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Behavior Fighty pig biting cage

piggdaddy

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So for the past few weeks, our three boars had been fighting. All night they would be rumbling, humping, and squeaking. It came to a head when one of them had scratches on his nose
So we expanded the (5x2) cage by a grid, and separated the wounded pig. To our surprise, he had been, for one reason or another, the problem. (We thought he was the submissive boy). All of the fighting stopped immediately, however now the one we separated flaws on his cage all. The. Time
So the big cage was partitioned by a grid wall so they could still see and smell each other, but every waking moment, when he's not eating or sleeping, he's gnawing at the cage wall that separates him from the other two. Does anyone know what can be done to stop this behavior? We don't have the room to separate them entirely and I don't even know why the fighting started in the first place, because it just seemed to start out of nowhere. They're all about a year old. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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For some reason, boar trios virtually NEVER work out. The only real option you have is to keep the one pig separated, and either rehome him or get him a buddy in a separate cage. Try putting a piece of plexiglass inside the cage to keep him from chewing the bars, as that can cause dental damage and render him unable to eat, never mind the vet bills.

You'll find dozens of cage configurations on this site that can help you set up multiple cages, and perhaps even in the space that you have.
 

piggdaddy

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Is there any possibility of them growing out of their... disagreement? My fiance thinks he might, and would like to keep him but I'm worried he'll break his teeth before that happens. I tried tucking in a towel over the wall, but he just freaked out when he couldnt see the other pigs, then started gnawing on another grid wall
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Short answer? No. No one knows why, but boars usually live fine in pairs, but not threes. The pig you've separated will need a buddy, and hopefully one that he will get along with. They do much better with a buddy, but for some reason 3 just won't work.

Even I have tried it with a senior boar and two baby boys, and everything was perfect until one of the babies hit puberty. Then my senior boar became the target and I had to separate them all.
 
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