Boars: Unrequited Love And Repeated Bloody Nose :(

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Liv

Liv

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Hi All,
I have two 5-months old boars, Bhalu and Puck. They live in a 6x2 C&C cage with a 2x2 loft, and I let them roam around the room they are in everyday. Bhalu, my larger boy, adores Puck, always wants to be near him and gets very anxious when I separate him from Puck, even if it's just for a few seconds. The problem is that Puck doesn't return his affections. Occasionally he lets Bhalu nuzzle his ears, but sometimes, completely unprovoked, he goes up to Bhalu and bares his teeth or suddenly lunges at him. He has bitten Bhalu's nose to the point of drawing blood for the third time now. It breaks my heart because Bhalu is just a big softie and has never shown any aggression towards Puck.
I know that some people advise separating when blood is drawn, but Bhalu would freak out if I were to take Puck away from him, as he is a very social pig. Should I consider neutering both and pair them with girls instead? I am very scared of potential surgery complications. If something were to go badly during surgery, I would never forgive myself. Would appreciate any advice!
 
Do your boars have two food bowls, two water bottles and two hideys all placed as far away from the other as possible? This would help to eliminate fighting. Some boars just dont get along, but chances are because of their ages they are just going through puberty and are trying to decide who is boss. They may be able to ge through their issues with time. Some people suggest separating boars as soon as blood is drawn, however it might be worth sticking with them for a little while to reduce your own heart ache as long as neither boar is being hurt to a damaging level. If you have enough room then expanding your cage is a good idea; remember, bigger is always better. If, however, you think the bond has been broken, boar dating the two to find them different partners might be a good idea if this is offered at a rescue close to you. This way, you can make sure that your boars will both have partners suited to their own personality. Best of luck, keep us updated!
 
A second note, as I forgot to add; I would not advise neutering your boys if you could avoid it unless it is in the favor of their health, as the procedure is costly and can be risky for your pigs; therefore, finding them alternate boyfriends or pursuing the bond is your best bet.
 
The thing is, if the pig drew blood in the past and the injury is already beginning to heal and you decided to stick with them, you may as well wait it out to see if there is another such occurrence before separating them.
 
They do have 2 food bowls and more than enough hideys for the two of them. Their cage is already really big and I usually just leave it open so they get to roam around the living room as well. I don't think their bond is broken. Bhalu is very fond of Puck and they have never actually had a real fight because Bhalu never bites back. Puck is just so vicious sometimes, I don't understand it. I never even see his attacks coming because he gives no warning. This morning he again suddenly lashed out at Bhalu who was just sitting there minding his own business, and again made his nose bleed which was just beginning to heal after being bitten last night. Bhalu has little scars on both nostrils now because Puck always gets his nose! I just don't know what to do because Bhalu hates being away from Puck. When Puck is out of sight Bhalu starts loudly wheeking and running around looking for Puck.
 
Do a trial separation to see whether both boys want to be together or not; that should give you an answer on how to go from there.
Lunging means literally "stay away from me" in the strongest terms possible, as does biting/swiping the nose. It sounds very much like Puck wants his own space.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Wiebke said:
Do a trial separation to see whether both boys want to be together or not; that should give you an answer on how to go from there.
Lunging means literally "stay away from me" in the strongest terms possible, as does biting/swiping the nose. It sounds very much like Puck wants his own space.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Click to expand...

Thanks @Wiebke, I tried the trial separation but Bhalu got soo upset. He desperately wants to be near Puck. He's such an affectionate, social pig, he really suffers when he can't be with his buddy. Puck seems fairly chilled out when he's separated from Bhalu. It truly is unrequited love! What should I do?
 
Liv said:
Thanks @Wiebke, I tried the trial separation but Bhalu got soo upset. He desperately wants to be near Puck. He's such an affectionate, social pig, he really suffers when he can't be with his buddy. Puck seems fairly chilled out when he's separated from Bhalu. It truly is unrequited love! What should I do?
Click to expand...

Either let them go as they are or try to find Bhalu a new friend - which admittedly is not at all easy in Scotland due to its dearth of piggy savvy rescues that offer boar dating.
@LisaAli
 
UPDATE: After finding blood on Bhalu's nose AGAIN, I decided to separate, but this time I rebuilt the cage with the loft in the middle so that it is symmetrical and simply divided it down the middle, setting up each side so that they are identical. They spent two nights like this, but they were both chewing and tugging on the dividing cage bars like crazy. I then found them asleep in the loft like this:
20160826_164743[1].webp
How sweet is that?! So I tentatively removed the dividing bars in the loft. Puck was a bit boisterous with Bhalu at first but they quickly calmed down and now they are peaceful again! They each have their own "bachelor pad" now with identical litter trays, food bowls, water bottles and cozy areas, but they can easily visit each other via the upstairs connection. It's been four days with this set-up and no incidents! In fact, they spend most of the time together on the same side! But when they need some quiet alone-time, they can easily get it by retreating to their respective sides of the cage. This morning, when I picked up Bhalu for some lap time, Puck ran around calling for him - I think that's a good sign.
Anyway, I thought I would share my experience in case anyone with similar boar issues might want to try this. :) Here's a pic of the set-up. Downstairs is 6x2 split down the middle (with a grid removed at the ends so they can roam) and the loft is 2x2, but can also be divided if necessary:
20160829_101507[1].webp
 
What a wonderfully creative solution. I hope all continues to go well for the boys.
 
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