Dominance baby male boar keeps bitting other baby male, what to do???

adonnelly517 · Jun 23, 2016

I recently got two baby male piggies, not together got them on different days but at the same store, amd they are introduced to my older male boar which they get along just fine with older one but recently ive noticed the baby boar i got second keeps bitting and pulling hair out from the first baby boar and has him scared and wheeks every time he comes near him. the other baby who picks on him makes him eat last out of the three of them while the older boar doesnt mind eating together with them both. Im afraid that the the second baby is going to eventually hurt the other baby and not sure what to do. should i just leave them be until they get too aggressive towards each other or should i go ahead and split them up and put the baby boar who gets picked on in his own cage? the older boar will nip at them both if he doesnt want to be bothered but doesnt hurt either of them to make them wheek and cry like the one baby does to the other baby.

i have 2 of the midwest habitat cages together to make one giant long cage which i feel is fine for 3 males as its 96" long by 24' wide which is close to a 2x7 c&c cage. I wouldnt mind getting a c&c cage to replace these both with but dont have the extra funds to do it just yet.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated, i just dont know what to do or if i should just leave them be. It makes me nervous when i hear the one baby cry and wheeking really high cause of being bit.

bpatters · Jun 23, 2016

That cage isn't large enough for three boars, especially since it's fairly narrow. Grids are 14 inches, not twelve, so you're a lot short of a 2x7 grid cage.

The babies are trying to establish dominance. If they're not bleeding, let them alone. Don't separate them unless there's blood all over the place, or one is getting harrassed to the point that it can't eat. You should weigh daily for a while to make sure that's not happeneing. Do it the same time each day, preferably before breakfast.

Just make sure you've got multiple food piles (hay, pellets, veggies) in the cage, and that all hideys have at least two entrances. Take out anything that causes an area where one pig can trap another.

adonnelly517 · Jun 23, 2016

Not to be rude or anything but Its only short 4" wide and 2" long as a 2x7 is 28" by 98" and my cage is 24" by 96". According to square footage on what ive read and researched these two cages combined gives them that and was in my budget at the time, but as i said i planned to get a c&c when i am able to afford one as all the places ive looked at sells them alot more then what i paid for the two cages i have combined. This is not the first time ive had cavies so i do know something about them. Just not alot about dominace as I never had that problem in the past.

I have multiple of everything in the cage but even still the one baby cant eat unless the other baby is sleeping cuz it wont let it. Just by picking them both up I can tell and feel hes a bit smaller then the other. But i will keep an eye on his weight and start checking it to be safe. But i do Thank you for the advice.

sallyvh · Jun 23, 2016

Those 2" and 4" that you are short may not seem like a big deal but it actually can make a huge difference. The Connected Midwest cages give you 16 square feet of space while a 2x7 C&C will give you just over 19 square feet of space.

There could be a couple issues with the Midwest's, one is that they are narrow. Boars seem the fair better in a wider cage. The second could be the way they are connected. Do you have them put together so it's just the little door and ramp to gain access to the other area?

A solution that could be plausible is put the Midwest cages together so they make a square instead of a long cage. Remove the center panel walls and somehow alter the bases so it is one big space instead of divided and sectioned off.

Also be sure that any hides you have in the cage have more than one entrance so that no one can be trapped.

lattiee · Jun 23, 2016

Are you for sure the two babies are actually boys as I would definetly double check them to make sure you don't have a female in the cage with two boys.

If they are all boys for sure I would more likely make sure there are 3 hideouts for each pig and only seperate the pigs if any war wounds are starting to occur which is scabs on the back of the guinea pig .

I would also keep a watchful eye on the older male guinea pig due to the fact when I had a older male and a baby male . They ended up doing great at the beginning and then when the baby got bigger the older male guinea pig suddenly started attacking the little one that the little one ended up with battle wounds .

bpatters · Jun 23, 2016

We don't recommend separating if the wounds are just minor scabs on the back. They'll get those from nipping at hair, mounting, etc. If they're at all-out war with each other, such as a rolling, biting, fur ball, then yes, separate.

But the disagreements will likely escalate as the baby boars age and go through full puberty.

lunarminx · Jun 23, 2016

adonnelly517 said:
Not to be rude or anything but Its only short 4" wide and 2" long as a 2x7 is 28" by 98" and my cage is 24" by 96". According to square footage on what ive read and researched these two cages combined gives them that and was in my budget at the time, but as i said i planned to get a c&c when i am able to afford one as all the places ive looked at sells them alot more then what i paid for the two cages i have combined. This is not the first time ive had cavies so i do know something about them. Just not alot about dominace as I never had that problem in the past.

I have multiple of everything in the cage but even still the one baby cant eat unless the other baby is sleeping cuz it wont let it. Just by picking them both up I can tell and feel hes a bit smaller then the other. But i will keep an eye on his weight and start checking it to be safe. But i do Thank you for the advice.

I had 4 boars and the 2x didn't work. I had to make a 3x to make it work even when I split them. Instead of two 2x4's, I made 2 3x3's. You might have better luck putting the cages together making it wider over longer. And use the two sides you removed from the center to still make it longer too, you would have to buy coroplast to make a base to fit but it would be wide and long.

Take a side and end off one of the cages, place it next to the other cage and take the side off the second cage that keeps it from being opening between the two. now take the same end off that you did one the first one. Use zip ties to attach the two cages together where you can. On the outside of each cage, add the side you removed, to make the whole cage longer and ziptie. Now ziptie the ends on and you are done except for the base.

lunarminx · Jun 23, 2016

You may also want to feed the baby once a day in a basket by its self so it can eat in peace. I use 2 bent grids as hidies, large and plenty of room to run from the others. I also make a canopy that is open in the front and ends.

adonnelly517 · Jun 27, 2016

Thanks for all of the advice!!! I have something for each of them to sleep in plus plenty for food for all three and each are still eating fine. I'll figure something out with the two cages to the to make it bigger unless I can find a c&c cage to replace them both with although as I just got a kitten will have to make sure it has a top to keep her out of the cage as she can already get to where they are and tend to paw at them through the bars.

bpatters · Jun 27, 2016

The kitty will get over that. When our cat was a kitten, his favorite place was perched on the guinea pig cage lid, with him swiping at the pigs. (The walls are too high for him to reach them.) But as he's grown up, he's no longer interested in doing that. I've taken the lid off, and occasionally I'll find him in the cage taking a nap, totally ignored by all the pigs.

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Dominance baby male boar keeps bitting other baby male, what to do???

adonnelly517

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adonnelly517

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lattiee

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