Dominance behaviour possessive teenager

[Rumbles&flash]

Hi there!
We are new to the forum and have appreciated all the excellent guides and advice on here!
We have 2 boars. One is about 2.5 years (Rumbles) and the other 1 (Flash). We got them last September and they are in a 5x2 C&C cage. After reading recommendations here we try to provide 2 of everything and their houses are exactly the same size large wooden houses with 2 exits.
Flash is often chasing Rumbles and "nipping him" and generally Rumbles accepts his dominance, squeals and they go off their separate ways or lie down not far from each other.
Flash always seems to want the same house that Rumbles has chosen to go in even though they have 2, plus a few arches.
A couple of weeks ago they got stuck in a cardboard box together as Flash entered and they started to fight. We got rid of the box as although there were no injuries or blood drawn, we wanted to avoid creating tension.
Rumbles is quite easy going but Flash is always trying to show his dominance through constant rumblestrutting and chasing. It seems more of a fear aggression as he is more of a nervous piggy than Rumbles and its as though he looks for reassurance of his dominance!
They dont ever fight over food but Flash is very possessive over hideys. If Rumbles runs to the other end of the cage he follows him closely, sometimes nipping his behind. Since the cardboard-box scuffle Rumbles has started nipping back when he feels threatened and Flash is trying to turf him out of a hidey.
As Flash deliberately enters the house that Rumbles goes in, generally Rumbles comes running out but recently they have ended up in one together and we panic that the nips could escalate into full blown fight.
After reading about fall-outs, after an incessant couple of days of chasing and "bullying" we decided to trial separate them by placing dividers.
We dont want to interfere with their bond but we are now unsure how long to trial the separation for without affecting them. Rumbles has not looked any more or less affected by the separation, though we have found them lying near each other a few times on either side of the separating grids! Flash is clearly wanting to get through, though biting on the bars less this morning.

Sorry its so long, any advice would be appreciated on whether you think we can try and reintroduce them on neutral territory and if so, how long to maintain the divider without worsening the situation as its hard to tell sometimes if their bond is broken or not.
Thanks in advance for sharing any sugestions!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi there!
We are new to the forum and have appreciated all the excellent guides and advice on here!
We have 2 boars. One is about 2.5 years (Rumbles) and the other 1 (Flash). We got them last September and they are in a 5x2 C&C cage. After reading recommendations here we try to provide 2 of everything and their houses are exactly the same size large wooden houses with 2 exits.
Flash is often chasing Rumbles and "nipping him" and generally Rumbles accepts his dominance, squeals and they go off their separate ways or lie down not far from each other.
Flash always seems to want the same house that Rumbles has chosen to go in even though they have 2, plus a few arches.
A couple of weeks ago they got stuck in a cardboard box together as Flash entered and they started to fight. We got rid of the box as although there were no injuries or blood drawn, we wanted to avoid creating tension.
Rumbles is quite easy going but Flash is always trying to show his dominance through constant rumblestrutting and chasing. It seems more of a fear aggression as he is more of a nervous piggy than Rumbles and its as though he looks for reassurance of his dominance!
They dont ever fight over food but Flash is very possessive over hideys. If Rumbles runs to the other end of the cage he follows him closely, sometimes nipping his behind. Since the cardboard-box scuffle Rumbles has started nipping back when he feels threatened and Flash is trying to turf him out of a hidey.
As Flash deliberately enters the house that Rumbles goes in, generally Rumbles comes running out but recently they have ended up in one together and we panic that the nips could escalate into full blown fight.
After reading about fall-outs, after an incessant couple of days of chasing and "bullying" we decided to trial separate them by placing dividers.
We dont want to interfere with their bond but we are now unsure how long to trial the separation for without affecting them. Rumbles has not looked any more or less affected by the separation, though we have found them lying near each other a few times on either side of the separating grids! Flash is clearly wanting to get through, though biting on the bars less this morning.

Sorry its so long, any advice would be appreciated on whether you think we can try and reintroduce them on neutral territory and if so, how long to maintain the divider without worsening the situation as its hard to tell sometimes if their bond is broken or not.
Thanks in advance for sharing any sugestions!

Hi!

A temporary separation is usually around 2 days to allow hormones to settle and tempers to cool down. A functional bond is not breaking that quickly, but a separation can focus underlying problems that would cause a fall out sooner or later.

Usually you see fairly quickly during the reintroduction on neutral ground whether there is too much grudge around or whether your boys will go back together again as if they were never kept apart. Any major issues that are not resolved will blow up usually within minutes of them being together again. Have the oven gloves and carrier ready!

Please be aware that lying next to each other by the separator is more often a dominance gesture to demarkate a territory, and not a desperate wish to be together. Because the 'power lie-in' is usually misinterpreted, it is not a behaviour that is well known, but any frequent bonders (like rescue people) will usually give you the same warning. It usually means that neither party is keen to surrender to the other.

 

[Rumbles&flash]

Hi!

A temporary separation is usually around 2 days to allow hormones to settle and tempers to cool down. A functional bond is not breaking that quickly, but a separation can focus underlying problems that would cause a fall out sooner or later.

Usually you see fairly quickly during the reintroduction on neutral ground whether there is too much grudge around or whether your boys will go back together again as if they were never kept apart. Any major issues that are not resolved will blow up usually within minutes of them being together again. Have the oven gloves and carrier ready!

Please be aware that lying next to each other by the separator is more often a dominance gesture to demarkate a territory, and not a desperate wish to be together. Because the 'power lie-in' is usually misinterpreted, it is not a behaviour that is well known, but any frequent bonders (like rescue people) will usually give you the same warning. It usually means that neither party is keen to surrender to the other.

Thank you for your speedy reply and advice!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your speedy reply and advice!

Fingers firmly crossed!

At least this method means that things don't have to come to blows (i.e. bad bites and fights) to work out whether your boys still get on or not.

 

[Rumbles&flash]

Hi @Wiebke
We tried a reintroduction today on the lawn and thought it was going well at first. They were eating grass together nearby. There were a few slight signs of tension interspersed with eating grass again. However, after about an hour, Flash started pestering Rumbles again and tensions started to rise. It ended in a flying tackle, which is when I jumped in with the oven gloves.
We have decided to keep the divider in their C&C and have extended to 6x2. I hope this will be ok as we dont want to risk any further fighting. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi @Wiebke
We tried a reintroduction today on the lawn and thought it was going well at first. They were eating grass together nearby. There were a few slight signs of tension interspersed with eating grass again. However, after about an hour, Flash started pestering Rumbles again and tensions started to rise. It ended in a flying tackle, which is when I jumped in with the oven gloves.
We have decided to keep the divider in their C&C and have extended to 6x2. I hope this will be ok as we dont want to risk any further fighting. Thanks again for your advice.

I am very sorry, but this is what I rather expected but not hoped for. At least you have got your answer as to the state of the relationship and can make an informed decision without any real physical damage done. While it is of course very disappointing, it is saving you a lot of stress and quite a bit of money in vet fees...