Is weakness, started rumbling at him and asserting his dominance which I had never seen before from Jeremy II. Jeremy I has been to the vets and has put a lot of the weight back on and is back to his normal chirpy self. The vet did not know exactly what was wrong with him but prescribed antibiotics which seem to have solved the problem.
Now that Jeremy I has his strength back I have been trying to reintroduce them to each other. They were separated for 3 days so Jeremy I had the chance to recover. They've been back together for about 3 days and are in a good sized run inside. Mostly they sit in their separate houses and ignore each other (whereas before they always snuggled up together in 1 house) but if they're out and about and come across each other there is a lot of rumbling and they get quite aggressive, facing each other head on and snapping at each other. They have not drawn blood and tolerate each other enough to eat together from the same bowl (although there are 2 available). I think the main problem is that they're trying to figure out who is dominant as it was originally Jeremy I until he got poorly and then Jeremy II took the upper hand.
I'm just wanting some reassurance as to whether I'm reintroducing them correctly and if not how I should go about it differently? Would you recommend a buddy bath in this situation? Or should I just leave them to it and carry on observing?
They have a smaller cage which they normally use overnight but I haven't wanted to put them in it yet as I'm worried the fighting will get worse if they're in a smaller space.

If you could find a solution where the two boys have got each their own territory but can still interact, that would be the best way forward. A medical separation can unfortunately be the end of the road when the previously submissive boar is not willing to go back to status quo again. They are still bonded and need constant interaction, but are obviously not willing to share. What your boars exhibit is typical natural behaviour - get out of each other's way. You are right in worrying about placing them back together in a small space. That could lead to a full-on hostile confrontation/fight. So far, your boys are very careful to keep any meetings to what I call 'boar hakas', dominance measuring up at the boundary of the territory, and to not cross the line.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
(Discusses your various options in detail with all pros and cons)

 

[LaubM]

Thanks for the advice! I'll leave them be for the time being and hope for the best. It'd be such a shame to have to separate them so fingers crossed they'll start getting on better soon.