Boar Dating- Bad idea to attempt it myself?

[cutepiggies]

Hi, I adopted a gorgeous little Boar 6 weeks ago who I saw was being given away for free on Gumtree. I took him in as didn't want him ending up as snake food:-( and he has been living in a cage in the same room as another set of Boars that I have. I am very keen to pair him up with a friend but know it may not be advisable to do it myself? Has anyone tried this with Boars instead of doing it via a rescue?
There are only 2 rescues within a 3 hour drive of where I live that offer 'Boar dating'. One of them is very reputable but I have left 2 phone messages and e-mailed twice and heard nothing back and am very frustrated with them. The second one boards them outside in hutches and I don't want him kept outside for a week whilst they pair him up?
What do others do when trying to pair Boars up with a friend? I know he would probably accept a baby piggy as a friend but there is no way I am going to purchase one from a pet shop, it needs to be one that needs a home iykwim so what do you do you if you don't have the option of having a rescue 'date' them for you?
Sorry for rambling on!

 

[gizmo01]

Ive bonded several pairs of boars, some of which have worked some for a bit others not at all. You cant say untill you try wether its gonna work buts absoloutely not a bad idea to attempt it yourself we have a boar dating guide on TGPF if it helps

 

[*Nibbles&Nugget*]

The first time I did it with a lady who had done it many times before and that was great and really reassuring. I have since done it on my own a few times. I think it's down to your personal confidence really

Amy
x

 

[cutepiggies]

Thanks for the replies I'm fairly confident with piggies, I just would have preferred to go down the rescue route as they are so much more experienced I guess but I'm not going to continue trying to get in touch if they can't reply to the numerous messages I have left! How do you source piggies by yourself though? There are so many of the poor mites being abandoned on Gumtree but how would you give yourself the opportunity to bond them? I also worry that you don't know what infections they could be carrying or anything. The little fella I took on was in a right state when I adopted him and don't want to expose him to anything else{:|

 

[gizmo01]

you should always Quarantine any new arrivals for atleast 2 weeks and then also gradually introduce (C&C with a divide so they can see but not touch) to assess tempraments

 

[Dindypig]

If you put your Location (city or county) in your public profile, we can tell you where your nearest rescue is, not all rescues are advertised.

 

[Wiebke]

I would recommend looking for a good rescue within reasonable reach first before you commit to take on a piggy that may come with infectious illness/neglect problems (and hence will need 2-3 weeks quarantine and a vet check/treatment) and that may not bond with your boy, so you will have then two piggies to find a solution for. It can be a steep learning curve, as some of our members have found out!

Good standard rescues are equipped to deal with all these problems and they are doing their best to take in as many piggies in need as possible to give them expert care. But in order to be effective, they also need to find new homes for those piggies they have brought round - and that is often a problem as quite a lot of people think that rescue piggies are "safe" and therefore don't need their attention. By going rescue, you are not only minimising the risks for yourself, you are also helping to make space for more piggies that need knowledgeable care.

If you want to take on piggies in need at a later stage when you have the experience, the space, time and the money to do so, and you know exactly what are letting yourself in for, then that is fine. If you have doubts, please take the safe route (via rescue) and build up your own experience first. Sadly, there is a growing flood of unwanted pets in this and other countries, as they are mass bred for the sake of cheap money and treated like disposable toys by their new owners...

If you want to go it alone, please read the relevant information threads at the top of the behaviour section, as well as this thread here from a rescue lady doing residential boar bonding; that gives you a better idea of what you may be facing: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?59233-Boar-Dating-Service-Wales

PS: With members from all over the world, we are grateful if you added your country, state (US) or general area (UK) to your details, so we can give you the appropriate advice, links and - if possible - local recommendations straight away. You can do so in my settings (at the top right of the page)/edit profile/location.

 

[MerryPip]

Also please be patient with rescues. They are not large professional organisations, they are usually run by some one from their own home, around family life. They are often called to deal with horrific cases of neglect, abandonment and cruelty so it can take them some itme to get back to people. It does not mean they are ignoring you or don't want your help as a potential re-homer.

Wiebke's advice is excellent. Boar bonding can be a tricky business but if you get plenty of advice and find a suitable piggy from a reputable source and follow quarantine advice then you have the best chance of a successful result.

 

[cutepiggies]

Thankyou for the advice :-) Taking on a piggy with long term health problems wouldn't concern me at all. My concern was how I could bond them if one hadn't been through an isolation period without me commiting to it before hand if that makes sense? I already have one with long term health problems and the one I took on recently came with a whole load of health problems as well. I hope I didn't sound like I was looking for the perfect piggy. I do know my piggy stuff, just no idea about Boar bonding!
Just a bit curious as to how others do it if they don't have the option of a rescue nearby, but don't want to commit to a piggy without having an idea of how they get on!
Merrypip, I know I have perhaps come across as impatient. I am very involved in animal rescue myself actually so know how horrendous a job it is sadly and how busy they are but most rescues do grab hold of potential adopters with both hands! I suppose after 2 weeks of attempting to speak to someone I was a little hacked off.
I am going to keep pushing with the first rescue though until I get through to someone. Its definitely the best route to go and it does have a fab reputation which is why I was so keen to adopt from them in the first place! I will update my location, sorry about that!

 

[Wiebke]

The problem with boar (or actually any piggy) bonding is that you simply can't know for sure whether or how two piggies will get on beforehand. Please have a look through Suzy's boar dating thread (the link is in my previous post)! It will really give you a good and realistic idea about boar bonding - on average, it takes about different candidates for a success, but that ranges from first time lucky to some boys who go through 6 dates until they find a character compatible boarmate; most boars tend to find a friend within the first three tries. Suzy's thread also contains videos and quite a lot of information about which behaviours are tolerable and when to separate etc. We have also got a thread with tips on how to best stage intros in the behaviour section.

Where rescue dating is not an option, going for a baby/youngster is usually the best way, but we have had several cases where we had a fall-out after about two weeks when the youngster started to reassert himself to fights when a dominant youngster hit the big hormones and tried to take over. As you usually can't test character compatibility beforehand, there is a higher risk than with residential/full dating (by far the safest, but also the most time consuming option and not offered by every rescue; this way boars of all ages can be bonded with each other and the resulting bond is as stable as a sow bond) or speed dating at a rescue with a younger boar, where at least character compatibility is taken into account, so you have a much improved change of things going the right way.

The health problems I mentioned were in connection to a necessary quarantine - ringworm and mites are not at all uncommon in neglected piggies; they have about an incubation period of 2 weeks. Incoming piggies at a good rescue undergo a mandatory quarantine.