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advice needed on adding a third piggy to a pair..

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biscandmatt

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i've asked about this before.. basically the 'rescue' we adopted maisie from, said she hated all other sows. they said she came in with a group of boars from not a good situation.

this 'rescue' tried her with a group of sows straight away and she hated them. she was then mated (this 'rescues' way of doing things! rolleyes) and she gave birth to one little baby boy. he was adopted (probably more likely sold!)

anyway, she was tried again with sows and apparantly hated them.

we accepted this and thought no more of it, but now maisie has been with us a while and is settled, we just can't believe she wouldn't like other sows. she is the sweetest pig ever, she adores attention. the thing that is making me sad for her is that she is energetic and she loves to play and popcorn. she wants ches to play but he is a lazy pig and sleeps alot and lies in his hay! when he does do the odd popcorn or move around she gets so excited.

ches sleeps pretty much all day and she just wanders round the cage on her own standing up all the time to look for us so we can give her attention.

she adores ches, they are very close, but we think maybe another sow who is a nice pig but also playful aswell, would make maisie happier. she would have a friend to pop with, but also ches aswell. and he would be fine with another sow. :))

we think she was tried with other sows at the rescue when she was already scared. then she was pregnant, then she lived alone at the rescue for about ten months until we adopted her. when she arrived here she was so terrified. it took her a while to settle. but she is so sweet natured and just a really affectionate pig.

does anyone have any advice? :)
 
aww poor little girl, don't know how those people can call themselves a rescue. Iv got 3 boar pigs and beginning to think that we should have got 4. reason being, we got 2 at the start and month later got another younger one, who now has really started showing his cheeky personality and has become more like one of the older 'boss' boars (which insistently is the same breed as him)

my other boar is very quiet and very wary. when food comes it takes him a little while to get the courage to come and get something to eat and when he does he grabs something then run back to the cage with it. so i really don't know what to do.

Do you really think it will make your little girl happier with another pig? I think you should try it- or do you know anyone with a sow that you can see how she reacts to her? like put them close together so they can see and smell each other but through a barrier just in case things don't go too well.
 
Do you have a different rescue round by you that would allow you to take them and see if they can find a friend. I have done that here and am currently putting 2 groups of sows together for someone.
 
aww poor little girl, don't know how those people can call themselves a rescue. Iv got 3 boar pigs and beginning to think that we should have got 4. reason being, we got 2 at the start and month later got another younger one, who now has really started showing his cheeky personality and has become more like one of the older 'boss' boars (which insistently is the same breed as him)

my other boar is very quiet and very wary. when food comes it takes him a little while to get the courage to come and get something to eat and when he does he grabs something then run back to the cage with it. so i really don't know what to do.

Do you really think it will make your little girl happier with another pig? I think you should try it- or do you know anyone with a sow that you can see how she reacts to her? like put them close together so they can see and smell each other but through a barrier just in case things don't go too well.

i think she would love to have a friend that will run and popcorn with her. but i am wary of upsetting the bond between her and chesney, because they are very close. she grooms his ears, she follows him round. she just wants him to run and play and he isn't like that, he prefers to sleep, eat and sleep some more! rolleyes

i don't know anyone else with piggies. and i know if i got another sow then i would fall in love with her straight away and not want to give her up. :))

i don't know what to do. i'm finally getting round to extending the cage soon, so that would be a good time to add another sow and them all go into a brand new house! :))
 
Do you have a different rescue round by you that would allow you to take them and see if they can find a friend. I have done that here and am currently putting 2 groups of sows together for someone.

i only know of one rescue around here and emailed them and asked some questions. they replied but weren't very helpful and didn't even answer any of my questions. :(

i don't know if a new pig would need to be quarantined either. :{ we didn't do that with ches and maisie (ches was here first) they were bonded the day maisie arrived, which maybe wasn't the best idea as she was stressed from the journey and the change of scene. but they bonded quickly and soon settled down. they really took to each other very quickly. maisie adores ches, and he adores her, and it's their bond i am worried about changing.

i really don't know. :{ i know she is ecstatic when ches moves around and joins in with popcorns! :)) i could just imagine her with a friend running about, and ches just sat in the hay watching them! :))

she just seems to be wandering around on her own alot, just muttering to herself, pop pop pop! :)) but she shouts me over all the time and stands up at the cage bars for attention. if you looked in the cage you wouldn't know ches was there, he's always in his hay! rolleyes
 
I take it Ches is neutered, in which case adding another sow should be ok. Even sows that don't get on tend to do better with a neutered male. I have never had a sow here who had to be alone - some have taken a while to bond, but they always manage in the end, with the right companion.

However you may find they are in fact happy as they are - another sow could create friction between them; it would be a case of try it and see!

