Engel's Herd

What a lovely few days we've had. Piggies have had their first helpings of grass and a clean up. Mr Po had a heart to heart as the realisation that he's running out of time hit me. He's become more cuddly in his older age and definitely loves his comforts. I had the pleasure of giving him a boar clean as he had a minor impaction. I almost had a meltdown when I felt a lump then remembered that Po is the only male I have who isn't neutered 😅

Piggies are currently on snowflake wood shavings but I'm wondering if this is starting to irritate Po's feet as they're looking a bit red and flakey. If it was warmer I'd have him on fleece but I'm debating whether to put him on megazorb or paper bedding as it's softer. I'm checking twice a day for damp patches in the hutch as he's not as mobile as he was and don't want urine and wet bedding to make it worse and get infected.

Hes had a bum bath today, well, a warm damp cloth wipe around more like, which he didn't seem to mind and everyone has had a nail trim.

As Po has lost his wheek, the job of Chief wheeker has gone to Blossom and Cyril. Po still kicks it off with a squeak followed by ear flapping and a hissing noise to let his neighbours know it's time to sing the song of their people.
 
Bless little Po, he sounds a lovely character. Having senior piggies pulls at the heart strings but it is also a joy.
 
Engel said:
Sad update' My chief wheeker, Po

It feels very strange. Today's clean out and meal times didn't feel right.
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BIG HUGS

I am very sorry that you have lost your precious baby boy.

It is going to take some time for it to sink in fully and even more time to get used to Po no longer being part of your daily routine and to finding all the little, subconscious connections throughout the day the hard way. For me that is always the worst part of it. :(
 
I thought I'd better update this thread as it's been a while. A lot has changed. I found Blossom in her forever sleep in a hay cube. Very peaceful, literally just looked like she was asleep. I buried her with it as she did love them so much.

I then had to help Po over the rainbow bridge as he was deteriorating and becoming weak, I tried everything to help him but it was his time.

Mia developed a mammary tumour which metastasized to her reproductive tract and bladder area. Vet pushed for surgery stating 'age isn't a disease' my argument being I'd doubt she'd wake up and given her age and the fact she's already outlived her family, I believe her time was running out (she was almost 5). I'd rather manage with pain relief and anti inflammatories as the vet wasn't happy to PTS. Ultimately she was PTS a few weeks later. She was sedated before the deed and she already started slipping away, as I knew she would, from sedation alone.

I'm left with Cyril and Basil, the two brothers that fell out during their teenage era. I had made a divider so they could live side by side when Mia was alive to allow Cyril to interact with them both. But after Mia's departure Basil started to pine for his beloved girl. He became very withdrawn and started to lose weight. I decided to try again, see if the boys would bond as I'm not getting any more pigs. Risk was high and I would never even entertained the idea if I wasn't desperate. That was in November.

Now

IMG_20251231_142600031_MFNR.webpIMG_20251231_143459604_HDR.webpIMG_20251231_143413646_MFNR.webpIMG_20251231_142636939_MFNR_HDR.webp

There's been no issues, Basil has perked up and is a happy boy again. Did I get it wrong 4 years ago when they fought? We're they both just desperate now as 2 lone boars? I don't know. But if they're happy, I'm happy.

Edit: I know in the photos Basil's one eye looks squinty, he has a scar on his eye and tear duct from a bad hay poke from a few years back. Doesn't bother him normally, sometimes has spells where he needs extra eye lubricant to help him more than usual.
 
So sorry for all your losses. What a difficult time you’ve had.
Hugs 🤗
Glad the boys have decided they’re happy to live together now.
I expect that now their teenage hormones have settled down and there’s no sows to bond with, their need for companionship has made the difference.
Whatever the reason, they do look happy together
 
I’m so sorry for your losses.
It’s lovely to hear from you

I agree with merab. You didn’t get it wrong years ago - they fought, there was no denying that, but boars do mellow with age and with dwindling testosterone they become all about wanting companionship in their older years. Either way, it’s good news that they have accepted each other back and can spend their older years together.
Wish my two troublesome boys would do that (they will turn 4 in the summer) but they genuinely can’t stand each other! I am also not getting more after these two.
 
Engel said:
I thought I'd better update this thread as it's been a while. A lot has changed. I found Blossom in her forever sleep in a hay cube. Very peaceful, literally just looked like she was asleep. I buried her with it as she did love them so much.

I then had to help Po over the rainbow bridge as he was deteriorating and becoming weak, I tried everything to help him but it was his time.

Mia developed a mammary tumour which metastasized to her reproductive tract and bladder area. Vet pushed for surgery stating 'age isn't a disease' my argument being I'd doubt she'd wake up and given her age and the fact she's already outlived her family, I believe her time was running out (she was almost 5). I'd rather manage with pain relief and anti inflammatories as the vet wasn't happy to PTS. Ultimately she was PTS a few weeks later. She was sedated before the deed and she already started slipping away, as I knew she would, from sedation alone.

I'm left with Cyril and Basil, the two brothers that fell out during their teenage era. I had made a divider so they could live side by side when Mia was alive to allow Cyril to interact with them both. But after Mia's departure Basil started to pine for his beloved girl. He became very withdrawn and started to lose weight. I decided to try again, see if the boys would bond as I'm not getting any more pigs. Risk was high and I would never even entertained the idea if I wasn't desperate. That was in November.

Now

View attachment 280812View attachment 280813View attachment 280814View attachment 280815

There's been no issues, Basil has perked up and is a happy boy again. Did I get it wrong 4 years ago when they fought? We're they both just desperate now as 2 lone boars? I don't know. But if they're happy, I'm happy.

