Happy GPs or not?

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

We've had our two male GPs (aged 1 & 2) for about two months now. They were both from a rescue home and came together. They live outside and I'm very keen to make sure all their home comforts are provided for. But how do I know if they're happy?! DP thinks I'm bonkers but I'm a bit of a crazy animal lady and can't bear the thought they might not be.

They are still very nervous when handled (probably not helped by our two children who are very, ahem, enthusiastic) but I closely supervise any handling by the children and limit it to 20 mins a day. So do you think they need more handling by an adult or less?

They also seem to be having a bit of a row with each other; I've noticed in the last few days that they sometimes growl at each other and quiver a lot. Is there a reason for this? I know stress can cause GPs to behave erratically but I can't see how they're stressed - they have 12 hours a day in their run which is big and they've got a pet carrier full of hay in there as well for bedding down after lunch. Then they get put to bed every night in a lovely clean hutch and I feed them with good quality food daily.

Or am I overthinking this in a mad animal lady kind of way?

The growling and quivering is 'rumble strutting' and is normal male dominance behaviour (human males often do a similar thing over the TV remote ). They are just deciding who's boss and then if they're anything like my pigs, they'll have to re-decide this regularly (top pig never changes but they still go through the motions). So long as they're not actually fighting they're fine.

Sounds like they have a lovely set up and plenty of room. They'll still be settling in. Although my boys have been with us for 3 years and they still hide if we try to pick them up although once on a lap they love it. The key is to feed them on laps an they soon learn that this is a good thing to do.

You may want to make sure they have 2 hidey holes in their run so they can have space from each other (males like this). They tend to have a 'cant live with each other, can't live without each other' relationship.

After 2 months I would be handling them as much as you like. We use old towels on laps for the pigs snuggliness and to soak up wees.

YY what Fernie said.
Bear in mind that a 2 boar set-up is not a natural occurance (in 'the wild' they would be boar+ sows in a group) .
The keeping of boars together does work well but it's a situation that Pig Owners have created,

They need their own spaces - my boars would sleep in the haybox together but in seperate corners. They could chat and benefit from the company and warmth but not physically close.
The noises are just them asserting themselves.

typing with one hand now, i have gp5

are they eating and poohing, good signs for a guinea pig.
are they exploring and using all their space - you'll tell where they've been by the droppings

definately handle them every day - ours come indoors for emmerdale and sit for am hour or so - their bladders will last an hour.
but instill in your dc that piggies are nervous and flightly, especially in the earliest days.

Thanks for excellent advice as usual! The run has a wooden tunnel and a wooden arch both purchased from the rescue centre. I also put the pet carrier full of hay inside the run every day and they're often in there separately or together having a rest.

They scoff everything I give them, poo/wee loads (oh my god, how can two small animals produce so much waste?!) and run around the run chasing each other.

So perhaps they are just fine and behaving like normal GPs?!

They sound fairly normal and yes they do produce enormous amounts of poop. My lawn is well fertilised. It surprised me at first - I'm a rabbit person and was used to the relatively tidy habits of bunnies and the modest amounts of bunny currants. So pigs were a shock. It's as though they have an internal conveyor belt - as fast as it goes in one end, it's coming out the other .

at internal conveyer belt - that is exactly it.
(I'm picturing The Generation Game)

GP3 has discovered one benefit of neutering (apart from being allowed to live with his girls instead of forlorn chats through the bars) - his pooh potential is now unhampered.
Where before his mahoosive boar 'nads got in the way, now it's given his bum freedom