Someone Explain? - Rumblestrutting

[Tamara Harvey]

I've recently started introducing my 2 boars, their on their 3rd meeting and doing brilliantly.. no fighting but my ginger one keeps doing that rumble noises I've heard about but is like doing the popcorning motion round the pen.. what does this mean?

 

[Wiebke]

The rumbling noise is called rumblestrutting; it is mild dominance behaviour and it is a fact of daily boar life. Please be aware that every time you separate, you abort the bonding process and force your boys to start right back at the beginning. Each bonding involves the piggies needing to establish a hierarchy, as this is at the very heart of guinea pig society. You need a neutral space and ideally a day or two to keep an eye out on your boys without interfering unless they are starting to fight. Don't separate unless absolutely necessary, as your boys will have to go through it all over again.

Please read our bonding and behaviour guides carefully to make your boys's bonding work as much as you can. Whether they will ultimately gel, is down to the individual character combination and not something you can control.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/

Best of luck!

 

[Tamara Harvey]

The rumbling noise is called rumblestrutting; it is mild dominance behaviour and it is a fact of daily boar life. Please be aware that every time you separate, you abort the bonding process and force your boys to start right back at the beginning. Each bonding involves the piggies needing to establish a hierarchy, as this is at the very heart of guinea pig society. You need a neutral space and ideally a day or two to keep an eye out on your boys without interfering unless they are starting to fight. Don't separate unless absolutely necessary, as your boys will have to go through it all over again.

Please read our bonding and behaviour guides carefully to make your boys's bonding work as much as you can. Whether they will ultimately gel, is down to the individual character combination and not something you can control.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/

Best of luck!

They aren't doing too bad atm, normal behaviour atm.. no fighting atm so far xx

 

[Wiebke]

Just let them get on with it! Any mild to medium dominance behaviour is OK during the dominance phase of the bonding process. This phase can last up to around weeks on average.

 

[Tamara Harvey]

Just let them get on with it! Any mild to medium dominance behaviour is OK during the dominance phase of the bonding process. This phase can last up to around weeks on average.

I'm really worried about them fighting and drawing blood during the night xx

 

[Wiebke]

I'm really worried about them fighting and drawing blood during the night xx

If they have been getting on well until now, they are not very likely to blow up overnight.

Make sure that you haven't got any hideys they can get possessive over. if necessary, just peg a couple of towels over each end.

 

[Tamara Harvey]

If they have been getting on well until now, they are not very likely to blow up overnight.

Make sure that you haven't got any hideys they can get possessive over. if necessary, just peg a couple of towels over each end.

One of mine prefers to sleep in his tunnel than in a hidey so I put his tunnel in for him as well as 2 of everyrhing else... doing well so far xx