Edit: I know in the photos Basil's one eye looks squinty, he has a scar on his eye and tear duct from a bad hay poke from a few years back. Doesn't bother him normally, sometimes has spells where he needs extra eye lubricant to help him more than usual.
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BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry for your string of losses but your girls are all together at the Rainbow Bridge.

No, you didn't get it wrong with your boys. It's just that the testosterone has petered out and companionship is now more important than who's boss. It doesn't always work with old piggies of either gender so feel blessed when it does! It's always worth a try as long as you do not hang all your hopes on it.
 
I am so sorry to hear of your losses, it's so sad when they have to leave us.

I'm so glad your boys have decided to forget their differences and be friends. My fallen out boars never would live together but side by side they would wash each other's faces through the bars!
 
To be honest I didn't even think it would work out but it has. Basil has been very used to being 'bossed about' by his lady companions and loved to be groomed by them frequently, something I had rarely seen in the other groups I had. Cyril has taken the roll of chief cleaner which Basil seems to enjoy, and chief wheeler as Basil is too busy lazing around and munching on anything he can grab.

We've had zoomies and popcorns from both, which I didn't think I'd see, at least not with that much energy. Both boys are showing their age a little now with the loss of muscle mass starting over the hip area despite stable weight and a few slightly jiggly areas of loose skin. Yes, both have mellowed like you all have mentioned and still love a quick cuddle.

It was nail trim day yesterday. First one of the year. I noticed Cyril had a slight impaction which I quickly took care of (stinky business), Basil's ears were a bit dry so I've got the coconut oil out.

They're currently enjoying a few sprigs of home grown rosemary and testing haybox's herbal forage blend. Hopefully the spring grass will be here soon. The slow grass growth through winter has been awful and there's been some complaints. Such a shock to their royal pigness to not have grass everyday!
 
Lovely to see you again 🙂

I’m so very sorry for your losses 😞 Your girls are together again at the rainbow bridge ❤️

I’m glad your boys have decided to me friends 🥰
 
Basil and Cyril are still very happy in each others company and are enjoying helpings of fresh grass and forage. Now that there's just the 2 of them, I'm finding it much easier to obtain a decent amount of it for them daily, rather than every few days or small amounts daily when I had the 8.

They're doing pretty well considering the heat, avoiding ice bottles and mainly chilling on tiles or under hides with damp towels draped over top. Glad when it starts to cool a bit though.

I managed to weigh them for the fist time this year. They seem to be holding steady which is good.
Cyril- 1143g
Basil- 1069g

Managed to give them a good clean out before the hot weather hit and rearranged everything. IMG_20260524_134334097_MFNR_HDR.webpIMG_20260524_134353799_MFNR_HDR.webpIMG_20260524_141508076_MFNR_HDR.webpIMG_20260524_141516357_MFNR_HDR.webp
 
The boys are still tolerating each other quite well and Cyril often is seen grooming Basil's face. They have had a mild chatter contest over the last veggie with the victor popcorning away with it in his mouth.

I always worry this time of year with keeping pigs warm and comfy as the temperatures begin to drop, however this year I'm feeling especially anxious as I know it is likely to be their last autumn, last winter, last Christmas. So many 'lasts' as I come to the end of my piggy journey.

Basil and Cyril are still holding their own with both input and output being good. Basil has gained what he lost during the heatwaves for which I'm grateful for and despite having damage to the tooth matrix Cyril's teeth aren't causing him any issues.

Anyway here are the boys enjoying their wheekly treat of carrot peel.
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Claire W said:
Hopefully Cyril and Basil will continue to bond and their friendship will blossom ❤️

Enjoy them and do not think of the ‘lasts’ x
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To watch it's like watching an older couple. Teasing and annoying each other rather than anything malicious. Sometimes I'm the one getting chartered at because I've stopped petting them or because I've outstayed my welcome. Like ' alright you've made my bed, resupplied the hay and given me veggies, you can go now and let me enjoy it in peace'. Only to then start wheeking when I leave 🤦‍♀️
 
Engel said:
The boys are still tolerating each other quite well and Cyril often is seen grooming Basil's face. They have had a mild chatter contest over the last veggie with the victor popcorning away with it in his mouth.

I always worry this time of year with keeping pigs warm and comfy as the temperatures begin to drop, however this year I'm feeling especially anxious as I know it is likely to be their last autumn, last winter, last Christmas. So many 'lasts' as I come to the end of my piggy journey.

Basil and Cyril are still holding their own with both input and output being good. Basil has gained what he lost during the heatwaves for which I'm grateful for and despite having damage to the tooth matrix Cyril's teeth aren't causing him any issues.

Anyway here are the boys enjoying their wheekly treat of carrot peel.
View attachment 290018View attachment 290019
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Lovely piggies 🥰🐾❤️
 
Basil has been very quiet, I believe Cyril's sudden passing was a shock to him too. I've been watching him closely and encouraging him to eat as he has been rather withdrawn. I've given him a wipe as he's stayed mostly in one hide, weighed him and trimmed his nails. Plenty of cuddles as well. This evening his appetite seems to be creeping back slowly.
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Basil seems to be getting back to normal. He's eating and drinking more. For the next couple of weeks I think I'm going to do bi-weekly weighs, just to ensure he is getting enough in him.

He's moving around and interacting a bit more too. Still not 100% but getting there. I've got some different hay off Amazon and so far I'm impressed. Their Timothy is very similar to haybox Timothy. I have their rye grass hay to try too but haven't opened it yet.
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