Teenage Boar Bully

[guinealiqq]

I currently have 3 boars (I know crazy) and they all get along great. They will all sleep near each other and eat together and for the most part seem to like each other. I have one boar that is an adult, one that is a teenager (around 4 or 5 months), and a baby (around 2 months). So for the most part they get along but every once in awhile my teenage boar will become very territorial and bully the other piggies. The older guinea pig mostly keeps to himself (he has always been like that) so he gets left alone for the most part, but my poor baby gets chased after and mounted when my teenager acts out. I'm not really sure what to do about this. The baby guinea pig is pretty new but he has shown signs of submitting many times but my teenager just wont leave him alone! My enclosure for them is pretty large (big enough for a small dog to enjoy) so they have plenty of space and when they do get along it is great and they are so sweet, but I get concerned when my teenager acts like this. Any advice on how to handle this?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The may have got on ok until now but it would have only been because hormones were not quite in play. Now at your teenage boars age, his testicles are now descending and hormones are rising. His behaviour will now continue to escalate and then once your baby gets to around 3-4 months old, his behaviour may also start to escalate. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to keep them together as a trio for much longer. The teenage, hormonal stage lasts until around 14 months of age with spikes during their time. During these spikes, things can get worse.
The choice is obviously yours, but there is not a lot you can do to handle it - you can’t stop their natural behaviour. Separating them into a pair and a single before any fights occur is often the best course of action. The single can be kept alongside the pair so they can still talk.
If you choose to not separate at this stage , then you must have an action plan in place for if the situation gets worse ie spare grids or a separate cage. it would be best to ensure their cage now is big enough. The recommended size for two boars is 180cm x 60cm for for three boars I would aim for around 210cm x 60cm or bigger - lack of space can make the situation worse. Open ended hideys ( no enclosed boxes), multiple food bowls, water bottles etc

 

[Wiebke]

I currently have 3 boars (I know crazy) and they all get along great. They will all sleep near each other and eat together and for the most part seem to like each other. I have one boar that is an adult, one that is a teenager (around 4 or 5 months), and a baby (around 2 months). So for the most part they get along but every once in awhile my teenage boar will become very territorial and bully the other piggies. The older guinea pig mostly keeps to himself (he has always been like that) so he gets left alone for the most part, but my poor baby gets chased after and mounted when my teenager acts out. I'm not really sure what to do about this. The baby guinea pig is pretty new but he has shown signs of submitting many times but my teenager just wont leave him alone! My enclosure for them is pretty large (big enough for a small dog to enjoy) so they have plenty of space and when they do get along it is great and they are so sweet, but I get concerned when my teenager acts like this. Any advice on how to handle this?

Hi!

Please plan on what you do when all your boys are teenagers and act 'like this'. While more baby boar pairs than not make it through the teenage months, the same cannot be said for trios and quartets. With the latter it is the exception and not the rule. You'll need all pretty laid-back boys for that to happen.

My advice would be to be practical and plan ahead when you have to likely separate one of the boys, either because he is making war (not just a taster of the testicles starting to descend like now; it is going to be in a very league) on the other two or because two are ganging up on the third. These are the most likely scenarios and you can at least usually save a stable bond out of the situation. The worst case scenario is three dominant single boars that won't go back with any of the others. Unfortunately, what shops and for sale breeders can't do is personality match boars, which is key to any successful piggy bond of whatever age.
Take the time to read this very detailed guide here. It contains information on how the teenage months run typically, what you can do to remove as many potential flashpoints for fights, figure out whether a bond is still viable or not and what options you have for a stable long term solution if there is a separation. Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Reenie]

Great advice from @Wiebke. I agree you shouldn't separate them until you have to. Sometimes a timeout can calm things down. So far my three have gotten over any squabbles, but definitely have a plan B.

 

[guinealiqq]

Hi!

Please plan on what you do when all your boys are teenagers and act 'like this'. While more baby boar pairs than not make it through the teenage months, the same cannot be said for trios and quartets. With the latter it is the exception and not the rule. You'll need all pretty laid-back boys for that to happen.

My advice would be to be practical and plan ahead when you have to likely separate one of the boys, either because he is making war (not just a taster of the testicles starting to descend like now; it is going to be in a very league) on the other two or because two are ganging up on the third. These are the most likely scenarios and you can at least usually save a stable bond out of the situation. The worst case scenario is three dominant single boars that won't go back with any of the others. Unfortunately, what shops and for sale breeders can't do is personality match boars, which is key to any successful piggy bond of whatever age.
Take the time to read this very detailed guide here. It contains information on how the teenage months run typically, what you can do to remove as many potential flashpoints for fights, figure out whether a bond is still viable or not and what options you have for a stable long term solution if there is a separation. Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

So when you say to separate them, will I ever be able to put them back into the same enclosure for them to all live together?

 

[Piggies&buns]

So when you say to separate them, will I ever be able to put them back into the same enclosure for them to all live together?

If they have a full on fight, then no they will never be able to live together again. A fight is highly likely to occur when you attempt to keep three boys together

 

[Little Piglets]

If you have some C & C grids and zip ties, you can create a wall divider in the cage and separate one of them (he'll need a water bottle and his own food). Use 4-6 zip ties per section attachment point and pull it as tight as possible, then use wire snips to remove excess and clean the cut to avoid snags. While he won't be alone, he'll be at a safe distance and can still rumble at the cage mates w/o fear of attack.

If it were me, I'd avoid the fight scenario proactively if it doesn't stop. If you start seeing a ton of "yawning" between two of them, then circle chasing where they are biting into each other, or one starts turning sideways and the other other instantly reacts, just separate.