Is a third boar a possibility?

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Dizzylizzy03

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I have two boars who are 12 months old and have been together since birth. They are in a 4x3 c&c cage at the moment. I'm not in a rush but would there be any chance i could add a tbird boar at some point? Or would they need a bigger cage?
 
It's not impossible but 9/10 times with a boar trio you will end up with fighting and fallouts. Especially if any are still in their hormonal years. Boar trios require tons of space, and exactly the right combination of personalities which some very experienced owners have been able to manage but it is highly unusual for boars to live in more than a pair. To be honest I would just focus on your two and letting them live happily together
 
Lady Kelly said:
It's not impossible but 9/10 times with a boar trio you will end up with fighting and fallouts. Especially if any are still in their hormonal years. Boar trios require tons of space, and exactly the right combination of personalities which some very experienced owners have been able to manage but it is highly unusual for boars to live in more than a pair. To be honest I would just focus on your two and letting them live happily together
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I thought so, thank you, its hard to not get addicted but dont have space for another cage so I will just be happy with these two!
 
Dizzylizzy03 said:
I thought so, thank you, its hard to not get addicted but dont have space for another cage so I will just be happy with these two!
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Yes it's a dangerous addiction. My first two were sows. Within a year I had grown to 4 pigs and maintained a group of 3 females and 1 neutered male. The problem with females is you can always add "just one more" 😂
 
Definitely a wise decision to just stick with the pair you have, particularly if you can’t manage the likely need for additional cages. And also bear in mind that adding a third not only may fail but it can sometimes also ruin the bond between the original pair so they also need separating, so at worst you could end up needing three separate cages for three separate piggies.
The chances of adding a third boar and it working are exceedingly low, particularly with young piggies.
If a trio is going to work it’s usually because the boars are all old, testosterone is fizzled out, the piggies have all chosen to want to be together, and there is a huge amount of space - a boar trio would need ar least a 9x3 c&c cage to give enough territory to each boar.

I have an almost 5 year old boar pair. Well bonded, very happy together and have been for years.
I then decided I wanted another boar pair (to live as a separate pair - I’d never bond more than two boars together). Adopted a lovely pair of 9 week old boars. They are now 18/19 weeks old. Last week their bond sadly broke down and now they are living side by side and I’ve spent a week trying to juggle a permanent living solution space wise for three separate enclosures in my shed!
 
Welcome to the forum
They are adorable and I understand why you would want to add more but to keep your boys happy steer clear of adding a third or fourth, they rarely work and you would be risking your boys bond too
 
I've recently seen a boar trio and in my opinion it's not working at all but the owner thinks that as long as there's no fighting it's OK. The original boy has lost a lot of weight and has been having gut issues. He is being treated - unsuccessfully - for 'illness'. I'm just not so sure... he looks tense all the time.
These things are not black and white. Just because they're not brawling doesn't mean they're happy. Play it safe. They'll be loving life x
 
Free Ranger said:
I've recently seen a boar trio and in my opinion it's not working at all but the owner thinks that as long as there's no fighting it's OK. The original boy has lost a lot of weight and has been having gut issues. He is being treated - unsuccessfully - for 'illness'. I'm just not so sure... he looks tense all the time.
These things are not black and white. Just because they're not brawling doesn't mean they're happy. Play it safe. They'll be loving life x
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I'm not always 100% sure they are loving life. They have stand offs nudging each others chins up, runblestrutting, teetch chattering and chasing around the cage multiple times every day and rarely sleep in the same hidey together, is that normal?
 
Dizzylizzy03 said:
I'm not always 100% sure they are loving life. They have stand offs nudging each others chins up, runblestrutting, teetch chattering and chasing around the cage multiple times every day and rarely sleep in the same hidey together, is that normal?
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These kind of dominance displays are normal - it’s how boars reinforce their relationship…..Provided one is dominant and the other backs down.
If any face offs are becoming more frequent or acrimonious then that can mean a dysfunctional bond.

It is a myth that piggies would sleep on the same hide - most never do. The only time I’ve seen my eldest pair of boars in the same hide is if some startles then and they happen to both run into the same one!
So this on its own is not any sign towards a bond issue.

Most boar pairs if they’ve been together for a long time and get to this age still together, are usually absolutely fine. Occasionally they can get to the end of the teens and decide they don’t like each other but it doesn’t happen often.

The guides below explain a bit more about what is normal and what are warning signs in boar pairs. They also explain how to do a temporary separation to test a bond is working

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Piggies&buns said:
These kind of dominance displays are normal - it’s how boars reinforce their relationship…..Provided one is dominant and the other backs down.
If any face offs are becoming more frequent or acrimonious then that can mean a dysfunctional bond.

It is a myth that piggies would sleep on the same hide - most never do. The only time I’ve seen my eldest pair of boars in the same hide is if some startles then and they happen to both run into the same one!
So this on its own is not any sign towards a bond issue.

Most boar pairs if they’ve been together for a long time and get to this age still together, are usually absolutely fine. Occasionally they can get to the end of the teens and decide they don’t like each other but it doesn’t happen often.

The guides below explain a bit more about what is normal and what are warning signs in boar pairs. They also explain how to do a temporary separation to test a bond is working

Bonds In Trouble
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
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Thank you! I'll give them a read
 
ive had two boar trios that worked in past.they were all past there teenage years.all the boars were laid back.ive had more boar pairs fail due to them not being personality matched.That led me to neutering all my boars and finding sows to go with them.so i pleased you are sticking to pairs.i love boars.
 
i meant to add to the above post its better to stick to character matched boars,if possible adopt from a reputable rescue.Pairs work well if you have a dominant boar with a submissive boar,
 
I would wait until the two boys are older before getting a baby boy.

I have 3 boars, but they are 6 yo, 1.5 yo, and 3 months old. They get along and I have a very big space for them. The 2 older boys lived together before the baby boar, but neither boys appear to be bothered by the baby boar.

The only reason why I got the 3 month old boar was because my 6 yo boar has been acting tired. I didn’t want 1.5 yo to be alone.
 
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