bonding... 😬

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Teacake

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so..

i’ve decided i’m going to try and bond my piggies together. they’ve been together before and didn’t fight badly...

anyway, i’ll be bonding the first 4 on sunday or monday, wish me luck (:
 
ill posts the updates in this thread (:
 
Hi,
How come all four have been together before but not stayed together? Sows or boars, or a mixture? Very exciting :-) I hope it goes well. I recently created a herd of four sows from two pairs, and I had so much help and support from members of this forum :-) Good luck :-)
 
hannahs26 said:
Hi,
How come all four have been together before but not stayed together? Sows or boars, or a mixture? Very exciting :-) I hope it goes well. I recently created a herd of four sows from two pairs, and I had so much help and support from members of this forum :-) Good luck :-)
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only the 2 boys have been together and i seperated them cos i wanted more. 2 boars, 2 sows
 
Teacake said:
only the 2 boys have been together and i seperated them cos i wanted more. 2 boars, 2 sows
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To be clear, what sexes of piggies are you attempting to bond?
Trying to keep more than one boar with any number of sows is likely to end in trouble as the boys will be highly likely to fight over the sows
 
it’s two boars and two sows together. if it works i’ll bond another boar and sow with them. i’ve done quite a bit of research, and i’m well prepared for anything
 
You mean bonding all four? Please don’t do that, unless you want to end up with possibly injured boars, or them not willing to live together again. Why not pair them off? If you want big herds you could bond each boar with one sow and add some more sows later.

May I ask why you want to attempt it? And already considering adding another boar? Even the most calm piggy can turn and fight over a girl.
 
Teacake said:
it’s two boars and two sows together. if it works i’ll bond another boar and sow with them. i’ve done quite a bit of research, and i’m well prepared for anything
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Please be aware that you need LOTS of space for this to work in the longer term. The fail rate is VERY high.

Please also accept that neutering boars (and I assume that they are neutered) won't react any differently than full boars; all you take away is the ability to make babies but not any social instincts which is that sows generally associate with the boar of their choice and that a sow season can cause a fall-out even between bonded boars - and the crucial time is a strong season!
Planning to add even more piggies into a rather volatile mix is not what I would recommend. I sincerely hope that you have got a plan B in case this goes haywire.
 
F3529B97-CDDB-46D5-A549-B5EB6C9A26A9.webpbonding is going ok. i decided to do it today, since i have not much going on.

beans: female tricolour
noopie: female black and white
marmalade: male tort
toast: male buff self
 
:agr: With all of the previous posts. If you have two boys and two girls I would think it was much better to bond each boy with one girl. I’m sure you’ve looked into it and want the best for your pigs but I don’t think it would be worth the risk if it doesn’t work out. My two boys have enough hormonal bickers as it is without two girls in the mix :))
 
I obviously agree with everyone else, after all of the advice you’ve had I’m shocked you’re still doing this. I think you really need to separate the boar/sow pairs that are getting on the best and really change this idea to be honest. Please, this could end so badly @Teacake
 
:agr: I do not believe that your decision to attempt to bond this group is actually in the long term best interests of the piggies. You have been given the clearest possible advice from our experienced members not to proceed with this bonding. I cannot comprehend why, given the advice you have been given you have chosen to act against that advice. I just hope that you have a very carefully prepared back up plan for when this fails.
 
I can't see this ending well... This has already been said a couple of times @Teacake but bonding each boar with one of the sows to from two separate pairs is much safer than putting all 4 in a dangerous situation that could end up with previously bonded piggies not accepting each other anymore. What's your plan for if/when this fails?
 
hello guys, i appreciate you concerns, but please believe me, i love my pigs and i understand that there are certain risks, but i am prepared for squabbles. they’ve been together for 4/5 hours now and there have only been 2 minor squabbles. i have all 6 in a play pen of 3 by 4 m. the 3 boars are fine together and 2 have been sleeping next to each other on a fleece mat. the girls have been napping under the hammock and bendy bridge. they have plenty of hay and multiple water sources. there has been no fighting, only minor nipping and rumbling
😅🤞
 
I must admit I have my doubts about this scenario, however saying that if they do manage to work out and all six live together happily you must have some VERY laid back boars! How old are your piggies?
Also i’m just asking as I can’t see if it has been mentioned on this thread but are they neutered? (I’m assuming yes but just wanted to check)
Good luck with the rest of the bonding!
 
Freya1234 said:
I must admit I have my doubts about this scenario, however saying that if they do manage to work out and all six live together happily you must have some VERY laid back boars! How old are your piggies?
Also i’m just asking as I can’t see if it has been mentioned on this thread but are they neutered? (I’m assuming yes but just wanted to check)
Good luck with the rest of the bonding!
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the (neutered) males are: 2 years, 1 year, 1 year
females: 3-4 years, 2 years, 7 months

thanks! (:
 
Also @Teacake they might be fine when you're there watching them, but what are you going to do when you're not close by? What are you going to do when you go to work or on holidays? Even when you're sleeping, a lot can change overnight. A fight could break out and they could get seriously injured if you're not there to break it up.
 
hello, they’re fine this morning. no wounds or injured pigs (:
 
alright they’re now in the cage, and none of them have been fighting. one of the girls is squeaking a lot, but she always does that, she’s just grumpy. don’t worry she’s not in pain, just a grumpy pig (:
 
Good to know all seems well so far. What is your plan b if things take a turn for the worst? Do you have extra cages/grids if a separation is necessary? I know some forum members have a plan b even if their piggies get on extremely well.
 
Eddie & Elvis said:
Good to know all seems well so far. What is your plan b if things take a turn for the worst? Do you have extra cages/grids if a separation is necessary? I know some forum members have a plan b even if their piggies get on extremely well.
Click to expand...
yeah i have 5 or 6 old rabbit cages that i can use (:
 
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