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Husboars

Pigger

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Hi, I have 3 baby girls. One is definitely the boss lady, one is the submissive one and the other is the cheeky one. Ive recently found lots of scabs on the back of the cheeky one which must be off the boss lady. Ive seen her chase the other 2 around and try to bite them. Ive booked one of my boars in at the vets to be 'done' to put him in with them. Will this do anything? Should I just move the bullied one in with him. Any ideas what the best solution would be? Thanks
 
Adding another won’t help if their relationship has issues already. Sometimes sows will nip but not break skin - so not a proper bite. How is she behaved otherwise? Is it constant or only occasionally? I would have the scab checked out. Also have a read of the guide below.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
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How old are they?
how big is their cage?

As siikibam has said, adding a boar won’t make the girls like each other any more than they do now. it can’t repair problems in the relationship between them.

is their relationship In trouble or is it normal dominance/being in season? The fact you are finding scabs is of concern as normally sows don’t break the skin with their well placed and judged nips

which two of the three girls get on best? You could Keep those two together and try to bond the third with your boar. Of course it would be a long time before that can happen anyway - your boar cannot be put with sows until six weeks after he has been neutered as before six weeks post op is up, he will still be fertile.
 
I would also have your girl with the scabs examined by a vet.
When one of our boars had mites it first presented as scabs on his back around the shoulder blade area.
We also initially assumed he was being picked on by one of the girls, but actually it was mites, and a course of treatment cured the problem.
 
Hi!

Please have the girl with the scabs checked for mange mites. Girls in my own experience don't bite the skin. They either nip, which is a carefully judged gesture of power that lets the underpiggy feel the skin but not break it or they - in the sow equivelent to a fighting boar bite, they rip off a mouthful of hair - again, no breaking of the skin. If you have a group with problems, then please pair the boar with the outsider.

Be aware that a husboar cannot heal underlying rifts; he has to align himself usually with his leading lady.

Boars also have to wait 6 weeks after an operation to make sure that any semen in the tubes (which are not removed) has died off. The little baby in my avatar is the unplanned legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks neutered boar (not one of mine), just to make that particular point. It does happen!
This recommendation also follows the current best UK welfare practice by the RSPCA; Tegan was born at a time when the safe post-op wait length was still under discussion.
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
 
I hope the problems you are having get sorted soon so that the piggies can have happy lives with you x
 
Hi all, thank you for your replies. So the girls are approx 5 months old. Two are from the same litter (cream) and the other from the same mum or dad (shes all brown) (cant remember what I was told). They have been together since before the 12 week mark that I got them from. They are in a C&C 3x3 with plenty of hides, separate food dishes and water bottles. Ive checked them both our and the bully has a scar on her lip/nose and today the one with the scabs has now got a bloody ear. Its definitely bites and not mites as they are regularly treated as they all had ringworm when I got them, so I'm super careful with the monitoring and checking. I'm waiting to get another setup that is bigger but am now wondering if I should just put the bullied one with the male when he is ready, but what do I do in the meantime? Do I separate her away? The other piggy from the same litter seems fine and hasnt got any scuffs etc so shes definitely more submissive. There is always lots of strutting and chasing in the pen too from the bully against the others but mostly the little brown one gets it in the neck! Thanks in advance x
 
its good you’re getting a bigger cage as a 3x3 isn’t really big enough for three piggies. You need a cage using 14 grids for three piggies (either a 5x2 or a 4x3). However if they are definitely bites and their relationship isn’t working and you need to separate then a 3x3 is big enough for two sows

Keep the two that get on best living together. It may be the bully (not the bullied one) that needs to be removed he depending on the dynamics of the group. There is little point in removing the bullied piggy if the relationship between the bully and the remaining piggy isn’t great either. The one you separate will need to be kept in a cage alongside the others to enable interaction through the bars.
 
Hi, thanks again. I spent ages just watching them and took one out and then the other watching inbetween to see what happened. I've taken out the bullied one and put her next door and it's much more peaceful! Hopefully when my boy is ready they will be friends so she doesn't get lonely.
 
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