Boars fighting...

[AliceS]

Hi - I posted the other day about our new boar guinea pigs. Well, we watched them for a few days and their behaviour became increasingly aggressive, and one got a cut cheek. So now they are separated: they had a big outdoor run so I've split this in half with chicken wire, and we have a 2-storey hutch so one has the top storey and the other on the bottom. Things are much calmer, the chased piggy (Michael) seems much more relaxed, and we're going to see the vet on Monday and have a good assessment and chat. My kids have reported seeing them touching noses through the wire.

But... the piggy that was being more aggressive (The Incredible Bulk, or Bulky for short (named by my son)) is now scratching at the wire, and I don't know how to interpret this. At the time we were trying to catch him to put him in the hutch for the night. Perhaps he was just trying to avoid being caught, as on the other side of the wire there is a tunnel that he perhaps wanted to hide in. Is it possible that he is distressed at the separation? He is the friendlier, bolder piggy - he comes to sniff my fingers, he eats from my hand, and he trundles around the run under my legs etc (though still won't let me pick him up if he can avoid it). I have read some of the threads on this forum, and it seems that it may not be possible to reunite these boys in one space.

There are definitely times I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew here, and am not yet ruling out re-homing, but want to give it my best shot. thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Any behaviour like this at the bars of a divide is not a friendly one.
The aggressor is never distressed at the separation and it is never his reaction you watch, it’s always the other piggy.
It usually means he is marking his territory and wanting to fight again. Please dont consider this to mean they can go back together.
As Michael is happier then the answer is clear - he does not want to be with him and they will unfortunately always need to remain separated.

What I do need to point out is that unfortunately a two storey hutch won’t work for separated piggies. One being up and one being down means they lose all ability to interact and can then suffer from loneliness. Separated piggies must be side by side 24/7 for constant through the bar interaction. Hutches therefore don’t lend themselves to this.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Guinea Pig Behaviours in their Context

 

[AliceS]

I'll see if I can get a joiner to reconfigure the hutch so that it's split in the middle with two ramps, so that they can see each other. Do you think they should be able to see each other at both levels, or just one level (leaving the top as a private space?

 

[AliceS]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Any behaviour like this at the bars of a divide is not a friendly one.
The aggressor is never distressed at the separation and it is never his reaction you watch, it’s always the other piggy.
It usually means he is marking his territory and wanting to fight again. Please dont consider this to mean they can go back together.
As Michael is happier then the answer is clear - he does not want to be with him and they will unfortunately always need to remain separated.

What I do need to point out is that unfortunately a two storey hutch won’t work for separated piggies. One being up and one being down means they lose all ability to interact and can then suffer from loneliness. Separated piggies must be side by side 24/7 for constant through the bar interaction. Hutches therefore don’t lend themselves to this.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Guinea Pig Behaviours in their Context

I'll see if I can get a joiner to reconfigure the hutch so that it's split in the middle with two ramps, so that they can see each other. Do you think they should be able to see each other at both levels, or just one level (leaving the top as a private space?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The hutch has to meet size requirements on a single level and any area connected by a ramp does not count towards that size (it’s because piggies prefer their living space to be flat and single level).

If I recall, you had a pawhut hutch which wasn’t big enough for the two. You then said you had found a 5 foot hutch. If the 5ft hutch is now what you have, then sadly it will not work for separated piggies at all as it cannot be split in half as you plan. It would make each half fall well below even minimum welfare size.
Each piggy needs their own cage measuring a minimum of 4ft by 2ft (120x60cm) (5ft x 2ft each side by side is better).

If they need to live in hutches due to being outside etc then things can get tricky. Hutches don’t lend themselves to side by side separated living without an overhaul. You would have to have two hutches (each of a minimum of 4 foot), remove the solid sides of both hutches and replace them with wire mesh, put the two hutches together and join them so the piggies can see each other at all times.
Or
Have a whole new hutch purpose built which measures 8-10 feet long and then split in half.

Putting two separate hutches in an L shape for example, doesn’t allow them the ability to interact between the bars as they are too far away from each other.

If your piggies happen to be indoors in an hutch then there may be things that can be done by using just the bottom level of the hutch, splitting it in half and then adding c&c grids to the front to increase their space outwards.

Cage Size Guide