Boars -biting!

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Hi,

We have 2 boars (brothers). I have read the sticky about boar behaviour but just wondered if anyone could offer any advice.

The piggies have a large hutch and attached run in the garage (for rainy days), another large hutch and attached run on the lawn for nice days so they can graze and an indoor cage for when it is too cold (or very windy because it terrifies them!)

I'm guessing they are now adolescents because they are between 3 and 4 months old - is this right? When they are outside they are fine (as far as I can tell) but as soon as I bring them inside to the cage (it has been freezing up here at nights) they start bickering. No all out fighting though just noisy and unhappy with each other. Last night when I brought them in Custard (who is normally the most friendly of the two and will always come to me) bit me twice and it really hurt. I have to handle them to move them outside/ inside and when cleaning them out. Is this aggression likely to have been a one off/ will he grow out of it?

Also do you think it is stressful for them to be brought in at night (they are in the spare bedroom so it is a quiet area) and would they be better just kept in the garage overnight?

Thanks

Lorna
 
Guinea pigs take a long time to get used to their surroundings so I am guessing they are nervous when you bring them in as they are not used to it. Why not leave the indoors all winter so they are warm and also so they get used to it? It is so lovely having piggies indoors as you can spend more time with them and they get to know you better. You will not have to worry about them being cold either.
 
Thanks for the reply but they are so happy playing on the grass. As soon as they go out they start popcorn-ing and they love eating all the grass so I'd feel mean making them stay inside all winter. They also like it in the garage (during the day we leave the garage door open so they get fresh air and lots of light) and they can have a good run around even when it's raining!

Also the indoor cage isn't as big - it's a cage for 2 guinea pigs and was ok'd by the RSPCA but the outdoor one and the garage one are huge and they love to run around.

I don't really mind much but they really stink. Even though I clean the indoor cage every morning (they are only in the cage at night) the whole spare room stinks! If they were inside all the time I would have to clean them out at least 3 times a day! I have never known creatures that wee and poo so much rolleyes
 
Are you cleaning their grease gland? Boars need this to stop them from smelling as they cannot clean it themselves.
 
Erm....no! What and how - advice needed please!

Sorry I get really frustrated at the lack of info we got when purchasing the gps (From the RSPCA!). Before they arrived we got 3 books and none of them said anything useful or helpful and the RSPCA weren't much help either. We also spoke to a lady at a pet shop who has gps and she gave us some good advice but I still think there is a lot we don't know and it is really hard finding the information.

Thanks for your help x
 
Oh dear. That is so bad of them not to give you advice. I found a video on you tube which shows how you do it but the music in the background is so annoying!
 
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=47314

If you look at this thread on this forum it tells you about cleaning the grease gland. Have not tried it on my boars yet but this is what I will be following!
HTH :)

Also which bedding are you using? Some are possibly better as absorbing smells than others - although I think boar scent gets pretty much everywhererolleyes
 
This thread has just inspired me to have a go at cleaning the grease gland on one of my big boars and it went OK. Used Ecover washing liquid and it seemed to work. It had been looking a bit messy. Goodluck with cleaning your boars and hope they get on better too soon.:)
 
The step by step guide is great - thanks!

The only problem I have is that the guinea pigs aren't very happy about being handled. They used to be fine but when Ginger broke his leg (there are posts about it on here somewhere) we left them alone (apart from cleaning) so that he could re-cuperate. Since then they are both a bit more skittish and now they are teenagers they are v grumpy... well Ginger (the one that had the broken leg is now more friendly than Custard who used to be the braver one).

Yesterday when handling Custard he bit me twice so I am now a bit nervous of bathing them for the first time. I'd prefer to wait until they are more settled and more used to being cuddled and held.

Does anyone have any advice on how to bath shy/ skittish piggies?
 
I think you just have to go for it. They really need their grease gland cleaned. You do not want them to get fly strike.
 
I don't entirely know what I am talking about as I am learning too :) but having just cleaned Sampson's grease gland I would say your key item is a towel - or 2. You do not need to bathe the whole piggy - in fact, I wouldn't if they are skittish at the mo. Wrap piggy into a towel sausage with bottom sticking out and then follow the guide about grease gland cleaning using washing up liquid or one of the other listed cleaners. Then use second towel to dry bottom!:) DOes that make sense at all? Hope it goes OK.

PS on boar grumpy issue again, I find that a big pile of new hay is quite a good distraction if boys are being grumpy
 
Yep think I will just bite the dust and go for it over the weekend (when hubby is here to help!)

And yep food seems to work as a distraction! I am just a bit nervous of them since Custard bit me and I think they can smell my fear! Ginger bit me before but that was when his little leg was all bandaged up and he was probably in pain so it didn't worry me but when Custard bit me there was no reason (that I know of) for it and he did it twice and much harder than when Ginger bit me.

I have to go and clean the hutch and run in the garage and put some nice fresh bedding and food in there. I'm going to put them in there overnight because they seem unhappy coming inside. I think it is because they are spoilt and have lots of room outside to play but the indoor cage is smaller. In the garage they have a big run and a 2 storey hutch to sleep in so they shouldn't argue as much.

They have been playing happily on the grass together today but must have gone into the hutch for a snooze now.
 
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