3 Year Old Bonded Boars Falling Out

[shiro]

I have two boars, Eric and Ernie who are almost 3 years old, they have lived all their life together until recently.
We moved house, I kept the pen exactly the same in the new house so they would feel at home, and they seemed to settle in really quickly. Before they were free roaming pigs and they soon started free roaming at the new house.
The new house has a garden so I put them out to graze in a pen together, everything was fine for a couple of weeks then one day I saw them really having a full on fight, one piggy had been rolled right over, I rushed to separate them.
I kept them separate and gave them a bonding bath, after that they were fine again all day but in the evening they had another proper fight and ever since I have separated them.

Ernie was always the under pig before and I think he may have realised he can stand up for himself as he makes a big show of rumble strutting around Eric's pen when he's allowed out for free run time.
Eric is more laid back and doesn't tend to deliberately aggravate him but will stand up for himself if threatened and is unlikely to back down in a fight due to having been top pig all their lives.



Having read up about boars and bonding since before I got them, I'm surprised that they have fallen out now when they are past adolescence.
I'm wondering if there was something I should have done more carefully when we moved or introducing them to the outdoor pen. :/
I'm sad because now they are having to spend time shut in pens when before they were able to roam the house at will.

Is there any small chance they will re-bond or do you think this is irreconcilable differences?

 

[Wiebke]

What an upsetting experience for you!

It is much rarer for adult adult boars to fall out, but it happens. Changes of territory will require a new hierarchy sort-out (and that does include the same set-up in new surroundings). There is also the fact that adult boars can occasionally suffer from short term hormonal spikes, which can trigger a face off and fight.

Whether your boys will go back together again depends fully on them; no trick in the book can ultimately cover up any major disagreements. Please follow the instructions in our re-bonding thread after they had at least a day to cool off their roused tempers. If their haven't been any bites, you are still in with a certain chance.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/

 

[shiro]

Thanks for your advice Wiebke, They did seem to have settled in to the new house, but I think in hindsight I should have given them more time to sort out hierarchy before introducing them to the garden as well.
They seem to have calmed down a bit now so I will try re-bonding them.
There were bites, so I think it'll be unlikely unless Eric is happy to be an under-pig now. But it seems like they might at least live side by side without causing each other stress.

 

[shiro]

Just came on here to post and while I'm not watching Eric has escaped his pen and scragged Ernie! "

So you can tell from that they decided not to be friends again. Ernie sprang a surprise ninja attack on Eric when he wasn't looking when I tried to reintroduce them. They are fine sharing a plate of food but once the food is gone they are back to fighting.

The good news is that they seem happy to have side by side pens without causing each other stress, so I'm going to build them some more permanent side by side housing and they will get separate outdoor pens and individual free range time indoors.