In March of this year, I brought home my then soon to be third pair of boars — Sonic, who was approx. 3-4 months old, & Ash, who was approx. 2-3 months old. Both had been made adoptable due to their respective health/behavioral issues. Ash was a runt who had been bullied so severely he refused to eat & had to be syringe-fed for over 2 weeks. Sonic was still regrowing hair on half his body from a case of ringworm & had ears that looked like they’d been shredded from bites. Sonic was sweet & timid/a little aloof but considerably less so than Ash, who I barely even saw the first two weeks. I quarantined/nursed them back to health once home, got the green light on both from the vet, buddy bathed & introduced them per the guidelines here & they got along almost immediately. Though to my surprise, younger & much smaller Ash quickly established himself as boss pig & Sonic just seemed elated for the company. For months, they were a dream. Loved their c&c 2x8 cage — fleece bedding, unlimited Timothy & orchard grass hay distributed in multiple places, 3 food bowls, 2 water bottles, at least 3 hides (all with 2 entrances) & two tunnels, at all times. About 3 months in, I noticed an uptick in aggression caused in part by Sonic’s apparent decision to challenge Ash... more strutting, some snorting & snipping, hackles up, yawning, bouts of increasingly sustained teeth chattering & squaring up staring at one another here and there that really worried me — but I’d had similar issues with my other pubescent boys, & no blood was drawn, so I didn’t separate & decided to see whether the addition of a 2x2 loft would diffuse the aggression a bit.
For a while, it did. The loft always had hay, a food bowl, & a hide or hammock. They didn’t trap/corner one another in it like I feared they would, & it seemed to be a nice refuge up top/extra cover below that they both loved. But the spats resumed & intensified.
In the last two months, two triggers seem to have been breaking points. The first was Ash winding up at the vet for GI Stasis. Sonic took full advantage of Ash’s incapacitation & bothered him relentlessly, so the vet strongly recommended separating them with a grid for the course of Ash’s treatment. I did. When I reintroduced them (with a buddy bath, neutral space, & lots of hay) upon ash’s return to health, everything went smoothly & they fell right back in sync. Deep cleaned their cage but rubbed their blanket on their hides so their scent would hopefully eliminate the need to re-establish dominance as if it were new space. For two weeks, they were a happy healthy popcorning pair until the fighting again resumed.
Then I had to have my carpets cleaned, which required me to move everything into either my kitchen or bathroom. Their cage remained intact, but there were a few days that week that were tremendously stressful/loud for all involved. The day my carpets had been cleaned, I took them out of their cage to clean as usual & they were fine in their playpen, but when I put them back — again in a clean cage that still had their scent — they started chattering immediately, Sonic chased Ash one lap, they squared up, lunged and I sprinted across the room just in time to break up flying ball of fur before they flew very far.
But Sonic was bleeding on his shoulder — not a deep bite wound, but still enough to make me concerned about infections/abscesses. So I took him to the vet & she recommended separation via grid again while Sonic’s shoulder healed. Sonic, however, figured how to jump over the grids despite all my efforts to use spare Coroplast like a wall over the top of the grid without obstructing eyesight down below. So now their cages are separate & I doubt they can really see one another but Sonic chews at the bars in a constant frenzy & I haven’t been able to ease his distress. I know the continued separation and reintroduction is extremely stressful for them, & I guess I’m wondering if I’ve reached the point of separation being permanent. I have enough grids to keep them both in 2x5 c&c cages shorterm but would like to get them each in cavy company & back in much bigger enclosures as soon as possible. I have two other pairs I could potentially introduce them to, but my other pairs each have their own aggression issues as well. I know it’s wishful thinking but is it possible that reintroducing them one last time once they’re out of puberty might stand chance at success?
For a while, it did. The loft always had hay, a food bowl, & a hide or hammock. They didn’t trap/corner one another in it like I feared they would, & it seemed to be a nice refuge up top/extra cover below that they both loved. But the spats resumed & intensified.
In the last two months, two triggers seem to have been breaking points. The first was Ash winding up at the vet for GI Stasis. Sonic took full advantage of Ash’s incapacitation & bothered him relentlessly, so the vet strongly recommended separating them with a grid for the course of Ash’s treatment. I did. When I reintroduced them (with a buddy bath, neutral space, & lots of hay) upon ash’s return to health, everything went smoothly & they fell right back in sync. Deep cleaned their cage but rubbed their blanket on their hides so their scent would hopefully eliminate the need to re-establish dominance as if it were new space. For two weeks, they were a happy healthy popcorning pair until the fighting again resumed.
Then I had to have my carpets cleaned, which required me to move everything into either my kitchen or bathroom. Their cage remained intact, but there were a few days that week that were tremendously stressful/loud for all involved. The day my carpets had been cleaned, I took them out of their cage to clean as usual & they were fine in their playpen, but when I put them back — again in a clean cage that still had their scent — they started chattering immediately, Sonic chased Ash one lap, they squared up, lunged and I sprinted across the room just in time to break up flying ball of fur before they flew very far.
But Sonic was bleeding on his shoulder — not a deep bite wound, but still enough to make me concerned about infections/abscesses. So I took him to the vet & she recommended separation via grid again while Sonic’s shoulder healed. Sonic, however, figured how to jump over the grids despite all my efforts to use spare Coroplast like a wall over the top of the grid without obstructing eyesight down below. So now their cages are separate & I doubt they can really see one another but Sonic chews at the bars in a constant frenzy & I haven’t been able to ease his distress. I know the continued separation and reintroduction is extremely stressful for them, & I guess I’m wondering if I’ve reached the point of separation being permanent. I have enough grids to keep them both in 2x5 c&c cages shorterm but would like to get them each in cavy company & back in much bigger enclosures as soon as possible. I have two other pairs I could potentially introduce them to, but my other pairs each have their own aggression issues as well. I know it’s wishful thinking but is it possible that reintroducing them one last time once they’re out of puberty might stand chance at success?