Separated boars

[Gabbie5341]

Hi there,
I find myself in a situation where I now have 3 separated boar! Its a long story. Each piggy has a 2x4 c&c cage which are placed in an L shape with a small gap between each one.

I have recently moved them closer to each other as my original piggy Sonny seems to be spending alot of time in his house. Sonny has always been shy but when he's very dominant around his friends.

I can't figure out if being closer is making him happier and wants to be closer or if he is mad? I let him out to run about the other two's cages and he was rumble strutting alongside the bars and they were sniffing each other but while rumble strutting. It didn't appear friendly? Is this normal dominant behaviour or could they potentially bite each other through the bars?

My second question is now Sonny is biting his cage anytime Scooter (he's in the middle cage) goes down to see him. Is this because he wants to see him or because he wants to fight him? Scooter is very confident and mischievous. There is alot of back and forth talking.

Bear is piggy number 3 and he's very chilled and at lives at the opposite end of Sonny. Do you think if I moved Bear into the middle cage between Scooter and Sonny it would allow them to stay closer or would there be a better configuration for the setup or do I increase the gaps but then they have less living space! I just want them to be happy.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry you ended up with three singletons. Biting bra means they want to get at the other piggy, but not in a good way. And the rumble strutting is their way of telling the other pig they’re top dog. You could try putting Bear between Scooter and Sonny and see if the bar biting calms down.

It’s not likely they’ll be able to bite each other through the divider. I assume the holes aren’t big enough for them to get their ‘snout’ in and bite.

 

[Gabbie5341]

Thank you for your advice. I tried everything to prevent the separation. Would you try and find a bond with a diffrent guinea-pig so they had a cage mate even if that meant they had to go to a diffrent home? Or are they getting enough of what they need? They are all spoilt and I spend alot of time with them and love them so much but I don't want to be selfish and want them to be happy. Sonny just doesn't popcorn or zoom as much as Bear and Scooter. Do some piggies just prefer being in their house and having space even if they were with others?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Living side by side does provide enough interaction but if they are tense with their neighbour then that’s obviously not a comfortable living situation.

You could certainly try swapping the cages around to see if they get on with a different neighbour.

Yes, all piggies, even bonded pairs would still appreciate some of their own space and territory. However you’ve got to ensure that he is happy with his living situation and not lonely. As I say, living side by side provides interaction but for some piggies it won’t be enough and they would do better with a live in companion.
Is his weight stable at each weekly weight check?

Were they originally living as a trio?