I have 2 boys, had one for about 2 years(Approx 2yrs old), and one i recently picked up about 3 months ago(Approx 1yr old). Tried to bond them, seemed okay at first, then they started to get more aggressive, so we stopped. They have been living separated but close for most of their time together, obviously. They seem to CONSTANTLY be trying to interact between the bars of the cage, always touching noses, trying to groom through the bars, and popcorning away as they run to take a nap. Is that normal for an unbonded pair, or is it worth trying later? Additionally, My eldest has abnormal breathing that we are trying to manage constatly(Been to at least 4 vets, and are working to solve) I understand the severity of his issues.. do you think that could be causing added tension between them as he seems to be the more irritable boy?
2 Separate Boars
- Thread starter Bart17
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When they were together and you say it get more aggressive, what was actually happening?
Interactions between bars are not an indication that they want to be together. They may be happy to interact through the bars but that does not mean they are compatible and able to bond and share a space.
If you can give us a bit more information about what happened previously then that may help us further
Interactions between bars are not an indication that they want to be together. They may be happy to interact through the bars but that does not mean they are compatible and able to bond and share a space.
If you can give us a bit more information about what happened previously then that may help us further
The Youngest usually does a lot of rumble strutting but that's most of it. The oldest usually runs away as the the other gets close to him, but also has a lot of loud teeth chattering. They have gotten into a couple fights, never blood or anything just lunging mostly and stuff.. but they usually separate each other when they seem to be irritating to one another. It has been a while since we have tried bonding, so I don't remember everything to the fullest detail unfortunately.
Rumbling and chattering are normal dominance behaviours and on their own are not concerning. If the chattering gets louder then that is a warning sign things may escalate. Lunging is a defensive behaviour (not aggressive) and is a way of one piggy telling the other to leave them alone and give them space. However, as you mentioned it lead to actual fights then that does mean they need to be kept separate.