Fighting Boars!

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I am gutted! Am just back from the vet cos I noticed marks on both my boys' backs one minor the other quite nasty...I didn't know if it was mites etc so went for a check up...It's wounds from fighting! They have only just started doing this, they were so happy together! The vet hopes it's a transient phase as one asserts authority.. they are both 5 months.He wants me to keep a close eye on them. I do and Ive never seen them fight! They have no bite marks on face ears etc.It looks more like scratches on their back...is this bullying or friskiness? Should I sperate them ASAP? They have just moved to a fab new hutch with under run, could it be territorial? They were fine in their smaller hutch and in the outdoor run in the summer! :-\ Lesley
 
I had two boars together who were best of friends untill they moved into a brilliant new hutch and coco started to attack fudge very violently. Fudge didnt want to take coco on I do feel sorry for fudge who is now on his own due to no fault of his own i do want to try him with another male but I'm worried the same might happen again. Fudge was very upset when he was attacked.
 
I think this can happen when they move into new accomodation, it happened with mine too but I let them scrap away and they settled down and when I made their cages bigger again and moved them, I put their used bedding in the new cage and this seemed to help. There were no serious injuries on mine though so it is hard to know what to suggest. I think I have learned with my other two boars who are now seperated, not to give up too easily. It may have been a one off. You could try re bonding them again, but you will have to start from scratch...neutral territory etc
Good luck whatever you decide :)
 
Oh no do you think it is the move? Can't move them back cos it was getting too small for two. Boo has two nasty scratches and snowman as a small one. Don't want to seperate them but I feel its the only option. Could it be just their "teenage" stage? Have honestly never seen them fight, they are nervy when you pick them up still and they scramble everywhere....sometimes on top of each other...could it be that? I also don't know the difference between teeth chattering and chuntering.. they do sometimes make noises face to face but its like a clucking! Help! 98) Lesley
 
Ok so I'm very naive but they were bonded when I got them...so what do I do to rebond them? Lesley
 
No don`t move them back!
Boars are territorial (sows are too but boars more so) and moving to their new hutch with new smells, space etc possibly set them off. They are also at the teenage stage in piggies where it can happen too.
If you get a warmish afternoon, put them in the run together with some stuff to distract them, tubes/hay etc. Try if possible to set the run up where they have not been previously and have new toys they have not used before. Sit back and watch what happens. There will be rumbling noises, their bums may wiggle and they walk low to the ground, they may mount eachother. They are just sorting out who will be top pig. As long as they don`t actually face off and start fighting, this behaviour is normal, if a little stressful for you! If it is too cold, try a neutral area indoors where they havent been, say the hallway or bathroom. Put some clean towels down and do the same as I have described above.
You may find they are fine after a while, if so leave them as long as you can.
Clean and disinfect their hutch with a small animal disinfectant and put new bedding down. Clean their toys etc so no scent lingers. If you think all has gone well, put them in their hutch. Sometimes you may have to do the "introductions" gradually over a few days, building up the time they are together. You could keep them in seperate hutches overnight until you feel happy they are friends again :)
 
ive always heard that giving them unfamilar surroundings can help. So if your cage is laid out a certain way, move it around so it feels like neutral territory. The same guy also said to rub some talc into all the piggies so they have no scent.... I have no idea if this is advisable.
 
I personally wouldn`t rub talc into them as they may ingest it or it may irritate their skin (no offence Stanny :D)
Try the re bonding process first, be patient and don`t let nerves get the better of you ;D
If there are still problems after you have tried all of the above, try giving them a bath together. Use shampoo from www.gorgeousguineas.com, very safe for piggies. If it comes to that and you think that you want to do this, yell if you need advice on bathing them :) Basically, the surprise of being bathed can bond them as they will want eachother for company and also they smell different. I have not done this personally for this reason (I do bath my guins though) but there is a good article on the cavy spirit site about bonding boars. I will see if I can find it and post the link for you :)
 
Thank you for the advice.. I did disinfect with vinegar and water today...will rearrange everything too.A vet told my friend you could put Vicks vapour rub on them to hide the scent etc...thought that maybe an irritant as it's very strong! Lesley
 
I have heard that too but never done it, it may annoy them ;D
 
I have two bonded boars who have recently started fighting too. :'(

I'm trying them together for a few hours each day, and they seem to be getting better. They still make a lot of noise at each other, but dont actually fight anymore. I think patience is key!

I would like to know more about the vicks vapour rub thing, if anyone knows any more about it. Thanx!
 
You just put a little dot of it on their noses and bums apparently. It smells quite strong so confuses them but I think it stings a bit, I wouldn't like some plonked on my nose ;D
 
No, I wouldnt either!

I'm only going to do it if I really need to I think. At the mo, they have the odd little arguement, then seem to forget quite quickly, then argue again. It's only about once every half hour or so, the rest of the time they seem quite happy.
 
I wouldn`t worry about it too much, boys will be boys, always bickering :D Mine bicker a few times a day and have a chase around but it quickly settles ;)
 
mmm... the boys seemed ok but I've found another little scratch on boo's back...should I seperate or perservere? They never fight in front of me, only teeth chattering at most! Lesley
 
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