Advice on housing for cranky piggy

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Ezry_Dax

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Today, I went to get some new piggies for one of my boars, who recently lost his cage mates and was beginning to sink into a bit of a depression. I asked the rescue near me for the male herd who had been there the longest and was most in need of a home.
I was delighted that her most needy boars were not a pair, but a triplet! I brought them home, and introduced my lone boar to them in a neutral location. It went very well, with only slight bickering.
However, once they were in their pen, one of the new boars began acting up. He is very aggressive to the others, and seems a very crabby fellow. He instigates tussles and gets argumentative at the slightest interactions.
After closer inspection, it seems as though he has been bullying one of his herd already, as both have some decent scabbing along their backs and rears. I currently have him in a large cage by himself, and he honestly seems more happy and much less on edge.
I want to keep the little dude, but I'm worried for his health and happiness. I know guinea pigs are herd critters, but this fellow seems to do so much better alone. He is in the same room as the other pigs, and can see/hear them.
Is he going to be all right on his own? Will the solitude shorten his lifespan and make him less happy?
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

It’s great of you to have taken them and given them a lovely new home.
However, I’m afraid boars don’t tend to work in herds (herds are for sows). Boars really need to be kept in pairs to be successful, and boar trios and quartets usually fail.
If he had already been having issues with the others as a trio, then it was a shame a rescue let you take a trio and try to form a quartet out of them. Most would not allow that due to the problems boar trios and quartets face.

You’ve done the right thing by separating him. He isn’t aggressive, it’s just that boars find it very hard to form a functioning hierarchy when there is more than two piggies involved. He will need to be kept alongside the others in a separate cage for interaction through the bars only. He isn’t alone if he can still see, hear and smell the others and it certainly won’t shorten his lifespan.

You need to also be aware that the others, as a boar trio, may also need separating. Sometimes somebody will get lucky with a boar trio but it’s not something you can control.
Do keep a close eye on them and ensure all remains well. Most boar trios (except in the cases of elderly or disabled/carer groupings where companionship comes first and dominance becomes less of a thing for them) don’t make it long term and the cage space needed is very large. To try to keep the other three together, ensure the cage is at least 300x100cm to give them all enough territory and keep a separation plan in mind in case things turn between them.

Fingers crossed for them to be one of the lucky successful trios!

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
Thank you so much! I had no idea of this. I must have lucked out then, because my older piggy was part of a very successful and tightly knit trio for years 😁
So far, now that the little lone wolf is on his own, things have settled down. The other two I rescued are being quite hospitable to my older boar. He's been in a pretty good mood, and they've been mostly dozing and snacking on hay. I'll be keeping a close eye for sure, and I'll separate them some more if needed. Thank you again for the info 😊
 
Yes you were one of the lucky few who get to experience a boar trio! Most boars put together aa a trio as youngsters don’t make it to adulthood together. If they can choose each other and have one square metre of space per piggy, then they have a better chance of getting it to work.

Ive just seen your intro thread and have seen that they are all older so hopefully you’ll get lucky with these three as well.

The one of his own will be absolutely fine though, so don’t worry about him.
I have a 5 year old bonded boar pair. I also have two 7 month old boars who were a pair but their bond broke down a few months ago and they now live separately and are much happier to be apart!
 
Awww, sweet!
For my trio, it began with the two older piggies, Cerzon and Nebula, who bonded quite quickly in an odd way where they both enjoyed privacy and space while resting and to be close together when grazing. About three years into it, I introduced a very young boar, Alcatraz, to the pair, and Cerzon became very fatherly. Nebula was a bit of a grumpy uncle, and made it clear that he wanted his alone time, so Alcatraz played around and cuddled with Cerzon instead. But through it all, they always went to graze their hay all together. It was nice, they never fought aside from some arguing, light chasing, and rumble stomping.
Unfortunately Alcatraz passed quite suddenly in his sleep a little over a month ago, and Nebula went in the same fashion a few days ago. I reached out to the local sanctuary to get some friends for Cerzon, as he'd stopped moving mostly and wouldn't drink or eat much anymore.
Cerzon has been doing so well since this morning, though! He devoured hay and drank plenty of water, and he's been running around and wheeking like crazy 😁
Aside from the arguments with the cranky boar, he's been getting quite close to the other two, since he's a very gentle dude. His passion is taking care of other pigs. He especially enjoys cleaning his friends, and the other two have been mostly receptive to this 👍
 
Gosh you were really very lucky! Adding a young boar to a well bonded pair usually causes all kinds of problems - you will see multiple threads on the forum from people who tried to do just this and it’s resulted in fights including with the original pair falling out, ending up with three single piggies. They must have been very laid back piggies with Cerzon sounding like a proper sweetheart!
Cerzon and Nebula sound to have enjoyed a normal pairing - most boars do appreciate their own space - mine are never in the same hide together but always eat together.
 
Oh wow. I had no idea! I'm glad that it worked out because I definitely didn't research that before hand 😰
They were a trio for four years and never fell out of friendship. I'd imagine that a big contributor to my luck was that my dad and I custom build spacious wooden pig pens for my little friends, and so they always had an abundance of space and places to hide.
 
Ezry_Dax said:
Today, I went to get some new piggies for one of my boars, who recently lost his cage mates and was beginning to sink into a bit of a depression. I asked the rescue near me for the male herd who had been there the longest and was most in need of a home.
I was delighted that her most needy boars were not a pair, but a triplet! I brought them home, and introduced my lone boar to them in a neutral location. It went very well, with only slight bickering.
However, once they were in their pen, one of the new boars began acting up. He is very aggressive to the others, and seems a very crabby fellow. He instigates tussles and gets argumentative at the slightest interactions.
After closer inspection, it seems as though he has been bullying one of his herd already, as both have some decent scabbing along their backs and rears. I currently have him in a large cage by himself, and he honestly seems more happy and much less on edge.
I want to keep the little dude, but I'm worried for his health and happiness. I know guinea pigs are herd critters, but this fellow seems to do so much better alone. He is in the same room as the other pigs, and can see/hear them.
Is he going to be all right on his own? Will the solitude shorten his lifespan and make him less happy?
Click to expand...
he will be okay on his own, love.
make sure he can always hear, smell, and see them, but he will be okay. if not you did what you could
 
matilda_remi said:
he will be okay on his own, love.
make sure he can always hear, smell, and see them, but he will be okay. if not you did what you could
Click to expand...
Thank you 😊
I'm a bit busy at the moment, but later on today I've got an update for him 😁
 
Update on cranky piggy!
Apologies for not doing it yesterday, I got quite busy.
The cranky boy is not as cranky as meets the eye. Now that he's had some time to settle down in his own private space, he's become quite the happy piggy! Londo is constantly wheeking and exploring. He is no longer the anxious and hostile boy he was. He was the first of the three I adopted last Saturday to accept a treat from my hand on Monday, when I brought them some fresh romaine lettuce.
I've held the little dude a couple of times, and he seems unused to it but overall not too scared of being picked up and cuddled. His wheek is so adorable! If I had to describe it, I'd say it's very musical, like a low bell. Londo has become a completely different pig in the last couple of days, and is proving himself quite the outgoing guy.
IMG_20230411_073237.webp
I am keeping an eye on him at the moment though, since when I got the three I checked on the usual things and noticed two of his teeth are broken at the moment. They're making good progress growing back, and he still eats just fine and seems to be in no pain. They aren't too much shorter than the normal ones, so they should do fine growing back.
Also, his eyes are a bit teary, so I'm rinsing them with some eye drops to clear them out. 😁👍
 
He must of had first time home nerves! (Or is just one of those pigs who prefer to be alone, haha)

He is absolutely gorgeous and I hope things continue to go well for you all! :luv:
 
Ezry_Dax said:
Update on cranky piggy!
Apologies for not doing it yesterday, I got quite busy.
The cranky boy is not as cranky as meets the eye. Now that he's had some time to settle down in his own private space, he's become quite the happy piggy! Londo is constantly wheeking and exploring. He is no longer the anxious and hostile boy he was. He was the first of the three I adopted last Saturday to accept a treat from my hand on Monday, when I brought them some fresh romaine lettuce.
I've held the little dude a couple of times, and he seems unused to it but overall not too scared of being picked up and cuddled. His wheek is so adorable! If I had to describe it, I'd say it's very musical, like a low bell. Londo has become a completely different pig in the last couple of days, and is proving himself quite the outgoing guy.
View attachment 222698
I am keeping an eye on him at the moment though, since when I got the three I checked on the usual things and noticed two of his teeth are broken at the moment. They're making good progress growing back, and he still eats just fine and seems to be in no pain. They aren't too much shorter than the normal ones, so they should do fine growing back.
Also, his eyes are a bit teary, so I'm rinsing them with some eye drops to clear them out. 😁👍
Click to expand...

It might be worth a vet checkup if you’re worried about his eyes and teeth. I’m so pleased he’s settling in so well. He just needed a caring owner to come out of his shell. 😍
 
Glad to hear he is settling.
I agree about a vet check being carried out particularly if he has watery eyes and damaged teeth .
 
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