Fighting?

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miabarnard

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Hiya, I’ve recently got two boars 9 weeks old - they’ve been settling in to their home but I’ve just seen that one is trying to attach itself to the other. I’ve attached a video of what they’re kind of doing - can anyone give some advice as to what it means? I’ve attached a second video - I think he’s a bit distressed.

I’ve temporarily separated them as i was a bit worried but they seem to be squeaking for each other?
 
Please could you try attaching the videos again- you normally have to do it through a third party such as YouTube.
Are they biting each other/ humping each other or doing something else?
 
I’m afraid I can’t see a video. To upload a video, you need to upload it first to somewhere like Facebook or YouTube but the behaviour you are describing sounds pretty normal to me? Are they actively fighting? Teeth chattering etc?
 
One of them (blond) was trying to get onto the back of the other (black) - from what i’ve read it could be bullying? The blond one was them vibrating, swaying side to side and his hair was shooting up. The black one was trying to hide away from his brother and get away when he came close
 
:wel:

Mounting (getting on top of the other) is a totally normal dominance behaviour - it isnt bullying. It is how the dominant one asserts his authority.
The swaying is called rumble strutting and again is a normal dominance behaviour.

Please do not separate them unless they have an actual fur ball rolling around fight. Separating them unnecessarily will cause stress and can harm their bond if done too much.
Please reunite them. If you leave them apart for too long you have to go through the entire neutral territory bonding process.

The hair shooting up that you report, could be a bit more of a warning sign that things may escalate between them - do read the guides below as they explain more.

It is important you do read the guides linked I've linked in - they explain normal boar behaviours (do check that both your piggies are indeed boys) so you can understand what to expect.

If you seen actual rolling around, fur ball fight and injuries occur, then that means their bond has failed and they do indeed need to be permanently separated if that happens.

Ensure the cage you have for them is big enough - that is 180x60cm for two boars.
Also ensure that you have two of every item in the cage and that all the hides have two doors in them. Dont use any hides which only have one door as it can mean one piggy can get cornered by the other (which can lead to a fight).

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

We cannot host video directly on the forum. You will need to upload any video to YouTube first and then post a link to it here
 
Thank you so much, i only separated them about 30 minutes ago just because i was worried! They’re back in together now but will keep an eye out :)

I’m going to read through the links provided and go through normal boar behaviour - this is my first pair of pigs so just getting used to them
 
This all sounds very normal to me. When they're settling into a new home there's always a lot to argue about but this usually settles down after a couple of weeks. Boar behaviour can look very harsh from a human perspective but it's just how they communicate. One pig will always be the boss pig so it sounds like that's your blond one as long as the black one is happy to be the underpig (running away, hiding, squealing are all good signs) it shouldn't lead to a big fall out. Make sure there's 2 of everything so they don't have to share if they don't want to. It's another good reason for weekly weigh ins aswell. The underpig will usually end up weighing a little less but if the weight gap between them gets too much it may be a sign one is not letting the other eat. Not usually a reason to separate them but sometimes needs some creative solutions I've had to put a devider up in the hay area so one can't chase the other out and I've been handfeeding veggies to make sure they share. It's a bit like looking after toddlers but I wouldn't worry as long as they're both gaining weight.
 
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