New Behaviour (Mounting)

[Naiek]

Hello,

I have 2 boars, one 3 and one 2. We have recently moved home a month ago and they are in a new environment and a new slightly smaller cage (they were in a 3 X 4 c&c but now on a 2 X 4, I know it's minimum but it's temporary until I can build them a custom size).

Anyway, today I have noticed for the first time that the 3 year old is mounting the other one. I know that this is normal when first meeting however they have lived together for 2 years and have never done this, and I'm concerned about the new new behaviour.

My concern mainly comes from the fact that when the 3 year old was around 6 months old, he had to be separated from his previous house mates for biting one of them. (This was because they were 3 boars in a cage which was wrongly recommend by pets at home).

Before our moving the cage was used as a temp boarding cage when going away so they are not un-used to the size.

Should I be concerned about this new behaviour? Should I look at upgrading the cage size sooner rather than later?

Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mounting is a normal and mild dominance behaviour so on its own, provided the other piggy is accepting being mounted, is not concerning. However, being moved and the cage downsized is likely the cause. A 2x4 is considered small for a boar pair, so if you can upgrade it to a 2x5 or back to a 3x4 it may help. Do note though that that again will be yet another change of environment so may set off further dominance. When you do change their cage size, ensure you use soiled bedding so that the cage still smells lf them .