Carnage in the Run

[Niki]

The bachelor boys have been grazing today, Huxley, Hamish, Arthur, Fitz, Howie & Toddie.  I left them for approx 20 mins & when i got back there were clumps of hair all over.  :o

The outcome; Arthur had a mouth full of blood which i've determined as being Hamish's. Arthur has a tiny cut to the inside of his lip.
Hamish has a slash down the side of his right cheek, a deep slash/hole on the front right side of his face, a graze down his left lip, a bite on his back & 1 nail totally missing from his left front foot. 

I've bathed them both in salt water & given Hamish a bit of Baytril. 

I cannot believe what Arthur's done, last week he'd had a go at Wilbur but Wilbur was a feisty boy too but Hamish is a lover not a fighter.

I've also split Arthur from Fitz; over the past few days "something's" been different with Fitz, i can't quite put my finger on it but he's seemed very subdued.  Do piggies get a "taste for blood?" 
Have i done the right thing splitting the boys or would Arthur not attack Fitz just because he's attacked Hamish?

 

[piglover]

I dunno, but being a "wary boy only keeper" I would say you have done the right thing - sounds like Arthur had an attack of dominance and is feeling his feet! Sounds like he's been bullying poor little Fitz too, all you can do it see how they go, I know what you mean though when something like this happens its makes you all jumpy!

Hope Hamish heals quickly x

 

[Deleted member 1169]

whoahh ive never experience this before ive only experience a bit lip from a boar fight not no clumps of hair missing and lots of blood etc - Boys will fight with each other it just depends if they were bought up together and if youve only just introduced them together but you have donr the right thing to separate them as this scuffle could of been twice as bad and alot worse

I feel sorry for porr Hamish though bless him hope he gets better and heals up :'(
Arthur i think is just dominating the rest

 

[MemberY]

Gosh, I cant believe 6 boars could graze together without something happening before now :o I could never have my lot out at the same time, I know there would be blood shed

Poor Hamish, get better soon

 

[Deleted member 1169]

Oh yeah forgot to add do they all live together

 

[Niki]

My boys have been happily grazing almost every nice day we've had since May, never has anyone shown any aggression to any one else. The girls have but not the boys

Huxley & Hamish live alone but side by side, Arthur has lived with Fitz since 6th May when Fitz was 3 wks old & Howie has just moved in with Toddie, because Wilbur died leaving Toddie with no-one to chat to.

Arthur & Wilbur did have an altercation last weekend but those 2 were feisty boys & Arthur is ruled by his "bits" & did try to hump him.   Huxley too has had his moments but it's usually been a bit of chattering teeth at whoever has come into "his space" but the interloper has gone their own way & he's calmed down. 
Hamish is my biggest piggy & is the softest piggy which is probably why he's come off the worst & why Arthur picked on him. 

I also need to add my piggy run is approx 14ft long x 11ft wide narrowing to 6ft wide, so plenty of room for 6 piggies not to be "on top of one another."

However, saying all that, i usually supervise ALL my piggies when they're in the run & had been today, i'd only gone in to go to the loo & then the phone rang.............20 mins tops was the length of time they were alone so lord only knows what set them off, before i went inside they were all sprawled out resting.

The good news is Hamish is fine    His wounds looked worse because his hair is cream (he's a choc himi rex) he's been eating & doesn't look traumatised, Arthur too has been eating 

No more group grazing for Arthur   :

 

[Glynis]

Naughty Arthur, off to the sin bin for you little man :>
Oh dear Niki, what a pity they'd been having such a great time together, i loved all their garden party piccies :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
Who knows what happened it's unfortunate, but ahhh boys sometimes as you said can be ruled by their 'bits' :
Give Hamish lots of gentle kisses from me and manly brrrr's from Duke to make him better. Fitz will be fine i'm sure you'll find a solution there :-*
Hugs for you love, that's the last thing you needed was them boys being frisky with each other.... Dukey sends you mega kisses and tells you his carrot throwing is getting better thanks to you :smitten:

 

[Niki]

Naughty Arthur, off to the sin bin for you little man :>
Oh dear Niki, what a pity they'd been having such a great time together, i loved all their garden party piccies :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
Who knows what happened it's unfortunate, but ahhh boys sometimes as you said can be ruled by their 'bits' :
Give Hamish lots of gentle kisses from me and manly brrrr's from Duke to make him better. Fitz will be fine i'm sure you'll find a solution there :-*
Hugs for you love, that's the last thing you needed was them boys being frisky with each other.... Dukey sends you mega kisses and tells you his carrot throwing is getting better thanks to you :smitten:

;D ;D ;D @ Arthur in the sin bin.

Arthur's Garden Party's gonna be lonely from now on, dinner for 1 ;D ;D

I'm just glad he's alright & that Hamish is alright too, i can well do without being Florence Nightingale to piggies, my god they keep me on my toes :

 

[smiler]

I think with boars they should only be put in the run with their cagemates, or will face face fights and possibly pairings falling out.

