Failed boar bonding - next steps?

[boz]

Today I attempted to bond my boars - they're both adult male, in between 1 & 2 years old, and were rehomed solo pigs.

I tried to bond them following all the usual guidelines, and after a few nasty hair pulling spats it looked like things were calming down about 1 and a half hours in, we had a few moments of lying together, although my more dominant boar was constantly getting up to circle and badger my more submissive one. Unfortunately at about the 2 hour point the dominant boar starting chasing the other around and running at him fast, and eventually the submissive one retaliated and they had another fur spat which resulted in a grazed lip for the submissive boar. It wasnt a terrible injury, and they fairly quickly backed off each other, but after the submissive boar just sat there alarm calling and trying to hide himself. He looked pretty traumatised so I took him out to check for injury and found the lip cut and a couple of small nicks from the other tussles, so decided to call it a day and separate.

They are now living in a two tier hutch one on top of the other, and the submissive boar has been quite quiet and withdrawn all evening (he is still eating normally though, just feeling a bit sorry for himself).

I don't think I want to put him through that again, so we wont be trying a re run. I am now questioning my next steps though.

Unfortunately I am based on a Scottish Island a 12 hour ferry journey and then an hour or so drive from the nearest rescue, so speed dating is not an option. I could neuter and then look out for girl pigs as wives (which I may or may not be able to find locally), but my worry would be if the bonding failed again... What would I then do with th4 rejected wives? I don't have space for an infinate number of pigs!

My dominant boar was used as a stud boar before I got him, so I think he is quite pushy as a result. I worry any wife he gets might be a bit harassed. The other boy i think might be easier...

I'm also worried about putting them through the op.
What would you do if you were me?
It's so hard to know the best course of action. I don't want them to be lonely, but I also don't want them or any other piggies to end up hurt...

 

[Wiebke]

Today I attempted to bond my boars - they're both adult male, in between 1 & 2 years old, and were rehomed solo pigs.

I tried to bond them following all the usual guidelines, and after a few nasty hair pulling spats it looked like things were calming down about 1 and a half hours in, we had a few moments of lying together, although my more dominant boar was constantly getting up to circle and badger my more submissive one. Unfortunately at about the 2 hour point the dominant boar starting chasing the other around and running at him fast, and eventually the submissive one retaliated and they had another fur spat which resulted in a grazed lip for the submissive boar. It wasnt a terrible injury, and they fairly quickly backed off each other, but after the submissive boar just sat there alarm calling and trying to hide himself. He looked pretty traumatised so I took him out to check for injury and found the lip cut and a couple of small nicks from the other tussles, so decided to call it a day and separate.

They are now living in a two tier hutch one on top of the other, and the submissive boar has been quite quiet and withdrawn all evening (he is still eating normally though, just feeling a bit sorry for himself).

I don't think I want to put him through that again, so we wont be trying a re run. I am now questioning my next steps though.

Unfortunately I am based on a Scottish Island a 12 hour ferry journey and then an hour or so drive from the nearest rescue, so speed dating is not an option. I could neuter and then look out for girl pigs as wives (which I may or may not be able to find locally), but my worry would be if the bonding failed again... What would I then do with th4 rejected wives? I don't have space for an infinate number of pigs!

My dominant boar was used as a stud boar before I got him, so I think he is quite pushy as a result. I worry any wife he gets might be a bit harassed. The other boy i think might be easier...

I'm also worried about putting them through the op.
What would you do if you were me?
It's so hard to know the best course of action. I don't want them to be lonely, but I also don't want them or any other piggies to end up hurt...

Hi!

I am very sorry for the fall-out. It is always a gamble when bonding boars. About every second bonding won't work out on average.

Taking your location into account, could you arrange for your two boys to live side by side in indoors pens/cages to they have full sight (body language), scent (pheromones and sniffing) and audio communication between them for round the clock stimulation and can enjoy companionship but each with their own territory? This would be the best long term solution for your boys considering. We have a number of forum members with living alongside fallen-out boars.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Neutering and bonding with sub-adult sows is your second surefire option because rejection is very rare in young ideally sub-teenage sows but finding a good vet may be more of an issue for you, especially for elective surgery. Several of my difficult to bond ex-single or bully boys have found lasting happiness with a wifelet that simply accepted them for what they were...

It is great that you are trying to give two single boars a happy and fulfilled life.

 

[boz]

Unfortunately I don't have room to expand sideways to allow them to side by side (not if they are to have the required floor space anyway). Really setup is only suited to two bonded piggies, but can modify into batchelor flats. My previous pigs were an established pair so this was never an issue before. I knew I was taking on a risk of them not getting on when I took them, but I hoped I might pull it off.

I cant go out, but I could conceivably go up... I could move a rejected wife or two on a third level, but I don't want to end up with a tower of pigs if they al get rejected!

I'm actually not sure where I would find a sub adult female either. We're as far away from breeders as we are from rescues, and our local pet store, which I suspect was the only source of piggies here has recently closed down. That's how I ended up with the boys anyway as they had been handed in there as unwanted pets or rejects (although I guess of my boy was being used as a stud then someone was breeding at one point...) I'm fairly confident that at some point a female pig will come up as needing rehoming, but she is likely to be older too...

I am fairly sure our vet will neuter though. A friend has a large herd with a neutered boar (he was originally a 'girl' in a herd of four, hence the now large herd and his neutering!), so if he was done they should do my boys.