Advice about my boars and behaviours.

Lisa7845

Lisa7845

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 27, 2022
Messages
4
Reaction score
9
Points
140
Location
Birmingham, UK
Hello everyone!

To start, I have an anxiety disorder so looking for friendly advice about my two boars, Basil who is around 19 months old and Pickle who is 11 months old. I am aware these can be tough times for boars, and I’m seeing frequent daily displays of dominance behaviour. With my anxeity, I am aware I could be projecting my own human worries onto what could be normal for them as piggies, so wanted to ask for friendly advice from the community. Basically I want to make sure I am doing the right thing by keeping them together, I know how lonely single pigs get but I see a variety of advice on this subject.

I have used boureki's guide for dominance behaviours and so far, what I do see is on the normal dominance spectrum and occassionally irritated. These are the ones I have seen:
  • There is often low rumbling from Basil, he loves a hip sway! With squeaking back from Pickle, which then resolves.
  • Sometimes they do a nose off, where they move their weight more onto their back legs, and both of them do like a quick poke/lunge at one another (no flying though!) with their noses, but there is never any baring of teeth. Sometimes it's Pickle inititating this, which I guess as a teenage boar full of hormones he could be challenging the heirachy. Sometimes with this and the rumblestrutting, Basil starts doing lots of popcorning!
  • They do sometimes sniff one anothers butts, aware of the glands! I wouldnt say they particuarly chase one another though.
  • Probably less than 5 times during these 11 months have I ever heard Basil teeth chatter. Even then, it's nothing like that of my two previous girls who then had a big fight during bonding.
  • Basil licking/gently nibbling Pickles ear, which Pickle does not mind. I think this might be a way of Basil indicating his acceptance?
There has not been:
  • Any evidence of biting, injuries to the ears or nose or bottom. Basil previously was in a pair where he was bitten, I immediately seperated.
  • No fur being pulled.
  • No 'tornado' fighting.
  • Agressive teeth chattering from both looking like they will enter a fight.
  • Loud teeth clacking.
In terms of accomodation, more than one hide space per pig, 2x6 CandC with fleece, two each of all feeding apparatus.

Pickle’s a shier pig than Basil, he runs away with sudden movementsbut he’s starting to feed from my hands. He’s always been a shy boy. Pickle has a fab appetite, good weight and squeaks for veggies. There is no evidence of Basil stopping Pickle from eating and often share from one hay rack and eat close together. They have multiple hiding areas and tunnels, but they do not share them.

For example, just as I write this, Pickle has just started sniffing Basil’s bottom whilst he was eating hay. Basil immediately turns around, starts gently rumbling at Pickle and does the nose nudging thing where they touch and back off, then it’s resolved. Basil then started popcorning and Pickle starting to eat his hay again!

Thanks in advance, this is a fantastic community and look forward to any advice. Lisa :)
 
Hi, i‘m not an expert but did used to have a boar pair who successfully made it through ‘the teenage years’ together, both have now sadly crossed the rainbow bridge. It sounds like typical teenage boar behaviour to me, and that Basil and Pickle are doing well together. You’re also doing everything right with a good cage size and two of everything. The fact they’re popcorning also suggests they’re happy 😊 My two boys never really stopped rumblestrutting at each other until they were about 5/6 when the hormones had calmed down.
Here are some guides you might like to have a read of:

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
I have a youngish boar pair and see all the same behaviour. Dignified Sir George loves to rumblestrut followed by a popcorn, this is what one of the forum experts @Wiebke calls feeling their boarliness. Mine have the occasional squabble but I see loads of clues that they are are good match.
 
Hi and welcome

It sounds like a harmonious, normal, happy boar pair to me? Dominance is about as minor as it gets.
 
Oh that's good! Thanks so much everyone. I think I look at the daily boar behaviours and think oh gosh what if their not happy? But I'm also aware I'm not a guinea pig, and what I presume to be negative behaviour in reality could just be par for the course of having boys. Having read other forum posts, generally there's no separation unless tornado fighting or major bites, of which there has been none. I'll continue to keep an eye on them.

The nose offs are my biggest concern as it looks quite scary but then, they go off and do something else fairly quick! I think they probably aren't the absolute best of friends, I've had some guinea pigs who constantly share space, then others which are more wanting of their own space. Basil and Pickle fall into the latter I think 😊
 
Managed to do it!

So here is a photo of my set up, I will be getting rid of the single exit tunnel shortly and have just ordered a new double exit hide from etsy, along with some new fleeces.

The Abyssinian guinea is Basil! and the smooth guinea is Pickle :)
 

Attachments

  • setup.webp
    setup.webp
    40.6 KB · Views: 4
  • basil.webp
    basil.webp
    53.4 KB · Views: 4
  • pickle.webp
    pickle.webp
    46.6 KB · Views: 3
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top