Also, its not a great idea leaving them unsupervised in the run for 20 mins, you need to be there O0

Sorry for whats happened, I would just go back to normal, but give them individual run time with their cagemates like most people do.

 

[Glynis]

You know your piggies the best love you know they normally are 100% fine together :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:, what a pity something triggered this off :'(

 

[gp-d]

Boys will be boys :smitten:


Bad Arthur, don't give him as nice veggies for a week!

I hope poor Hamish is okay must have been quite an ordeal xx0

 

[Niki]

I think with boars they should only be put in the run with their cagemates, or will face face fights and possibly pairings falling out.

Also, its not a great idea leaving them unsupervised in the run for 20 mins, you need to be there O0

Sorry for whats happened, I would just go back to normal, but give them individual run time with their cagemates like most people do.

I can honestly say i have had more probs with my girls & neutered boys than i have had with my boys.  My girls, 2 in particular have leapt at one another like a scene from kill bill.  One will narrow her eyes like a crocodile when she spots her given "prey" which could be any piggy she's decided on & she will chase, nip, chase, nip until SHE's decided they've had enough.
My other sow has launched a full on teeth chattering body attack at both neutered boys & 1 of my neutered boys has chased & nipped the younger sows.

This unfortunate episode with my boys is just that, unfortunate.  I KNOW my boys & like i've said this wasn't their first meeting, they've been meeting happily for the past 3 months.  However, my lesson has been learnt, do not answer the call of nature leaving ANY piggies in the run unsupervised.

To give them individual run-time with their cage-mates would mean i'd have to cut their grazing time right down; either that or spend in excess of 5 hours outside supervising as i only have 1 pair of boys & this is a new pairing which may not work out.

Sorry for whats happened, I would just go back to normal, give them individual run time with their cagemates like most people do.

What's back to normal? 
Normal for ALL my piggies (not just my boys) is to have run-time together supervised by me. 
How do you know what "most people" do?  Some piggies will not live together but will have run time together, it depends on the personalilties of the given piggies; there is no generalisation.
We all do things differently in our own ways, who is to decide who is wrong & who is right?

2 of my boys have had a fight - the fact they don't live together, to me, is irrelevant.  Wallace & Wilbur lived together from birth & they had "tiffs" frequently, only once was blood shed but that was mine when i intervened with a towel & Wilbur got my finger instead of Wallace.

 

[Niki]

Boys will be boys  :smitten:


Bad Arthur, don't give him as nice veggies for a week!

I hope poor Hamish is okay must have been quite an ordeal  xx0

You're right boys will be boys & i love them for that  :smitten: :smitten:

Hamish is fine, as is Arthur  O0  They've both been eating their veggies (in their own hutches i hasten to add), i think Hamish's wounds looked worse because his hair is cream, he's a choc himi rex.

 

[Glynis]

Niki i know the boys were not 'unsupervised' as such, it was a situation that just happened.... and this can happen to us all at some stage

I also know that you always supervise your munchkins when they're out together, even if you know they'll be ok as i said before you know your piggies the best, it's just you being a good piggie mum :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

 

[Niki]

It won't be happening again Glynis i can tell you

I always supervise not only to keep an eye on the goings-on in the run because i don't trust the bird-life.
A few years ago i was sitting on a bench in the garden with our budgies next to me in their cage when this "thing" hit me in the chest. It happened so quickly & i should've realised something was wrong when the budgies flew to one end of their cage.........the thing turned out to be a kestrel :o :o

 

[dazie]

My mums boys have been known to have a scuffle if they have to share a pigloo tunnel bowl or anything else but give them one each and they live together fine. They love each other dearly but they both have to have a thing each bless um. Fingers crossed they will be ok naughty little Arthur tut tut

 

[Suzanne_piglover]

Separate him, well I would. My two boars spent most their lives together, then one day something clicked, and Pippin, who is usually a doll got attack by Merry. I separated them, and tried several times to reintroduce them, but merry just wasn't happy, and began to be a bully, so now they are both on their own. But you know your pigs best so.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I can honestly say i have had more probs with my girls & neutered boys than i have had with my boys. My girls, 2 in particular have leapt at one another like a scene from kill bill. One will narrow her eyes like a crocodile when she spots her given "prey" which could be any piggy she's decided on & she will chase, nip, chase, nip until SHE's decided they've had enough.
My other sow has launched a full on teeth chattering body attack at both neutered boys & 1 of my neutered boys has chased & nipped the younger sows.

