help with boar dating

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Lil-Ninnibig

Lil-Ninnibig

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so ive been reading about this boar dating..I'm worried about getting ditto a friend as before i got him he was in with another boar that died suddenly at 1 year old..my worry is could ditto have bullied or harmed the piggy? :'( he is very dominant constantly scent marking and teetg chattering if you go near his cage and he purposely knocks over his food and head butts his toys around the cage..i really hate the thought he is lonely so i am thinking about going boar dating. Has any one had experience of boar dating and what was the outcome? Also i need info onlike how you go about boar dating do i put him in a cage with another boar or several boars? HELP PLEASE LOL! X
 
Boar dating would usually happen at a rescue, could we know your location to recommend something ?

Usually for a dominant boar, which is what you have, you'd look for a more submissive companion by looking at the other pigs temperament, a good choice for these dominant pigs is a younger baby friend, around 6-8 weeks old, this gets the older pig to take on a 'daddy' or 'uncle' pig role which most people find is the most successful type of bonding.

Only one boar will be tried with your pig at one time, anymore could cause alot of stress however if one doesn't work it's usually best to wait a day or so before trying again to bond him.

Bonding is simple really but can be quite nerve racking so it's good to do alot of research into it,

The best place to try bonding is either outside in a run or inside in a bath tub, it has to be done somewhere that doesn't smell like either guinea pig, or else the guinea pig who's scent is there will become protective and dominant of it's 'patch' as such. Also once the pig has a companion you'll need to really scrub down the cage and accessories so there is no scent left from the other pig.
When you try to bond you want piles of hay, and 'bonding food' such as vegetables and grass that they can share to keep them occupied, like a dinner date ! you also, if trying a baby with an older boar, need a smaller box that only the baby can fit into, as the bonding can be stressful on a young pig, having somewhere he can get away into is best. Also having other hidey houses but with two exits so that no pig can be cornered and trapped!

When i was looking at bonding my boy i found this website helpful,

http://www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/home.htm

Hope that helps,
 
Lil-Ninnibig said:
Thankyou and I'm from sheffield,uk xx
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Hmmm i can't think of any of the top of my head, but heres a link to the piggy bank recommended rescues map,

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=209994852075231951564.0004b8fd9391b4257d8eb&msa=0

the piggy bank is a group of piggy loving people who help out in situations of piggy need, for example getting them out of bad situations, the rescues here aren't the only rescues around so you may find more on google, but there recommended by members due to good animal care etc.
 
"Boar dating" means specifically finding a good guinea pig rescue that will allow you to book in your boar for a week in course of which he dates single rescue boars under expert supervision and hopefully finds one he gets on with. It is worth going further afield and waiting for a slot as it removes all risk from yourself (you do not have to do the bonding and face ending up with two boars who will not go together), but at the same time it maximises your chances as most rescues have a range of boars with different personalities, so it is much easier to find a character compatible boar. Full boar dating is the safest way of achieving a lasting stable bond.

Have a look at Suzygpr's boar dating blog to get an idea what is involved. I am happy to say that all successful boar bonds featured are still holding up well! Boar dating in residence is called full boar dating; it involves successful bonds to undergo a stress test before returning home.
If your boy just comes for an afternoon to meet a likely friend (as some rescues offer), that is called speed dating and it comes with a somewhat higher risk of later problems.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233

You will still need to offer sufficient space for your two boars; lack of space is one of the major reasons for boar trouble.

Here is the Piggy Bank map of recommendable rescues, most of whom offer boar dating in some form.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=209994852075231951564.0004b8fd9391b4257d8eb&msa=0
Your closest rescues are Cavy Corner in Doncaster and Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity .
 
Wiebke said:
"Boar dating" means specifically finding a good guinea pig rescue that will allow you to book in your boar for a week in course of which he dates single rescue boars under expert supervision and hopefully finds one he gets on with.
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It isn't always residential though sometimes if the rescue has one pig in mind that they think will suit then they can just offer you to go there for a day and try it out, i know i'm quite protective of my babies and would struggle not having any of them away from me even just for a week :(|)
 
I no me 2 i dont like to think of ditto being away from me for a week... My local animal sancuary have pigs so i may email them and see if they would be willing to attempt a date with me id love to rehome an adult pig rather than go out and buy a baby.. Theres so many in rescues nowdays :'(
 
Lil-Ninnibig said:
I no me 2 i dont like to think of ditto being away from me for a week... My local animal sancuary have pigs so i may email them and see if they would be willing to attempt a date with me id love to rehome an adult pig rather than go out and buy a baby.. Theres so many in rescues nowdays :'(
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Just a few tips as my local animal rescue doesn't seem to know there stuff about pigs either and gave some false advice so heres things they may say that aren't true from my experience !

