Boars Behaving Badly II
eschimpf- Some boars never outgrow it. ;_; Mine are 3 and 4 years old. And they have only mellowed slightly.
If Reko is humping more than normal, you might want to keep an eye on Mojo. Sometimes one pig can sense the other one isn't feeling well, and takes it as a cue for a free-for-all hump fest.
Danya- The best cure for boarliness is space. If they are getting too out of hand, try expanding the cage. Sometimes this works.
If Reko is humping more than normal, you might want to keep an eye on Mojo. Sometimes one pig can sense the other one isn't feeling well, and takes it as a cue for a free-for-all hump fest.
Danya- The best cure for boarliness is space. If they are getting too out of hand, try expanding the cage. Sometimes this works.
I love all the humorous bad boar stories.
And HEY everyone,
The Mikly Piclies are up in the chronicles. I'm posting here about it because he misbehaved a lot and only got three good pics for y'all.
Link to the Mikly pics: http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1983381#1983381
And HEY everyone,
The Mikly Piclies are up in the chronicles. I'm posting here about it because he misbehaved a lot and only got three good pics for y'all.
Link to the Mikly pics: http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1983381#1983381
Oh how I missed GL!!
JaneDoe: I don't think my girls have ever not cared ;)
Dash has become EXTREMELY mellow, even surrounded by all of his womens. They hump each other far more than he would ever dare try.
JaneDoe: I don't think my girls have ever not cared ;)
Dash has become EXTREMELY mellow, even surrounded by all of his womens. They hump each other far more than he would ever dare try.
Neo is turning three this month, and he is still a humping, spraying, butt dragging fool. Every time we go for a week without spraying, my bf will make some kind of comment about Neo's hormones calming down finally. Neo always makes up for it the next week. Sigh.
So, today's pre-Patriots tailgate consisted of Spike and Chex trying to "sort things out" on the sectional sofa.
Chex humped Spike in the face, and hung on through the headbutts like he was on a mechanical bull.
Then Spike started ANGRY popcorns. And Chex followed. So I had two pigs ANGRY POPCORNING on my couch. They both have long hair, so as they popcorned, their hair fell across the other, and they just got pissed off more, hence more popcorning.
The towel and robe on the couch were so soaked with... gunk that we had to throw them in the washing machine. And my dad found a poop flung on the floor.
Chex humped Spike in the face, and hung on through the headbutts like he was on a mechanical bull.
Then Spike started ANGRY popcorns. And Chex followed. So I had two pigs ANGRY POPCORNING on my couch. They both have long hair, so as they popcorned, their hair fell across the other, and they just got pissed off more, hence more popcorning.
The towel and robe on the couch were so soaked with... gunk that we had to throw them in the washing machine. And my dad found a poop flung on the floor.
So it is becoming evident that our Chewy is a food-bully. He was the "top pig" before we took them (only 10 days ago--seems like longer!), and it seems like Hurley has decided he's not going to take it anymore, so Hurley gives as good as he gets. Except when it's about food.
Is two of everything with separation during feeding my best option?
They have two pellet bowls, and when we feed fresh we give them each a share in their "area", or feed while one is in a lap and the other in the cage, so that's ok. (Though Chewy will try to gobble his and "clean up" anything Hurley still has, if he gets the chance.) I have one hay rack in the kitchen, which I thought they were sharing ok. Last night I made a point of spreading out a lot of hay in the kitchen to make sure Hurley could get at it, and Chewy parks his big bum sideways to make it hard for him. So I put some hay in a bowl right in Hurley's house. Chewy left the kitchen to go eat out of his brother's bowl. (He is earning himself the nickname "Dudley", Harry Potter's fat, greedy cousin.) I had had enough so I put the barrier in the cage for the night. Chewy stands at the barrier pining, while Hurley sits happily in his house, where he can't see Chewy, and eats his hay.
Hurley weighs a lot less, about 250g (850g vs 1100 g), but he seems naturally slighter, and I doubt he'll ever be as big as Chewy. I guess I was lulled by the lack of humping and flying fur (of which there was some the first few days). Hurley will stand up to Chewy most of the time, but just seems to sigh and say "whatev, bro" when it's food. I hate to separate them permanently, as they are good company for each other, but I want Hurley to get his share too. Maybe the kitchen moves to his end so that if I put the divider up over night I know he can get his share of hay then? Or maybe I just build another kitchen/hay rack? Chewy can't be in two places at once. He's actually pretty neurotic about it--even when he has plenty, he will leave his and go take over whatever Hurley is at.
Is two of everything with separation during feeding my best option?
They have two pellet bowls, and when we feed fresh we give them each a share in their "area", or feed while one is in a lap and the other in the cage, so that's ok. (Though Chewy will try to gobble his and "clean up" anything Hurley still has, if he gets the chance.) I have one hay rack in the kitchen, which I thought they were sharing ok. Last night I made a point of spreading out a lot of hay in the kitchen to make sure Hurley could get at it, and Chewy parks his big bum sideways to make it hard for him. So I put some hay in a bowl right in Hurley's house. Chewy left the kitchen to go eat out of his brother's bowl. (He is earning himself the nickname "Dudley", Harry Potter's fat, greedy cousin.) I had had enough so I put the barrier in the cage for the night. Chewy stands at the barrier pining, while Hurley sits happily in his house, where he can't see Chewy, and eats his hay.
