Another question, re boars

  • Thread starter Thread starter sunnyme
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sunnyme

Hi guys, thank you so much for your advice about Pip, now just one more question for you!
I have recently taken in two rescued boars; they used to live together, but they fought so badly, one of them had his ear ripped off before the owners noticed, and then decided to get rid of them. Nice! (I have now named the one with only one ear Van Gogh!) Anyway, they are both living seperately now, but in hutches with plenty of space for a friend! Do you think it would be worth me going down the route of a younger male friend for them, or considering their history, should I go down the route of an op and a female piggy?

Thanks for reading again, and thank you so much for all your help and advice. I think this site is wonderful!
Rachel
 
if it was me i would get them both castrated and get a female friend for them. i have done this quite a lot and always finds it works really works well.
 
yeah get them castrated because don't think you want any other piggies.
Females and male tend to get on fine but i woundn't risk getting another male to go with them.


Good luck and all the best
 
It all depends on which way you want to go. Do you have space for other piggies, can you affor vet fees etc?

If so then I would get them a friend. But if space/cost is an issue for other pigs I would get them neutered to live with girlies. :)

My first choice would always be to try a friend first but it depends on your circumstances. :)

Good luck!

Louise
x
 
Good luck. If mine decided not to get on I'd probably have them neutered and pair with a girl, but only because I have lots of sows anyway! A friend is a good option but depends on the personality of the pig.
 
I agree with Louise (Sunshine & Twinkle) despite the general concensus of males not being able to live together, it can be a very happy union, but obviously depends on the pigs in question. Sows are not guarunteed to get on with the boars despite popular opinion! Personally, I would never casually neuter boys on the assumption that they won't get on with another boar as any op is a risky op. If you do decide to go down this route, I would highly recommend seeking out a really good guinea surgeon who won't overcharge you and is confident on doing the op - the less confident and experienced they are the more their rates are likely to be - they can charge anything from £27 to £90 so the price can often be a good indication of how confident they are!

Are you near any rescues who will let you take your boys to their centres to choose their own pals? Doesn't have to automatically be a baby boar, sometimes a nice mature boy can be a better bet as they are past the stroppy teen stage.

Good luck!
 
I would always try to find another male friend as a first option. I think as long as you get the right combination it works incredibly well. I've got four pairs of males and one group of three. Only this week I introduced two similar aged males, both around five months old, and although I thought I might have had problems, again it worked really well.

All operations carry some risk, so I would only get a male neutered if I was unable to find him a male friend he could get along with.
 
Out of curiosity, do you know how much space they had when living together previously? Lack of space is a big factor in boars not getting along. I would certainly try them together in a large enclosure if it wasn't the case they had much room before.

I wouldn't put boars through a neuter before I tried them with other males.
 
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