'Males need to be neutered to be put with another male' - completely wrong neutering doesn't effect a guinea pigs behaviour as it does with other animals

'Adult males can't be put together' - well thats just silly but some people believe it rolleyes

'Male guinea pigs can live in groups more than 2' - this is possible however the chances are almost 1000 to 1 as males just don't get on well in trio's or more !

If the rescue near you says any information like this or just tells you something your unsure of you can always ask here, i remember how much eye rolling i did while on the phone to my rescue, i felt a bit rude correcting them however i don't think they took anything i said in ! But yeah not all rescues really know there 'stuff' as such !
 
Last year i went to pets at home (i know alot of forum members disagree with this pet store chain but it is afterall personal preference and opinion) to buy my feed and hay etc and they had the moat gorgeous male ginger piggy in.. I was very tempted to buy i must say and asked a member of staff if it was safe to place the young piggy with ditto who is 3-4 years old now and i was told boars couldnt be kept together as they would fight :-P then i joined this forum and have learnt that this was rubbish!
 
You definatly want to be going for a piggy bank recomended rescue, especially where boar dating is concerned!

I know it seems like a long time, but it wouldnt seem like such a big thing compared to taking home a boar that doesnt like yours and being stuck with it :) And ofcourse, if you were to hand him over for boar dating with a piggy bank recomended rescue you would no for sure he was in very safe hands
 
Lil-Ninnibig said:
Last year i went to pets at home (i know alot of forum members disagree with this pet store chain but it is afterall personal preference and opinion) to buy my feed and hay etc and they had the moat gorgeous male ginger piggy in.. I was very tempted to buy i must say and asked a member of staff if it was safe to place the young piggy with ditto who is 3-4 years old now and i was told boars couldnt be kept together as they would fight :-P then i joined this forum and have learnt that this was rubbish!
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I currently have 3 piggies two boys together and a single boar who I'm still on the search for a companion for xx>>>

But this single boar is a pets at home adoption and is supposedly 'aggressive' and can never be housed with any other piggies, he's still quite young though but i was told nope always keep him alone, i tried him at a rescue and he was in with a little baby pig (although the baby looks massive as it was so fluffy !) and he was just the sweetest well behaved pig ever !
but does he look aggressive to you ? (he's the black and tan one)

7976568a.jpg


The problem is that with places like pets at home there more for the money than the care of the animals and won't take the time to try the pig with someone else as it's just inconvenience for them, and there is a market for loan piggies as people just like the idea of only having one for some reason ! But sometimes it's just a case the pig was taken home and didn't get on with the companion he had so was sent back and deemed aggressive when he probably just didn't like who he/she was with !
It's great when piggies can be taken on by someone who actually thinks and researches it, and goes out against what they've been told and bonds the pig with a new friend and see's a much happier pig !
 
I no your right ... It will be really hard though i will miss him loads :'( I'm going to have a long hard think about the negs and positives.. His cage is designed for large breed of rabbits so is large enough to house 2 piggys and i work full time so have the expenses covered.. We shall see.. Both me and my boyfriend do spend alot of time with ditto and i hide treats around his cage for example to keep him amused but it cant possibly be the same as having a piggy friend.. But then id hate to think he was bullying another piggy.. Il have a think.
 
All the rescues in the Piggy Bank link I have provided are piggy savvy and know exactly what they are doing (which is why we have compiled this map); it is worth going further afield if necessary.

Whether you want to go for full boar dating or speed dating depends on you. Full boar dating means that any resulting bond is as stable as a sow bond; with speed dating there are still some risks attached that things could go wrong during the settling in phase, especially if one of the boars is subadult.
 
I boar-dated my eldest pig at the potteries guinea pig rescue in stoke on trent. I took fuzzy there a few months after his companion died and fuzzy used to be a very dominent male. He was put with 6 week old Tyler, my avatar piggie and he was fine, had this not worked I would have gone away and waited until helen had another boar. Having the younger pig totally chilled fuzzy out, it was like he knew he'd be top pig because he's bigger and older so there was never any question of whos boss and he had nothing to prove so he relaxed. As Tyler has gotten bigger and occaisonally tried to challenge fuzzy's position he has simply been put back in his place and all works well. There was never any aggression of any kind between these two so helen waved us off quite happily after an afternoon and things have remained this way. If you do incur a problem at a later date you do have the rescues back up for help and advice so worth considering.
I had a second pair from the potteries a few months after Tyler and they were already bonded but had a fall out and i was grateful for the rescues help and advice on getting me through it and successfully re-bonding them :)
 
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