Hurley weighs a lot less, about 250g (850g vs 1100 g), but he seems naturally slighter, and I doubt he'll ever be as big as Chewy. I guess I was lulled by the lack of humping and flying fur (of which there was some the first few days). Hurley will stand up to Chewy most of the time, but just seems to sigh and say "whatev, bro" when it's food. I hate to separate them permanently, as they are good company for each other, but I want Hurley to get his share too. Maybe the kitchen moves to his end so that if I put the divider up over night I know he can get his share of hay then? Or maybe I just build another kitchen/hay rack? Chewy can't be in two places at once. He's actually pretty neurotic about it--even when he has plenty, he will leave his and go take over whatever Hurley is at.
"I can't believe I went more than three years without a boar."
Jane, and miss all this great stuff??? :)
Coastgirl, I don't have any advice, just wanted to say we have something similar starting here, but even then it seems to defy logic. I noticed Pumpkin (our newest and rescue pig) starting to do the dominance thing at feeding times...for the past 3.5 weeks now the two boars had gotten along just fine...so I figured, okay, I'll really split the feeding areas up and I put one veggie bowl on one side of the cage and the other one on the opposite end. Pumpkin was noshing, Timbit was hiding (having been relegated there by Pumpkin's actions) and eventually went over and started eating at the far veggie bowl. I figured, one pig at each end, both eating, all is well with the world.
I come back ten minutes later and both are sharing a single veggie bowl...like nothing had happened earlier. Ugh. Whatever piggos. :)
Jane, and miss all this great stuff??? :)
Coastgirl, I don't have any advice, just wanted to say we have something similar starting here, but even then it seems to defy logic. I noticed Pumpkin (our newest and rescue pig) starting to do the dominance thing at feeding times...for the past 3.5 weeks now the two boars had gotten along just fine...so I figured, okay, I'll really split the feeding areas up and I put one veggie bowl on one side of the cage and the other one on the opposite end. Pumpkin was noshing, Timbit was hiding (having been relegated there by Pumpkin's actions) and eventually went over and started eating at the far veggie bowl. I figured, one pig at each end, both eating, all is well with the world.
I come back ten minutes later and both are sharing a single veggie bowl...like nothing had happened earlier. Ugh. Whatever piggos. :)
-
eschimpf
- SweetPea
Coastgirl:
I would highly suggest two of everything or more. I've always had two of everything for all my pigs. With my boars, they are fine with one hay rack but water bottles and pellets, these are not allowed to be shared. So I have one pellet dish on one side of the cage and another on the other side. Same with water bottles.
On a side note, Mojo finally had enough and it was funnier than heck. Reko was chasing him trying to hump him when Mojo turned on him. The look on Reko's face was "Oh *BEEP*!!! Mommy!!!" as he high tailed it towards me. I was laughing so hard I fell off the sofa.
Now all is peaceful again. They are also back in the bottom cage and I think they prefer it there. Since moving them back to the bottom cage, which also has a grid in almost the middle to support the top cage, they have calmed right down. So no top cage for them.
I would highly suggest two of everything or more. I've always had two of everything for all my pigs. With my boars, they are fine with one hay rack but water bottles and pellets, these are not allowed to be shared. So I have one pellet dish on one side of the cage and another on the other side. Same with water bottles.
On a side note, Mojo finally had enough and it was funnier than heck. Reko was chasing him trying to hump him when Mojo turned on him. The look on Reko's face was "Oh *BEEP*!!! Mommy!!!" as he high tailed it towards me. I was laughing so hard I fell off the sofa.
Now all is peaceful again. They are also back in the bottom cage and I think they prefer it there. Since moving them back to the bottom cage, which also has a grid in almost the middle to support the top cage, they have calmed right down. So no top cage for them.
Bubba the Protector (aka: why Percy lives alone)
Percy was accidentally put into Oliver and Bubba's cage. Percy reared up and lunged at Oliver, and Bubba responded by ripping out several tufts of fur. =( Everyone has been given the thrice-over, had a bath and a clean cage. Percy got the brunt of it, Oliver and Bubba are simply irritated.
I was holding Percy when he started doing his potty dance. Completely forgetting which pig I had, I put him down in Oliver and Bubba's cage. Bubba will do anything and everything to protect his Oliver.
Percy was accidentally put into Oliver and Bubba's cage. Percy reared up and lunged at Oliver, and Bubba responded by ripping out several tufts of fur. =( Everyone has been given the thrice-over, had a bath and a clean cage. Percy got the brunt of it, Oliver and Bubba are simply irritated.
I was holding Percy when he started doing his potty dance. Completely forgetting which pig I had, I put him down in Oliver and Bubba's cage. Bubba will do anything and everything to protect his Oliver.
Reading the posts here make me realise how lucky I am with my two boys. They so rarely have a problem with each other. Although I've been happy-sad ove the last week to see Charlie suddenly looking like an adult pig for the first time sine I adopted him in March last year. It seems like overnight he lost that last little bit of a baby look he had.
I am a "return" newbie to GL and a super newbie (as in TODAY newbie) to boars. We got two 5 week old boars this afternoon and someone on the guinea pig cages forum suggested I look up the Boars Behaving Badly thread over here. I laughed so hard I swear I thought I was going to pee my pants, shoot sweet tea out of my nose and wake up all my kids at the same time. It was MORE than educational and I was super bummed when I saw it was a closed thread. Then TAH DAH....there's a part two. I'm so excited to follow along and read this new set of boar info. Also, I'm a bit terrified. I've never had boars. I've had piggies on and off since I was a teenager but never boars. Right now we have 2 cats, 4 pregnant mice (LONG story but there only here for a little while they aren't permanent house members) a club footed gerbil, and as of today 4 guinea pigs. Our two sows Lucy and Moo and now our boys Dexter and Oliver. I have a feeling the boys are going to give me a run for my money. But hey, if I can handle a husband that builds robot helicopters on my kitchen table and 3 kids....I say bring it.
