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Deleted member 151640
Hi, i’ve made one post on here before as i just joined yesterday. Me and my husband have 6 pigs, one pair of boars and 4 sows in a mini herd. I’ve owned guinea pigs since i was young and i am a training vet. I like to think i know quite well what i’m doing, i’m not perfect and i don’t believe anyone is, but with a lot of experience and now being close to a trained vet i like to think i know my way around basic care.
This may be a long post and for that i apologise, any advice or insight is appreciated.
These two boars, one being 4 and a half and the other being 3 almost 4, are a bonded pair after my older pig lost his brother at the young age of 6 months. They have been good friends from the start, as the younger one is quite nervous, even years in finds comfort and safety in the older ‘more dominant’ (by a tiny sliver) piggy.
We’ve had one incident where they had to be separated after the older one went too far with the constant humping to the point they had to be separated in their hutch, unfortunately i did not separate them well enough to keep him (the older one) from climbing/jumping over the grid i had put in the middle. I was very lucky to find them snuggled up together with no harm done to either of them. (This was around 2 years ago)
The older pigs last mate was a bully, which i didn’t realise until after he was gone. He was definitely the dominant one and kept my now eldest as his lesser than, food dominance and hideaways being ‘his’ etc. They never fought but i believe this was since he was being bullied.
The two i have now get on well, no bullying, snuggling, finding comfort in each other and popcorning around their cage in a synchronised symphony. But since finding this forum and reading different threads, i am worried their behaviour may be classed as the ‘orange warning’.
To be clear they have never fought in the damage has been done sense. The furthest they get is holding their heads and chattering. Which then just ends up with one getting bored and laying down or eating food together.
For a idea of what i’m talking about, i walk into the room their in, or the garage they are in during summer, and generally they get up to see me in hopes of getting something to eat. 75% of the time they will get up, maybe a little squeaking to each other probably trying to find out what’s going on, but they just stand together in harmony. The other 25% of the time they start their rumble strutting and dragging their bottoms across their fleece and humping. I guess you could say the humping is communal, it’s not one pig constantly doing it to each other, they take turns.. i guess. As i said they may do it for 2 minutes then one will sit and eat hay and the other will have some water. If not they may go for 5-10 minutes and every once in a while they will start chattering and chasing which lasts 5 minutes at the most. Which as i said is ended with them getting bored and having some hay or getting a treat.
I have been concerned about this every now and again, but it’s so common and i know their safe as i always keep an eye on them, i tend to let it pass. Occasionally trying separating them with a tunnel or something but then i’m the bad guy. They also “exchange” some boar glue every now and again, mainly the older one unfortunately onto the more submissive one. Which makes me believe it’s just their testosterone getting the best of them, as they are generally still youngish.
I’d like to add my younger boar does ‘hair barber’ which started as a concern when they first bonded which i was told was just him trying to soothe himself. I do everything i can to make him comfortable, he’s skittish but i wouldn’t like to say he’s scared. He’s used to me and my husband and many noises he’s became more accustomed to, but if i sit down too fast or open the squeaky door he runs to safety, which i just accepted as his character.
As they’re very unhappy whenever i pick one up and leave the other, they act as if they’re never going to see each other again. I do believe they are ‘bonded’ and should stay together. I don’t particularly have another option and as they’ve never had a fight in 4 years this maybe just how they are and will calm down as they get old, or maybe there’s a couple things i can change.
Any advice is appreciated or even similar situations or stories, again i apologise for the length! Thanks x
This may be a long post and for that i apologise, any advice or insight is appreciated.
These two boars, one being 4 and a half and the other being 3 almost 4, are a bonded pair after my older pig lost his brother at the young age of 6 months. They have been good friends from the start, as the younger one is quite nervous, even years in finds comfort and safety in the older ‘more dominant’ (by a tiny sliver) piggy.
We’ve had one incident where they had to be separated after the older one went too far with the constant humping to the point they had to be separated in their hutch, unfortunately i did not separate them well enough to keep him (the older one) from climbing/jumping over the grid i had put in the middle. I was very lucky to find them snuggled up together with no harm done to either of them. (This was around 2 years ago)
The older pigs last mate was a bully, which i didn’t realise until after he was gone. He was definitely the dominant one and kept my now eldest as his lesser than, food dominance and hideaways being ‘his’ etc. They never fought but i believe this was since he was being bullied.
The two i have now get on well, no bullying, snuggling, finding comfort in each other and popcorning around their cage in a synchronised symphony. But since finding this forum and reading different threads, i am worried their behaviour may be classed as the ‘orange warning’.
To be clear they have never fought in the damage has been done sense. The furthest they get is holding their heads and chattering. Which then just ends up with one getting bored and laying down or eating food together.
For a idea of what i’m talking about, i walk into the room their in, or the garage they are in during summer, and generally they get up to see me in hopes of getting something to eat. 75% of the time they will get up, maybe a little squeaking to each other probably trying to find out what’s going on, but they just stand together in harmony. The other 25% of the time they start their rumble strutting and dragging their bottoms across their fleece and humping. I guess you could say the humping is communal, it’s not one pig constantly doing it to each other, they take turns.. i guess. As i said they may do it for 2 minutes then one will sit and eat hay and the other will have some water. If not they may go for 5-10 minutes and every once in a while they will start chattering and chasing which lasts 5 minutes at the most. Which as i said is ended with them getting bored and having some hay or getting a treat.
I have been concerned about this every now and again, but it’s so common and i know their safe as i always keep an eye on them, i tend to let it pass. Occasionally trying separating them with a tunnel or something but then i’m the bad guy. They also “exchange” some boar glue every now and again, mainly the older one unfortunately onto the more submissive one. Which makes me believe it’s just their testosterone getting the best of them, as they are generally still youngish.
I’d like to add my younger boar does ‘hair barber’ which started as a concern when they first bonded which i was told was just him trying to soothe himself. I do everything i can to make him comfortable, he’s skittish but i wouldn’t like to say he’s scared. He’s used to me and my husband and many noises he’s became more accustomed to, but if i sit down too fast or open the squeaky door he runs to safety, which i just accepted as his character.
As they’re very unhappy whenever i pick one up and leave the other, they act as if they’re never going to see each other again. I do believe they are ‘bonded’ and should stay together. I don’t particularly have another option and as they’ve never had a fight in 4 years this maybe just how they are and will calm down as they get old, or maybe there’s a couple things i can change.
Any advice is appreciated or even similar situations or stories, again i apologise for the length! Thanks x
