Janey’s Piggies

Marmalade seems to have settled really well and it was so rewarding to see 3 little old lady popcorns today! :wub: She’s very relaxed around people it seems and is happy to be out and about as well as being picked up (when we cleaned the cage earlier) and she adores her veggies! IMG_3412.webp
 
I had a conversation today with the RSPCA about the previous attempt to bond Marmalade with 3 piggies that unfortunately didn’t work out. It was done on neutral ground and was going ok at first but then the chasing and nipping escalated to the point that the piggies were separated for a few days and then reintroduced on neutral ground again, with the same result, a few times. It was unclear who was showing dominance.

I think Marmalade has lived as a single piggy all her life and I’m thinking that although she seems to want to be with my piggies/shows interest through the bars, she might not know how to be with other piggies. She’s also very confident around people and it’s made me wonder even more whether attempting to bond with my Dori is a viable option. If I try and it doesn’t work out straight away, then Dori will still be able to go back with Selwyn and Margot, but if it’s one of those cases where it fails days into the bonding process, then I could potentially be left with a pair and two singles, which isn’t really workable and Marmalade would have to go back. She’s such a lovely piggy, I really don’t want that to happen. Dori has shown some interest but not as much as Margot and Selwyn.

So, I’m really wondering whether to just let her live alongside and not disrupt my existing trio. I know it’s not ideal but is acceptable.

I’d love to know what others think.
 
I'm sorry your bonding hasn't worked out.
I think it's a good idea if Marmalade is happy with neighbours, it seems a shame to split Dori from her friends and then end up with a bigger problem if the bond doesn't work and the other's wont have her back.
Duck was 4 when he came to me from rescue, he had lived his life alone in his previous home. The rescue couldn't get him to bond with anyone. He came to live next door to Bertie who had come to me as a single and refused to bond with any of the 9 piggies the rescue tried him with. They are very happy as neighbours. I have since tried to bond Bertie with 10/11 other piggies over 3.5 years and he's not having anyone to share his space!
 
Janey said:
I had a conversation today with the RSPCA about the previous attempt to bond Marmalade with 3 piggies that unfortunately didn’t work out. It was done on neutral ground and was going ok at first but then the chasing and nipping escalated to the point that the piggies were separated for a few days and then reintroduced on neutral ground again, with the same result, a few times. It was unclear who was showing dominance.

I think Marmalade has lived as a single piggy all her life and I’m thinking that although she seems to want to be with my piggies/shows interest through the bars, she might not know how to be with other piggies. She’s also very confident around people and it’s made me wonder even more whether attempting to bond with my Dori is a viable option. If I try and it doesn’t work out straight away, then Dori will still be able to go back with Selwyn and Margot, but if it’s one of those cases where it fails days into the bonding process, then I could potentially be left with a pair and two singles, which isn’t really workable and Marmalade would have to go back. She’s such a lovely piggy, I really don’t want that to happen. Dori has shown some interest but not as much as Margot and Selwyn.

So, I’m really wondering whether to just let her live alongside and not disrupt my existing trio. I know it’s not ideal but is acceptable.

I’d love to know what others think.
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It could be that Marmalade has started out life as a single piggy and has no concept of how to socialise as she lacks the necessary learning process. I had that experience with my Beryn who must have been somebody's much beloved single piggy before she was dumped (personally, I suspect it may have been as part of domestic abuse).

It is worth trying Marmalade but if it doesn't work out, then she can - like Beryn - live as a next door piggy with plenty of stimulation through the bars but her own safe territory.

Marmalade has had enough chances so you do not have to feel bad about giving her what she is happiest with: a loving home, human attention and plenty of piggy interaction at a safe distance. With adoptees it is not about a standard home but working out what makes them tick and giving them what they want.
 
That’s a tricky one - I’m sure you’ll work out the best living situation for Marmalade and your other piggies in time 😊

I had an older sow Crunchie join my gang and she upset the balance between the other two sows. It took a while for things to calm down again but luckily Kitkat and Caramac went back to their normal routine & Crunchie lived side by side with them in peace and her own space! She’d had a partner in a previous life and despite trying to bond her with a third piggy after my two girls, she wanted to be the boss and that was that.
 
piggieminder said:
I'm sorry your bonding hasn't worked out.
I think it's a good idea if Marmalade is happy with neighbours, it seems a shame to split Dori from her friends and then end up with a bigger problem if the bond doesn't work and the other's wont have her back.
Duck was 4 when he came to me from rescue, he had lived his life alone in his previous home. The rescue couldn't get him to bond with anyone. He came to live next door to Bertie who had come to me as a single and refused to bond with any of the 9 piggies the rescue tried him with. They are very happy as neighbours. I have since tried to bond Bertie with 10/11 other piggies over 3.5 years and he's not having anyone to share his space!
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You must have nerves of steel and possibly the patience of a saint to go through all those attempts. They certainly know who and what they like and are happy to let us know!
 
Wiebke said:
It could be that Marmalade has started out life as a single piggy and has no concept of how to socialise as she lacks the necessary learning process. I had that experience with my Beryn who must have been somebody's much beloved single piggy before she was dumped (personally, I suspect it may have been as part of domestic abuse).

