fighting

Question
Hello, I have 2 pot bellied pigs, they are both tiny pot bellied but a little different.  Snuffles turned 2 years old in Jan and scruffy the smaller black pig will be 2 years old in July. I got them 6 months apart at age 6 months each. When I got scruffy the black pig , he was second snuffles had a hard time with the adjustment and there was some fighting but not bad and it was determined snuffles the bigger multi colored pig was top of the herd. They live in the house but have had to be moved downstairs to a finished basement due to out of control cupboard raiding by both. They have access to go outside any time they want with a large back yard to play in. In the winter it is hard to get them out because thy don't like the cold, snow or wind. I will admit they have both always been very spoiled and pampered. # days ago they start fighting, it looks like scruffy the black one is the one starting the fights. Well needless to say over the course of a few days it has gotten out of control, yesterday they fought so bad it looked like they were going to fight till death. Snuffles back du claw some how got ripped right off they both have wounds on their ears as well as cuts all over them. I have been stopping the fights, I spent the whole day stopping this behavior and I am so upset I don't know what to do it is obvious to me snuffles is also upset but the little one scruffy just wont stop he keeps rearing up and continuing the fighting. They always got along before and I love them both so much I can't stand to see this going on. What do I do and why is this happening? If you can help I would appreciate it.I should add some back ground info on their personalities. Snuffles was the first one and is also the one more spoiled and babied, he still cuddles up on my lap to watch TV and get his rub down and has also always been very pushy, bossy and I think he may think he is my boss at times. The black pig scruffy is smaller and has always been very very sweet and some what timid up till a few weeks ago when he showed his first sigh of aggression which shocked me he lounged at my nephew for no reason then when I yelled at him snapped at my face. He has been ok since but showing signs of hostility at times towards my daughters dog who comes for occasional visits which are also new my daughter just got this dog a month ago so they really don't know each other very well. Hopefully this info helps with my current fighting problem. Snuffles is now acting very out of character and sort of like hiding and wont go to his bed, they share a bed, he seems very distraught as were scruffy seems to be walking around like king tut with his hair all raised. He knows snuffles was wounded pretty good with the du claw being pulled out and all the bleeding.
I have attached picture for you in this email. Snuffles is multi colored and scruffy is the black one.
                                                      Thanks
                                                     Melissa
melfry32@aol.com  

Answer
Hi Melissa,
Allexperts strips attachments off the messages, so I can't see the picture.
Pigs are able to breed at a very young age, but they don't reach maturity until about age 2. Aggression is a common problem with 2 year old pigs. Their instincts kick in and they want to be the dominant pig.
Aggression can also be caused by pain, but from your description I don't think that's the issue.
First aid for Snuffles hoof is gently wipe it and smear lots of antibacterial ointment on it. Anything for people is fine, Polysporin and Neosporin types seem to work the best. Keep an eye on the dew claw as it grows back. You might want to trim his other dew claws quite short.
The level of aggression depends on the individual pigs involved. For some pigs, this transition is little more than head swiping, loud discussion, and new sleeping arrangements. Unfortunately, most of the time it involves some serious fighting.
The problem has to be addressed on two levels. First, Scruffy needs to understand that humans are always in charge, never pigs. If he isn't harness trained, now is the time to start. Separate him from Snuffles, put his harness on, and teach him simple tricks like Sit or Spin. Make him work for EVERY treat. No more "free treats". When visitors are coming, put his harness on him before they arrive. If the visitors want to play with him that's fine, but first he must work for a treat from them. This way he learns that people are always in charge.
The second part of the problem is his interaction with Snuffles. That's the difficult part. The best thing to do is the hardest thing, and that's nothing at all (unless one pigs life is in danger). The two of them must spend their lives with each other, so they need to work it out between themselves. Interfering just prolongs the fighting.
I would give them an extra bed and blankets, so they can each sleep in their own space if the want to. And of course take care of the injured foot.
My pig Chrissy is the oldest and was In Charge for a long time. Then Sandy decided she wanted to be In Charge. Sandy is quite a bit bigger than Chrissy and really beat her up. She chased Chrissy out of the barn and into the snow in the middle of a cold winter. Chrissy was bleeding so I had to intervene. I separated Chrissy from Sandy until Chrissy healed, then let them back together. There were a few more spats, but Sandy was in charge. Chrissy new that I stepped in to protect her when she was badly hurt, so for weeks after she would harass or bite at Sandy, then run and hide behind me!
A few years later, my youngest pig, Diablo, reached age 2. In a herd of 6 pigs, he was the bottom pig. He fought and fought and fought his way to Second Place. After months of what seemed like endless fighting, things settled down again. But, he still intentionally bothers the others from time to time, just to remind them he is above them in their social structure.
PigInfoAndChat is a Yahoo group devoted to piggies, and my favorite Yahoo pig group. Many of the members have gone through what you are going through now, so you might consider joining or browsing the archives.