Boar bonding - Morris and MG

Cocochanel4

Cocochanel4

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Hi everyone,
My 1 year old boar Morris sadly lost his friend Austin in January. He had a speed date at a local rescue last week and bonded easily with the first boar he was placed with. We’ve named the little guy MG (7 months) and he’s such a sweetheart.
Unfortunately since getting home Morris has been strutting his stuff constantly and bullying MG all the time. This isn’t nice for either of them. After an initial skirmish, we haven’t had any full blown fights and no blood has been drawn. Neither pig seems very happy though because they are locked in this behaviour all the time. MG is screeching in submission.
My question is do I trial a separation or do they need more time? I know they are a difficult age for bonding but is there a chance it will all settle?
 
Cocochanel4 said:
Hi everyone,
My 1 year old boar Morris sadly lost his friend Austin in January. He had a speed date at a local rescue last week and bonded easily with the first boar he was placed with. We’ve named the little guy MG (7 months) and he’s such a sweetheart.
Unfortunately since getting home Morris has been strutting his stuff constantly and bullying MG all the time. This isn’t nice for either of them. After an initial skirmish, we haven’t had any full blown fights and no blood has been drawn. Neither pig seems very happy though because they are locked in this behaviour all the time. MG is screeching in submission.
My question is do I trial a separation or do they need more time? I know they are a difficult age for bonding but is there a chance it will all settle?
Click to expand...

Hi! MG is a boy right in the thick of the teenage hormones. You can do a short overnight separation with a divider. If Morris is perking up noticeably as soon as he is on his own, then the bond is not working and I would contact the rescue again. Be aware that you are still in the dominance phase and that submission screaming is normal for this stage.

Please reintroduce only on neutral ground. Because there hasn't been a fight, you do have to do a buddy bath.
 
Hi Wiebke, thank you for your help. I tried putting a divider in very briefly and they both tried to get back to each other. If it’s initial dominance, how long would you give it before starting to worry that they just aren’t going to be friends?
 
Cocochanel4 said:
Hi Wiebke, thank you for your help. I tried putting a divider in very briefly and they both tried to get back to each other. If it’s initial dominance, how long would you give it before starting to worry that they just aren’t going to be friends?
Click to expand...

If they want to be together you can take a REALLY deep breath - they are going to sort themselves out without your interference. If Morries wants to be with a full-on teenager then he really wants to be with him and the bond is going to hold firm.

Morris is obviously a bit of a vocal drama king. The dominance phase lasts on average about 2 week post-bonding, but it can take less or more time. The submission screaming tends to get worse towards the end. It is a highly effective 'Don't push me, I am no rival to you!' that is sounding a lot worse than what is actually going on.

My Betsan is currently at that stage and is carrying on even when Beryn is just touching her or coming near her... But we are only two days post-bonding and the actual dominance is very much on the mild side.
 
Wiebke said:
If they want to be together you can take a REALLY deep breath - they are going to sort themselves out without your interference. If Morries wants to be with a full-on teenager then he really wants to be with him and the bond is going to hold firm.

Morris is obviously a bit of a vocal drama king. The dominance phase lasts on average about 2 week post-bonding, but it can take less or more time. The submission screaming tends to get worse towards the end. It is a highly effective 'Don't push me, I am no rival to you!' that is sounding a lot worse than what is actually going on.

My Betsan is currently at that stage and is carrying on even when Beryn is just touching her or coming near her... But we are only two days post-bonding and the actual dominance is very much on the mild side.
Click to expand...
 

Ah now that is good news! We are less than a week in and the submission crying has just started so hopefully it’s all going in the right direction. Thanks for the advice, I’ll be keeping a close eye on them. Good luck to yours too - great names :)
 
Wiebke said:
If they want to be together you can take a REALLY deep breath - they are going to sort themselves out without your interference. If Morries wants to be with a full-on teenager then he really wants to be with him and the bond is going to hold firm.

Morris is obviously a bit of a vocal drama king. The dominance phase lasts on average about 2 week post-bonding, but it can take less or more time. The submission screaming tends to get worse towards the end. It is a highly effective 'Don't push me, I am no rival to you!' that is sounding a lot worse than what is actually going on.

My Betsan is currently at that stage and is carrying on even when Beryn is just touching her or coming near her... But we are only two days post-bonding and the actual dominance is very much on the mild side.
Click to expand...

So question/opinion...our two boars are on day 5 of the Dominance Phase. The dominant one (Fabio) still likes to bum-sniff and chase Georgie around. Its definitely not as much as Day 1 which is good. Sometimes the 'chase' is a trot, other times a full out sprint. Is that normal?

They will also occasionally nip at each other, no full-blown fights, but Georgie and Fabio each had some small scratches from Day 1 (but nothing new since then) Again, is this ok?

They are living next (divided barrier) to a bonded pair of boars where they can see and talk to. Will this have a negative effect on the dominance phase/bonding process?

Lastly, suppose we make it to the end of the dominance phase, will the submissive pig always squeal/scream near the end? Is that something to look out for?
 
a213jf said:
So question/opinion...our two boars are on day 5 of the Dominance Phase. The dominant one (Fabio) still likes to bum-sniff and chase Georgie around. Its definitely not as much as Day 1 which is good. Sometimes the 'chase' is a trot, other times a full out sprint. Is that normal?

They will also occasionally nip at each other, no full-blown fights, but Georgie and Fabio each had some small scratches from Day 1 (but nothing new since then) Again, is this ok?

They are living next (divided barrier) to a bonded pair of boars where they can see and talk to. Will this have a negative effect on the dominance phase/bonding process?

Lastly, suppose we make it to the end of the dominance phase, will the submissive pig always squeal/scream near the end? Is that something to look out for?
Click to expand...

This is OK and seems to be heading in the right direction. As mentioned in the bonding guides, the submission screaming becomes stronger towards the end of the dominance phase. It is simply a matter of saying 'Stop your dominance; I am not contesting it'. The dominance behaviour you are reporting is very much in the normal and mild range for this stage.
 
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