Sophie
x
 
I take it Ches is neutered, in which case adding another sow should be ok. Even sows that don't get on tend to do better with a neutered male. I have never had a sow here who had to be alone - some have taken a while to bond, but they always manage in the end, with the right companion.

However you may find they are in fact happy as they are - another sow could create friction between them; it would be a case of try it and see!

Sophie
x

yes, he's neutered. :) we just can't see her not getting on with any pig, i know we don't know for sure, but her temperament is amazing. probably doesn't mean it won't happen though i know.

i know ches and maisie are happy now. they are close. but just seeing her walking round the cage all day on her own. she just craves attention from us alot, and you can tell she just wants him to sprint round with her. :))

if another sow did cause friction, if that sow was then removed again, would ches and maisie go back to how they were before?
 
I think the chances of them getting on are good, but it would really be best if you could take your piggies to a rescue who would oversee the bonding bit for you.

If the third one caused problems, it's likely the original two would continue to get on again if the third one was removed, but no guarantees

Sophie
x
 
Have you tried Small Paws? (Logiebear on here) She's in Manchester too

I understand your nerves at adding another girl to your pair. I was really worried that adding Pixel would upset Pippa and Willow too. Pixel was only a baby at the time but Pippa (my dominant girl) took to her straight away. Willow pretty much ignored her rolleyes

I'm by no means an expert, but I'd be tempted to look for a young girl or a very chilled girl if you're worried Maisie may get a bit stroppy

Good luck in your search! :)
 
I would try bonding a sow with both of them in the way that we bond adult boars. Neutral territory, new one in first, lots of distractions, clean out existing cage before putting back etc. etc. Could you get a rescue to bring you a sow round and you can set up a bonding pen to try, or you could take your two to a rescue, who could make a bonding pen to use.
(Glad you're not going back to the other rescue. x)
 
I would take any introductions very slowly, more like shared regular shared run time separated by grids or mesh at first, ideally in completey new surroundings; new girl there first. You can then judge the initial reactions much better. Not every happily bonded pair likes to share. In fact, that was the only bonding of mine that every went awry.

I can only repeat what Little Piggles has said: Have you asked Logiebear from SmallPaws; she's a member who runs a new rescue in Greater Manchester and all comments from forum members that have rehomed from her have been very positive. Here is her website: http://www.smallpawsrescue.co.uk/

Perhaps she can help you with finding a suitable friend for you girl?
 
thanks for the advice :)

would my two be ok travelling to a rescue? i worry about them. but i would feel more comfortable having a rescue bond them rather than me, i would be so nervous!

we have viewed a house today so might be moving, so could be a good time to bond them in a new cage and environment. and more room for them aswell.

is there a particular age sow that would be best, or is the temperament more important? chesney is 3-4 approx, and maisie 2 approx.

it would be nice for ches having two wives, and maisie having a friend who will sprint round with her. and being able to give a home to another rescue piggy would be great aswell. :)

thanks for telling me about small paws, i'd forgotten about that one. :)
 
i hope your bonding goes well - i have a sow which is over 3 now and her cage bf passed away and i did try a while back with other sows, but didn't go too well - now i have 2 girls together as the other 3rd one has been spayed and now lives with a male, so i am going try today to put Lucy in with Daisy and Emily and see how it goes.
 
Yep best bet is to get in touch with Suzanne at Small Paws and she'll be able to sort you out :)) xx
 
I had sort of the same problem as i took two sows in from someone a few months ago.I tried pairing them up but seemed to be alot of noise and argueing between them........ So what i done was like weikbe said with the wire mesh but in runs put together.Then i scubbed the hutch they were going into to try to get away any scent from the sow.I then paired them together in the hutch and now they are best friendsx)x)
 
well my bonding didn't go well again - netural ground but Lucy and Emily went at each other like cats fighting, it was horrible and Emily has a cut on her nose, so i wont be trying that again.
 
you won't believe this.. but ches has moved round more since i posted this thread, than he has in the last week! rolleyes i'm sat here typing this and all i can hear is ches and maisie knocking boxes over! and maisie saying pop pop pop.. :)) she loves when he plays aswell. x)

they were snuggled up together aswell earlier. they do this alot, they are very close. x)

we have decided to extend the cage and then hopefully we will be moving soon so may beable to extend even further, or add another sow. but the extra room might help, as in summer when they are in their run, even ches runs round alot.

i don't want to rush into adding another, as there is the costs to think about aswell. i want to make sure i have enough money for all the pets if they should fall ill for whatever reason. i already have two bunnies who have long term respiratory problems and it's very expensive.

i'm being sensible! but have been thinking how nice it would be to have another piggy! rolleyes:)) but got to remember this would be for them and not me! :))
 
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