It is worth trying Marmalade but if it doesn't work out, then she can - like Beryn - live as a next door piggy with plenty of stimulation through the bars but her own safe territory.

Marmalade has had enough chances so you do not have to feel bad about giving her what she is happiest with: a loving home, human attention and plenty of piggy interaction at a safe distance. With adoptees it is not about a standard home but working out what makes them tick and giving them what they want.
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I remember Beryn, she was such a lovely piggy but fearful about the twins being in her space. It seems that Marmalade has had a lot of human interaction too as she’s very confident around us. As she’s 6, I’ve kept her name and she comes over when I call her!

What concerns me about trying to bond her with Dori, is that if it doesn’t fail immediately but after a few days, I’m not sure Dori (who is top lady) will be able to go back with Selwyn and Margot. Margot who is 6 months old is now seeing how far she can push things and I feel will be very keen to take charge of Selwyn if Dori is out of the picture with Marmalade. This is the dilemma. If the bonding attempt failed after a few days, and Dori wasn’t able to go back with the others, Marmalade would have to be returned. So even if I don’t try to bond them, Marmalade will at least have piggy company and a loving home living alongside my three. This is just how I think it could play out - do you think this sounds plausible?
 
Janey said:
You must have nerves of steel and possibly the patience of a saint to go through all those attempts. They certainly know who and what they like and are happy to let us know!
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I have adopted quite a few 'unbondable' stuck in rescue piggies myself over the years and finding them suitable companions. It was a matter of getting to know them, what made them tick and work past their fear-aggression in many cases. However, I also ended up with several older Tribe widows who did categorically not want another piggy in their space...

Beryn was my worst challenge - she was quite literally scared stiff of babies Miaren and Meleri for instance - and it took about 1 1/2 years before I found her a companion, even though it took about three weeks and several sessions every few days to let Beryn progress until she went on overload after letting them live next to each other. But that worked out only because squishy Betsan really wanted to be friends with Beryn and vice versa. Sadly, Betsan (who was an older sow and the last of a friend's large sow group) died just before the Pandemic hit, so Beryn - after refusing Macsen after a lot of dithering - so she spent the last year of the Pandemic as a live alongside piggy to gentle Dylan and little Begw, who she liked best of the Tribe (but not enough to share a cage with them).

You can always only try your best and take it from there.
 
Wiebke said:
I have adopted quite a few 'unbondable' stuck in rescue piggies myself over the years and finding them suitable companions. It was a matter of getting to know them, what made them tick and work past their fear-aggression in many cases. However, I also ended up with several older Tribe widows who did categorically not want another piggy in their space...

Beryn was my worst challenge - she was quite literally scared stiff of babies Miaren and Meleri for instance - and it took about 1 1/2 years before I found her a companion, even though it took about three weeks and several sessions every few days to let Beryn progress until she went on overload after letting them live next to each other. But that worked out only because squishy Betsan really wanted to be friends with Beryn and vice versa. Sadly, Betsan (who was an older sow and the last of a friend's large sow group) died just before the Pandemic hit, so Beryn - after refusing Macsen after a lot of dithering - so she spent the last year of the Pandemic as a live alongside piggy to gentle Dylan and little Begw, who she liked best of the Tribe (but not enough to share a cage with them).

You can always only try your best and take it from there.
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Thanks Wiebke, I wish I had more space available to deal with possible fall out options. I’m going to continue to observe for a while, let them become more familiar with each other. Thankfully there’s no time limits involved.
 
Lovely pics! She sounds a happy girl who’s had an upgrade since being with you, whether or not she makes it through the barricade or stays as a grid buddy.
 
LucyP said:
Lovely pics! She sounds a happy girl who’s had an upgrade since being with you, whether or not she makes it through the barricade or stays as a grid buddy.
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Thanks! That’s how I’m looking at it too ☺️
 
Marmalade has really settled in much quicker than I thought. Just been to top up their respective hay piles and she was so excited (think she really thought veggies were coming) she wheeked really enthusiastically! I felt quite mean just giving her fresh hay 🥰
 
Janey said:
Thanks Wiebke, I wish I had more space available to deal with possible fall out options. I’m going to continue to observe for a while, let them become more familiar with each other. Thankfully there’s no time limits involved.
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Try not to push it for pushing's sake. If Marmalade is happy as she is and you can give her the human attention she craves, then that is fine. Older sows generally become less accepting of new piggies so if you worry about your group, try not to break what is not broken.
 
Wiebke said:
Try not to push it for pushing's sake. If Marmalade is happy as she is and you can give her the human attention she craves, then that is fine. Older sows generally become less accepting of new piggies so if you worry about your group, try not to break what is not broken.
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Thank you - that’s exactly where I’m getting to. Step back, breathe and just give them time. Maybe it’s because when I first saw her I thought it’d be a good plan to have two pairs living alongside - an old lady pair and a younger pair. If Marmalade is happy in her own space though, I’m good with that too.
 
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