Two 6 week old boars

[Nickyjay]

Please can you help!?

I have two boars that are both about 6 weeks old. They are from different litters.

I got one of them to live with my 4 year old pig but he sadly had to be put to sleep on Monday. So I've been back to the rescue today and got another piggy the same age as the existing one.

I have introduced them to each other and they seemed ok but the haven't stopped squeaking at each other. They are both eating together ok.

Do you think they'll be ok and also is there anything I can do to help them bond?

Just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

Many thanks

X

 

[AudioHeart]

Awwww congratulations on your two new bundles x) Boars go through their hormonal stage usually from six weeks to fourteen months but this can change depending on the pig. Its a good idea to read this thread on boar behaviour to know what signs to look out for:

http://theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949

Your boys will test each other out, to work out whose top pig and whose the under piggie, rumble strutting, mild teeth chattering, nose offs and mounting are all normal behaviours, you just have to let them sort it out between them as removing them from one another will mean they have to figure out whose who all over again

I have two boars and i can suggest that making sure you have two of everything (hideys with two exists so they dont bully one another into corners, water bottles/food bowls/ hay racks/toys etc) is a must, some boars need their own space and alone time. Id also suggest scattering the veggies across the hutch/cage when you feed them their daily veggies as this will stop the dominant pig from hogging all the food. Keep an eye on weight too.

Another good idea is to make sure they have enough space, and they cant smell any sows

Oh and hay, lots and lots of hay to keep them occupied!

If you do find that they are squaring up to one another ready to fight, and their teeth chattering becomes loud you must remove them from one another, and allow them to cool down. If this happens, you can reintroduce them to one another again by, firstly washing and rearranging the cage thoroughly, secondly give them both a bonding bath (use the same piggie shampoo) so they both smell the same, and then reintroduce them on neutral territory (a playpen etc.) if they still dont get on, you could seperate the cage/hutch into two so they can still see/talk to one another and then try again once they are a year old and their hormones have calmed down. Hopefully things wont get this far, just wanted to explain that to you just in case.

Hope your boys stay best of friends, good luck and dont hesitate to ask any more questions Laura x

 

[Nickyjay]

Thanks for the info.

I made the mistake of putting the new piggy straight into the cage that the other one was in without cleaning it out. The rescue lady said this is ok as they're so young. I've since googled this & it says to wash the cage and equipment. So here was me doing this at 3am this morning. Lol.

They didn't fight but there was a lot of chatting going on. I think this is all harmless. I've had to leave them while I go to work but I'm pretty confident they'll be ok as if they were going to fight they'd have done so by now!

Thanks again x