Young male rumblestrutting

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littlepiggy16

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Hi there

We purchased two boars a week ago. One is two years old and the other a few months old. They are both beautifully healthy and have been together since the little one was separated from his mother without any issue (so I am told).

I have noticed that the younger boar keeps vibrating, making a low pitched noise and swaying his bottom from side to side. I understand this is rumblestrutting and is a dominance behaviour. Sometimes he will simply sit in the corner of the cage and do this, and other times he will do it in front of the older boar. Most of the time the older boar ignores him, but sometimes he will chase him.

I have googled this and can see lots of instances of the dominant piggy doing this, but not the 'subservient' piggy as it were. I must confess it is worrying me a little. There hasn't been any fighting or teeth chattering/yawning etc. else I would have separated them.

Can anyone tell me whether this is normal behaviour or a cause for concern? In all honesty I had wanted to get two sows as appreciate there can be issues with boars bonding but my little one was adamant that he wanted two boys. That is why I went for the 'age gap relationship' pair as I researched and everything indicated this was less likely to cause bonding issues. To be frank, if their bond breaks then we will have to rehome one of them as we do not have the space to cage them separately. At the moment they are in a smaller cage (4ft x 2ft) but that is only a temporary measure, as I have a 6ft x 2.5ft cage being delivered tomorrow. Could space be the issue? Might they settle down when they are moved?

Any experiences or tips much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to the forum. The younger boar sounds like he's hit puberty and is feeling his "boarliness". There is a really good advice thread on boar behaviour which I'm sure someone will kindly link for you soon.
I have a pair of boars, Dignified Sir George and his boisterous companion Mischievous Master Boris. Master Boris is about 3 months younger and on the cusp of adulthood. He still has days when he is a bit of a brat and Sir George, who's a very laid back dominant, has to put him in his place.
Otherwise a pair of boars are a lovely addition to a household as they often mellow with age as the testosterone output decreases. Many forum members agree that their boars can be affectionate and soppy. Personally mine are proper cuddly boys.IMG-20240427-WA0000 (1).webp
 
I don't have much experience, but the only advice I can suggest is, if they do fight, don't touch them while they are at it, rather put a big piece of cardboard or similar between them, a dustpan etc or drop a towel over one. Guinea pigs don't usually bite, but they might bite a person purely by accident if they are in a fight. I don't know if they will fight though, they might never actually come to blows. Good luck, I hope they get on and bond!
 
Thank you - that's really reassuring to know! Hopefully my little one will settle down! I'm hoping the extra space and myriad of hideyhouses will help!
 
littlepiggy16 said:
Hi there

We purchased two boars a week ago. One is two years old and the other a few months old. They are both beautifully healthy and have been together since the little one was separated from his mother without any issue (so I am told).

I have noticed that the younger boar keeps vibrating, making a low pitched noise and swaying his bottom from side to side. I understand this is rumblestrutting and is a dominance behaviour. Sometimes he will simply sit in the corner of the cage and do this, and other times he will do it in front of the older boar. Most of the time the older boar ignores him, but sometimes he will chase him.

I have googled this and can see lots of instances of the dominant piggy doing this, but not the 'subservient' piggy as it were. I must confess it is worrying me a little. There hasn't been any fighting or teeth chattering/yawning etc. else I would have separated them.

Can anyone tell me whether this is normal behaviour or a cause for concern? In all honesty I had wanted to get two sows as appreciate there can be issues with boars bonding but my little one was adamant that he wanted two boys. That is why I went for the 'age gap relationship' pair as I researched and everything indicated this was less likely to cause bonding issues. To be frank, if their bond breaks then we will have to rehome one of them as we do not have the space to cage them separately. At the moment they are in a smaller cage (4ft x 2ft) but that is only a temporary measure, as I have a 6ft x 2.5ft cage being delivered tomorrow. Could space be the issue? Might they settle down when they are moved?

Any experiences or tips much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Hi

Your little boar is quite simply a boy who is experiencing the first stirring of the teenage hormones.

Rumblestrutting has actually quite a lot of different meanings in different circumstances. It can range from being an expression of what I call 'boarliness' - being a boar who is quite simply happy with life and with who he is to wooing the ladies, measuring up with another boar or learning how to be a boar. If your older boy is getting annoyed with being practised on nonstop, he will chase him off.

Rumblestrutting is the mildest of all possible dominance behaviours and it is part and parcel of daily boar life.
You may find this link here helpful as it contains a much more differentiated look at the various most common behaviours: A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
 
I'd also like to add I lived with a pair of boars who spent about 85% of their time rumbling at each other, and they were loud, lol. But they both viewed it as a game before trying to hump each other, falling off, and chasing each other around the cage before starting again. It was just how they were, it wasn't a dominance display between them.

My current pair prefer to converse by screaming at each other 🤷‍♂️

They'll find their rhythm, they're still in newish surroundings and settling down. Boars get a bad reputation that's undeserved, especially where bonds are concerned, but you're no more guaranteed a perfect bond or easy time with a new bond when you're dealing with sows. Sounds like you're on the right track though.
 
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