Fighting Boars Fighting

[goodxx]

All Living Things Cage - okay temporarily?

Hello! I'm adopting two boars this week, and they come with their cage. It is the All Living Things brand cage 'Guinea Pig Penthouse'. It's 47 inches in length and 24 inches in width.

Is this okay to use until I can order a c and c cage? I meant to order one from the store, but I wasn't sure if they had closed or if I should wait with all that's going on. I plan on getting a 2 x 5 one!

Thank you for any help!

 

[bpatters]

Re: All Living Things Cage - okay temporarily?

How old are the pigs? If they're very young, they may be OK until you can get another cage. If they're older, all bets are off.

I say "may be OK" because a change of living conditions can sometimes trigger aggression even in well-established pairs. So there's no guarantee that even if they were coming with a larger cage that they'd still get along after the move. You need a plan B in case you have to separate them.

The Guinea Pig Cages Store is mail-order only, so it's probably open. You could get an email from their site and ask.

 

[goodxx]

Re: All Living Things Cage - okay temporarily?

How old are the pigs? If they're very young, they may be OK until you can get another cage. If they're older, all bets are off.

I say "may be OK" because a change of living conditions can sometimes trigger aggression even in well-established pairs. So there's no guarantee that even if they were coming with a larger cage that they'd still get along after the move. You need a plan B in case you have to separate them.

The Guinea Pig Cages Store is mail-order only, so it's probably open. You could get an email from their site and ask.

They're 6 months old right now. I do have another cage I can put one in but I really do not want to separate them if I don't have to.

I just wasn't sure! I will send an email over and ask about it, though. If I can purchase one now, I absolutely will and will hope that the change is not stressful for them.

 

[Beatrix187]

Re: All Living Things Cage - okay temporarily?

You might also be able to order coroplast and storage cube grids and get them faster, if you wouldn't mind making it yourself.

 

[goodxx]

Re: All Living Things Cage - okay temporarily?

I ordered from the site and it should be here Tuesday! I didn't think it would ship so fast.

 

[goodxx]

Hello, I posted a thread about two boars being okay in a temporary cage not long ago.

I picked them up today, and as soon as we’ve gotten home they’ve started fighting. They were in the same cage they were kept in by their previous owner. New fleece, two pellet bowls, three hides, two water bottles, plenty of hay.

Within two hours, they were fighting. One was clearly bullying the other. He’d relentlessly chase the other, mount him, and the other was squealing loudly and high pitched. The other even lunged at him and bit him.

From what I understand, they’d been together since December. When I asked their previous owner if they got along okay, he said yes, but one is clearly more dominant than the other.

My question: now that one has bitten the other and has been aggressive, can I introduce them again at some point? I have a 2x5 c and c cage coming Tuesday, which I’ve read is large enough for two boars. If I start in neutral territory, can it be done? Or because one has bitten the other, do I now have to keep them separate, will they never get along again? (I say this because I know with mice, once they’ve bitten they’ll never get along and must be kept apart).

They are in separate cages right now. Thank you for absolutely any help any of you can give! I’d really appreciate it.

 

[Soecara]

I have successfully reintroduced a boar pair after a bad fight (both were bleeding, they were reintroduced after everyone healed), so it is certainly possible. However it might be a rocky introduction and you may really have to restrain yourself from separating them prematurely during introductions. General rule of thumb for introductions is only separate if there is blood drawn or they go into a flying rolling ball fighting.

Here is a good page to read about introductions https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

Squealing when another guinea pig is attempting to mount them is completely normal, guinea pigs are very vocal animals. In this context the high pitch squealing often means "hey you are annoying me", they aren't actually being hurt. Sometimes they will also nip at each other, particularly to tell the other one to back off, having been on the receiving end of these nips it rarely ever hurt much at all (and guinea pig skin is also much thicker then human skin and has a layer of fur padding), it is very different to an attack bite.

I do think you made the right call in separating them given they were in a small cage, they really didn't have space to be able to back off from one another and the behavior was likely to escalate if they are annoying each other too much. You will have to do full re introduction in a neutral area when the new cage arrives, then place them into the fresh new cage once they settle down in the introductions space.

 

[bpatters]

This is the same topic as your original thread, so I've merged them.

I answered your question on the other thread about a change of living conditions triggering aggression, and it will especially do so in a cage that's too small. @Soecara has given you good information about keeping them separated until you have a larger cage, and also the link on how to do introductions.

You've got two adolescent boars, and it will take some patience and luck for them to ever possibly live together. It may work, but you wind up with two solo pigs.

 

[goodxx]

This is the same topic as your original thread, so I've merged them.

I answered your question on the other thread about a change of living conditions triggering aggression, and it will especially do so in a cage that's too small. @Soecara has given you good information about keeping them separated until you have a larger cage, and also the link on how to do introductions.

You've got two adolescent boars, and it will take some patience and luck for them to ever possibly live together. It may work, but you wind up with two solo pigs.

thank you both! I apologize, I thought it would go in behavior. I do believe that’s what is causing it, as again the previous owner said they got along. I will keep them apart until the new cage comes and then will try and bond them together again. If not, I will just order another c and c cage and put them beside each other, so that they can at least talk, if they’d like.