5 Months Old Male Boars

[erepiggies]

Hi everyone!
I have two 'rescue' boars which were bought from Pets At Home (yes I know, bad choice) about a week ago. They were in the rescue and adoption section because they were too aggressive to be houses with the younger piggies especially in the small enclosures they seem to have at the shop. We originally got them because they seemed to be very comfortable in each others' presence and, having been at the shop for around two hours, saw no fighting. Perfect pigs, right? No.

Since coming back their emotions and reactions to things have been all over the place. I have made sure to do everything I thought they needed me to do/buy/make etc for them but nothing seems to have calmed them down. I've got them a range of foods as well as their muesli mix and the little guineapig kibble-looking things, they've given two scoops of each food plus hay plus veggies, I cleaned them out two days ago, they're in a very quiet room which is well ventilated and kept at a constant temperature, they're handled most days and have boredom breakers, hidey-holes, just everything. I don't believe they have ringworm because they haven't shown any signs of hairloss, a little barbering at most from the long-haired guinea. They haven't got greasy fur or scabs(I check when I can hold them but they're aggressive towards anything and anyone, and can also be quite timid). I am very gentle when picking them up and have even sought the help of a professional guinea owner(breeds hers for shows but everyone comments on how relaxed they seem to be despite the stressful-ish atmosphere of new environments such as shows).

I'm truly at a loss. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on with them? Are they just in their teenaged phase and just too energetic therefore meaning I should let them out of the cage more or is there something else I should be worrying about? The odd behaviour is on and off and has been calming down since the other week but met a peak a few days ago, though they seem to be better again.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be great to be able to consider something and hopefully put something in place to help them calm down a little and feel a bit less at odds with each other! Sorry for the long post too :x

 

[AuntyC]

New surroundings are stressful for piggies, so they are still in the settling-in phase. Boars in particular need more room than you think! I would suggest at least a 140cms long cage, plus access to a safe enclosed run so that they have room to exercise. Muesli mix food can contain additives and encourage selective feeding, the plain pelllets such as Pets at Home own brand, or Harringtons, or Burgess willbe better for them.How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs? is a link to useful tips for helping them settle in. Try not to worry, keep calm and eventually they will get used to things. As long as they are not biting each other and drawing blood/ causing wounds they will sort themselves out.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone!
I have two 'rescue' boars which were bought from Pets At Home (yes I know, bad choice) about a week ago. They were in the rescue and adoption section because they were too aggressive to be houses with the younger piggies especially in the small enclosures they seem to have at the shop. We originally got them because they seemed to be very comfortable in each others' presence and, having been at the shop for around two hours, saw no fighting. Perfect pigs, right? No.

Since coming back their emotions and reactions to things have been all over the place. I have made sure to do everything I thought they needed me to do/buy/make etc for them but nothing seems to have calmed them down. I've got them a range of foods as well as their muesli mix and the little guineapig kibble-looking things, they've given two scoops of each food plus hay plus veggies, I cleaned them out two days ago, they're in a very quiet room which is well ventilated and kept at a constant temperature, they're handled most days and have boredom breakers, hidey-holes, just everything. I don't believe they have ringworm because they haven't shown any signs of hairloss, a little barbering at most from the long-haired guinea. They haven't got greasy fur or scabs(I check when I can hold them but they're aggressive towards anything and anyone, and can also be quite timid). I am very gentle when picking them up and have even sought the help of a professional guinea owner(breeds hers for shows but everyone comments on how relaxed they seem to be despite the stressful-ish atmosphere of new environments such as shows).

I'm truly at a loss. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on with them? Are they just in their teenaged phase and just too energetic therefore meaning I should let them out of the cage more or is there something else I should be worrying about? The odd behaviour is on and off and has been calming down since the other week but met a peak a few days ago, though they seem to be better again.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be great to be able to consider something and hopefully put something in place to help them calm down a little and feel a bit less at odds with each other! Sorry for the long post too :x

Hi and welcome!

What you are dealing with is a mix of hormones at the worst stage (there is usually a peak at around 6 months) and a renewal of the dominance in new surroundings - that can trigger a hierarchy sort-out, especially when things are a bit on the dodgy side anyway.

You may find the tips in this link here helpful: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Mairi M]

All I can add is that when I got my adopted boars it triggered dominance behaviours as they settled in, including unpleasant deliberate peeing at each other! They challenged each other a lot with teeth chattering and there were lots of sharp exhalations of air through nostrils. It looked fairly alarming at times as I was new to keeping boars. Two months on and they are settling down in their new surroundings and routine and appear to tolerate (like may be too strong a word) each other a lot better. They were 16 months when I got them and the move definitely stressed them at first.