intergrating a new pig

Question
I have 2 neutered male potbelly pigs. They have seen each other through fencing many times. Every time I try to put them together, there is a fight. Do you have any suggestions on getting these two together?

Answer
Pigs see the world as a ladder, with each pig, pet and person having his or her own rung. Both of your pigs want to be "top hog" but only one pig can be the dominant pig. So, they fight.

The best thing to do is let the two of them work it out between themselves. Sometimes, if one pig is very dominant and the other very submissive, there may be nothing more than grumbling and a little chasing. But if both pigs really want to be dominant, they may fight quite aggressively, and the disagreements can go on for several days.

Your pigs can see and smell each other so they've already passed the first introduction phase. Now, they need to be put together. It's best if you can put the two of them together in a third, new pen, so both pigs are on neutral territory. If that's not possible, then just open the two pens and let the pigs roam through both. One pig might be submissive on the other pigs turf, but try for dominance when he's in his own pen. And, they might continue to sleep in their own places for awhile, but pretty soon they'll be snuggling up together.

Put Vaseline on their ears before the big introduction. Pigs fight by grabbing the ears with their mouths. Slick, oily Vaselined ears are harder for them to latch on to. Scattering food around can help, as it might distract the pigs a bit. Continue to give them each their own food dish. If bullying over the dishes becomes an issue, split their food into three or four separate dishes. The extra dishes make it impossible for one pig to dominate all the food.

Sometimes, all this pig headed arguing is harder on the people than the pigs. If this is the case, then Vaseline up the ears, put them together, and leave the area. Go shopping, or make some popcorn and pop a loud movie in the dvd. Give them at least three or four hours alone together.

Many people have the urge to intervene and scold the pig that "makes the first move". This is a mistake, because it simply prolongs the argument between the pigs. The pig really do need to set their own social rules between themselves. In fact, one way to minimize fighting is to respect the pigs pecking order. Greet the dominant pig by name first, feed him first, etc.

I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do - like fight to establish the pecking order. Her book is available on Amazon.com