There really is no hard and fast rule. I have 22 piggies (9 girls and 13 boys) and I have to say I have NEVER had a problem with my boys, who are alll paired with same sex cage mates. However, I once tried to put all my girls into the run together and when they had been fine for over two hours I left them to go and mow the front lawn. I could hear the screams when I walked back into the house. Three of the girls were attacking the others causing a wound to the face of one and nasty bites over the back of another.

All my boars live in pairs apart from one group of three. However, I do know people who keep a large number of boars together successfully. It all depends on the temperament of the animals.

 

[Niki]

All my boys are now living separately but Fitz & Arthur who have lived together since May when Fitz was 3 wks old are going to the mesh divider & crying for one another
I know Arthur attacked Hamish (for whatever reason) but i now feel i've made the wrong decision re him & Fitz.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

All my boys are now living separately but Fitz & Arthur who have lived together since May when Fitz was 3 wks old are going to the mesh divider & crying for one another
I know Arthur attacked Hamish (for whatever reason) but i now feel i've made the wrong decision re him & Fitz.

I really think you should put Arthur and Fitz back together. It sounds as though they have always got on well. I would do it fairly quickly though as the longer they are apart the less likely you will get them back together successfully. Please don't let this one incident put you off keeping boars together.

 

[Glynis]

Try some supervised times together with them Niki
oh the dilema with these boys, perhaps Arthur was protecting Fitz from Hamish? that's a possibility.... :-\

 

[Niki]

Try some supervised times together with them Niki
oh the dilema with these boys, perhaps Arthur was protecting Fitz from Hamish? that's a possibility.... :-\

That's a definite possibility Glynis & has crossed my mind, not that i think Hamish would have done anything to Fitz cept maybe chatter at him if he'd got "amorous" :

 

[Niki]

All my boys are now living separately but Fitz & Arthur who have lived together since May when Fitz was 3 wks old are going to the mesh divider & crying for one another
I know Arthur attacked Hamish (for whatever reason) but i now feel i've made the wrong decision re him & Fitz.

I really think you should put Arthur and Fitz back together. It sounds as though they have always got on well. I would do it fairly quickly though as the longer they are apart the less likely you will get them back together successfully. Please don't let this one incident put you off keeping boars together.

First thing in the morning Debbie, the boys will be reunited Fingers crossed they're happy to see one another. I'll be cleaning the girls' hutch & will be keeping an eye on them, will let you know what happens

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

All my boys are now living separately but Fitz & Arthur who have lived together since May when Fitz was 3 wks old are going to the mesh divider & crying for one another
I know Arthur attacked Hamish (for whatever reason) but i now feel i've made the wrong decision re him & Fitz.

I really think you should put Arthur and Fitz back together. It sounds as though they have always got on well. I would do it fairly quickly though as the longer they are apart the less likely you will get them back together successfully. Please don't let this one incident put you off keeping boars together.

First thing in the morning Debbie, the boys will be reunited Fingers crossed they're happy to see one another. I'll be cleaning the girls' hutch & will be keeping an eye on them, will let you know what happens

Just keep an eye on them but I am sure they will be fine! I think Glynis has made a really good point. I think thats a real possibility! My boys are very protective of one another in a way none of the girls are!

 

[Niki]

All my boys are now living separately but Fitz & Arthur who have lived together since May when Fitz was 3 wks old are going to the mesh divider & crying for one another
I know Arthur attacked Hamish (for whatever reason) but i now feel i've made the wrong decision re him & Fitz.

I really think you should put Arthur and Fitz back together. It sounds as though they have always got on well. I would do it fairly quickly though as the longer they are apart the less likely you will get them back together successfully. Please don't let this one incident put you off keeping boars together.

First thing in the morning Debbie, the boys will be reunited Fingers crossed they're happy to see one another. I'll be cleaning the girls' hutch & will be keeping an eye on them, will let you know what happens

Just keep an eye on them but I am sure they will be fine! I think Glynis has made a really good point. I think thats a real possibility! My boys are very protective of one another in a way none of the girls are!

;D ;D ;D Like my girls, all for themselves ;D ;D ;D

 

[Glynis]

mmmm i don't know why but it popped into my head during the night when i was awake and thought :o :o :o :o i bet that's what happened.
Good luck love, i'm sure it'll work out, awwwww i'd hate to hear them pining for each other, i'd be in tears myself :'(

 

[boureki]

Niki, just read this thread what a shock for you! How are things going for now with them all?

 

[Niki]

They are all happy at last O0 Hamish just has a small "scab" on his face & is his usual laid back self. Arthur & Fitz were re-united this morning, as soon as Fitz saw Arthur he popcorned & apart from rumbling at Toddie thru' the mesh Arthur has been an 0

I don't think Toddie knows quite what to make of his new neighbours & Howie, well Howie is Howie, sleeps, potters about, eats, sleeps, sleeps ;D ;D ;D .................

Peace at last :smitten: :smitten:

 

[Glynis]

Ahhh the little darlings 0 0 :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: