Advice wanted for 3 bores at 10 weeks of age

Joandpiggies

Joandpiggies

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Hello,

I’m hoping to get a little more help and advice about having 3 bore pups living together.

A few days ago I adopted 3 bore pups at 10 weeks of age. I’m a novice owner and only knew it’s best not to keep piggies on their own. The 3 brothers were available and the mistake I now realise I have made, is taking all 3. I couldn’t choose between them and didn’t want to leave one on his own 🤦🏻‍♀️

Since joining this forum today, I realise I have set myself up for a rocky road ahead, as it’s not likely that they will continue to get along, as they reach adolescence.

My question is........ what would you do in my shoes? Would it be best to just ride this out and see how they get on, even though I now know it will be likely they will fight or bully? Do I try to re-home one of the boar pups while they’re still young enough to possibly pair with an older piggie? (Heartbreaking to think of losing one of the boys, but maybe better now before I get too attached?) Or do I just wait with the view to seperating them when the time comes? (I have a large indoor enclosure that could be sectioned off, though not ideal) But if I did this, then what? Do they remain separated always? I would feel awful as I wouldn’t have more space to take in other piggies to pair with any of them 🥴 Would they be happy and have a good quality of life like that?

I feel really confused on what to do for the best. Any advice would be great? I’ve read a lot on here today about what to expect and how hard it is to keep a trio of bores together. My worry is what do I do about it?

Thanks in advance,
Jo X
 
Just to add to this, earlier today I was given the advice to make sure each piggie has their own of everything such as water bottle, food bowls, hidey and hay. I will do this in the hopes of it helping, I just dont know if it will be enough after everything I have read today 😔
 
Joandpiggies said:
Hello,

I’m hoping to get a little more help and advice about having 3 bore pups living together.

A few days ago I adopted 3 bore pups at 10 weeks of age. I’m a novice owner and only knew it’s best not to keep piggies on their own. The 3 brothers were available and the mistake I now realise I have made, is taking all 3. I couldn’t choose between them and didn’t want to leave one on his own 🤦🏻‍♀️

Since joining this forum today, I realise I have set myself up for a rocky road ahead, as it’s not likely that they will continue to get along, as they reach adolescence.

My question is........ what would you do in my shoes? Would it be best to just ride this out and see how they get on, even though I now know it will be likely they will fight or bully? Do I try to re-home one of the boar pups while they’re still young enough to possibly pair with an older piggie? (Heartbreaking to think of losing one of the boys, but maybe better now before I get too attached?) Or do I just wait with the view to seperating them when the time comes? (I have a large indoor enclosure that could be sectioned off, though not ideal) But if I did this, then what? Do they remain separated always? I would feel awful as I wouldn’t have more space to take in other piggies to pair with any of them 🥴 Would they be happy and have a good quality of life like that?

I feel really confused on what to do for the best. Any advice would be great? I’ve read a lot on here today about what to expect and how hard it is to keep a trio of bores together. My worry is what do I do about it?

Thanks in advance,
Jo X
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Hi and welcome

My advice would be to plan ahead and create a set-up that you can divide into two cages whenever needed - and to make sure that you have a divider handy!
Leave them together until they reach the teenage months. The normal scenario is that you end up with either one boy making war on the other two, two boys fighting or two ganging up on the third. In rare cases all three will fall out with each other (if you happen to have three very dominant characters) or you will be lucky to have three very laid back boys that won't fight but three of the same outlook are the exception and not the rule. You are more likely going to deal with a mix of dispositions.
Separate at the stage when the hormones start to hit and you get a better idea of their adult identities and how they'll mesh. This will hopefully allow you to end up with one working pair and you can then consider rescue dating the third boar, or if he is very sexed up, having him neutered so he can live with a sow (in which case the new pair should live out of sight and range of sow pheromones from your boars only pair).

Alternatively you can split up the boys into a pair now that you think will work out best and try to rescue date the third baby with an adult boar.

This guide here takes you through all the possible options: Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
If you don't think you have enough floor space for two cages in the future (to potentially home two of the boys in one and the other boy and a new male pal in the other), is there a way you could potentially stack them? (I'm not an expert on boars though, I'm presuming that two pairs could live in separate cages okay in the same room.) C & C cages can stack (with support), or you could maybe have one cage on top of a table and another below a table? That way you wouldn't necessarily have to think about re-homing one of your boars.
 
Hi Wiebke,

Thanks for the advice. Lots to ponder over there. Currently all 3 piggies get along so, no clear pair yet. I can separate as I have a similar but different set up to the popular C&C cage. I guess time will tell?! I have read the link suggested but just worry as I don’t want to see the piggies fighting or bullying. I know there’s usually always one more dominant, but it looks like 3 bores is just asking for trouble 😢

I will update with progress and see how we go. Thanks again,
Jo x
 
Helen82 said:
If you don't think you have enough floor space for two cages in the future (to potentially home two of the boys in one and the other boy and a new male pal in the other), is there a way you could potentially stack them? (I'm not an expert on boars though, I'm presuming that two pairs could live in separate cages okay in the same room.) C & C cages can stack (with support), or you could maybe have one cage on top of a table and another below a table? That way you wouldn't necessarily have to think about re-homing one of your boars.
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Hi Helen,

I hadn’t thought of that actually. That could be a possibility. The current set up was made to really use all space available, but on one level. It’s on a support stand but I could look at going up. It may be a bit high though, unless I remove the support stand I guess?

Thanks for your help x
 
I wouldn't act too hasty. Like Wiebke said, be prepared for the worst but wait and see what happens. My best friend went and brought 3 males despite all my advice, and she had them in a hutch barely big enough for two piggies but they never fell out at all so you can get really lucky
 
I think it will depend on characters. If you have three boars that’s chilled out, then they may all get on, on the other hand if they all become very dominant then there will be trouble. Best just monitor closely. Most of all enjoy them, have fun, boars are lovely and great little characters x 3!
 
Bill & Ted said:
I think it will depend on characters. If you have three boars that’s chilled out, then they may all get on, on the other hand if they all become very dominant then there will be trouble. Best just monitor closely. Most of all enjoy them, have fun, boars are lovely and great little characters x 3!
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Thanks Bill and Ted,

I think I’m just panicking that I’ve made a really bad decision. I just want the best for them and for them to be happy 😊 I still don’t think I could choose between them given the choice again though 👀 I have an enclosure divider at the ready and just in case, but will hope for the best.

At the moment, I will enjoy them as a littl trio and wait to see how this unfolds.

Many thanks,
Jo
 
@Joandpiggies you haven’t made a bad decision at all. You weren’t to know. I hope we didn’t panic you yesterday. You have joined this forum which has very experienced piggy slaves, and plenty of advice and you are obviously very keen to make sure your piggies have the best life. We are here to help & support you through this. I’d wait & see how they develop. But having a plan B is always a good idea.
 
Joandpiggies said:
Thanks Bill and Ted,

I think I’m just panicking that I’ve made a really bad decision. I just want the best for them and for them to be happy 😊 I still don’t think I could choose between them given the choice again though 👀 I have an enclosure divider at the ready and just in case, but will hope for the best.

At the moment, I will enjoy them as a littl trio and wait to see how this unfolds.

Many thanks,
Jo
Click to expand...
Please don't panic. there are a number of people on here who keep trios of boars successfully. Just wait and see what unfolds. For now just enjoy your new piggies. They will capture your heart.

I joined the forum only just over a year ago when i realised my two sows where in fact a sow and a boar. The advice from everyone on the forum was incredibly helpful and got me through a very stressful time. I was at least prepared for the worst (pregnancy/babies) but thankfully this didn't happen.

If you have any worries or concerns this is definitely the place to get the answers.
 
Thanks everyone for all your help, advice and support so far. I’m so glad I joined this forum, it’s been so valuable in preparing me for what may come. Currently just off to buy more feeding, water and hay racks, so each little piggie has his own. That’s a start 😊

I will send some more pics when I’m home, though I do have this one of Trigger and his fluffy head during lap time Xx B97F4E83-9031-4BF4-AF8C-01648FDF3CCF.webp
 
VickiA said:
@Joandpiggies you haven’t made a bad decision at all. You weren’t to know. I hope we didn’t panic you yesterday. You have joined this forum which has very experienced piggy slaves, and plenty of advice and you are obviously very keen to make sure your piggies have the best life. We are here to help & support you through this. I’d wait & see how they develop. But having a plan B is always a good idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks Vicki,

I was really worried but, today I feel a lot more positive and have made preparations to help me through their adolescence. I'm actually more grateful for the advice than panicked, although it was a shock! I’m just glad I found out what could happen. I now have a plan to section the enclosure off if necessary, 3 of everything and open ended hideys (as in both ends) so, tunnels really. Ordered those and more water bottles last night. Tomorrow I will change the enclosure so that I no longer have any single entrance hiding spots and just so that each piggie will be able to get a little space if needs be. I’ve made 3 hay bags today too and bought a soft baby toy, which I saw recommended somewhere to take out frustrations 👀 The space is there and unless there’s anything else you or anyone else could recommend I do, then I think I just need to ride this out and see how they get on?

Will still hope for a good outcome, but I feel much more prepared for worst case scenario now.

Can I just ask, I’m a little worried about Del Boy already. Strangely he’s the one I see doing the bum wiggling and grumbling more than the other two at this stage, but he’s the one that gets ignored regardless. He’s often pushed aside when eating and is certainly smaller than the other two. I will try to weigh him in the morning to get a better idea of how much smaller. But today I had to hand feed him his veggies to make sure he got some. But even then the other two quickly came along and tried to snatch it all. My worry is that he may already be a little bullied? Or is this just part of the normal heirachy at their age? I do see him eat pellets and hay plus drink without much interruption. It’s mainly the veggies and favourite beds that he gets pushed aside with.

Thanks again for you help X
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. The failure rate for 3 boars is 90%, but that means there's a 10% success rate. I have a boar trio who have made it through their danger months relatively unscathed. Groucho is definitely the outsider, and he was rumbled at by Chicco constantly. It now seems to be Little Dude who has a go at him from time to time. That said, all of them get antsy and wheek for each other if I take them out on their own for any length of time, although I have had to split them up a few times for a couple of hours, when their testosterone is running high. My advice would be to enjoy their madness unless it gets serious. I'm glad I didn't separate mine at the first sign of trouble, as they are incredibly entertaining because of the dynamic, like squabbling brothers who actually love each other underneath it all. I hope your boys make it x
 
Joandpiggies said:
Thanks Vicki,

I was really worried but, today I feel a lot more positive and have made preparations to help me through their adolescence. I'm actually more grateful for the advice than panicked, although it was a shock! I’m just glad I found out what could happen. I now have a plan to section the enclosure off if necessary, 3 of everything and open ended hideys (as in both ends) so, tunnels really. Ordered those and more water bottles last night. Tomorrow I will change the enclosure so that I no longer have any single entrance hiding spots and just so that each piggie will be able to get a little space if needs be. I’ve made 3 hay bags today too and bought a soft baby toy, which I saw recommended somewhere to take out frustrations 👀 The space is there and unless there’s anything else you or anyone else could recommend I do, then I think I just need to ride this out and see how they get on?

Will still hope for a good outcome, but I feel much more prepared for worst case scenario now.

Can I just ask, I’m a little worried about Del Boy already. Strangely he’s the one I see doing the bum wiggling and grumbling more than the other two at this stage, but he’s the one that gets ignored regardless. He’s often pushed aside when eating and is certainly smaller than the other two. I will try to weigh him in the morning to get a better idea of how much smaller. But today I had to hand feed him his veggies to make sure he got some. But even then the other two quickly came along and tried to snatch it all. My worry is that he may already be a little bullied? Or is this just part of the normal heirachy at their age? I do see him eat pellets and hay plus drink without much interruption. It’s mainly the veggies and favourite beds that he gets pushed aside with.

Thanks again for you help X
Click to expand...
I scatter veggies rather than use bowls, that way he can let them steal a piece and go on to another....they can't be everywhere at once.
Size isn't generally a guide, as my largest piggy is bottom of the heap. It depends on personalities. If it's all fairly ok, but the bullying seems to be continuing in the longer term, you could try splitting him off and see if he seems happier or if he shows signs of wanting to be with the others. I would leave that for a while though so as to let them sort out their hierarchy properly first. X
 
Reenie said:
Hi and welcome to the forum. The failure rate for 3 boars is 90%, but that means there's a 10% success rate. I have a boar trio who have made it through their danger months relatively unscathed. Groucho is definitely the outsider, and he was rumbled at by Chicco constantly. It now seems to be Little Dude who has a go at him from time to time. That said, all of them get antsy and wheek for each other if I take them out on their own for any length of time, although I have had to split them up a few times for a couple of hours, when their testosterone is running high. My advice would be to enjoy their madness unless it gets serious. I'm glad I didn't separate mine at the first sign of trouble, as they are incredibly entertaining because of the dynamic, like squabbling brothers who actually love each other underneath it all. I hope your boys make it x
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Thanks Reenie,

It’s great to hear of a success story and thanks for your advice. I’m currently loving watching them dashing around all over the place, popcorning and wheeking! They’re so full of energy and get so excited. I could watch them for hours! They’re just adorable.

Best wishes,
Jo x
 
Unusual situations do occur. I have a very unique situation with my piggies. I have 2 boys living in harmony with 3 girls which is certainly NOT recommended but fortunately nobody has told them that! It only works because the boys are so laid back they are almost horizontal and my dominant sow is DA BOSS and as soon as any trouble starts she is there putting everyone in their place. I do have a Plan B just in case though.
 
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