So sad to separate my boys 😢

[Joandpiggies]

The day has finally come where I had to separate Rodney from Del Boy and Trigger. I had kept everything crossed in the hopes that my boar trio might just be the exception to the rule....... but No! I gave them all the space I could manage, one each of everything, open ended hideys, and I even looked at the configuration of the enclosure to make sure there were no areas where one piggy could get cornered easily. But with all 3 hitting 6 months of age, the hormones seem to have taken over and despite all efforts, the have been squabbling non stop.

It wasn’t too serious, just what I assumed was general dominance and hierarchy behaviour for a while. But today I came home to what looked like all out war! Rodney was constantly chasing Trigger, humping him, lunging at him and then the two would scuffle in circles kicking, nipping each other, rearing up and showing teeth, neither backing down and very loud teeth chattering and rumble strutting. They just kept at it and going for each other in circles. I tried to hold my nerve but after seeing them keep nipping and lunging at each other, I started to put a board between them to separate. Then I noticed Del Boy coming to Trigger’s defence and going for Rodney whenever he lunged at TriggerSo, that was it, I decided to separate Rodney from Trigger and Del Boy. Rodney is now in a 3X2 on his own and Del Boy and Trigger are in the old enclosure.

After separating Rodney, I noticed Del Boy and Trigger having a little scuffle, but nothing too serious and I’m not sure if it was just down to all the hormones flying around after the fighting? I’m hoping those two will be ok, as they’ve always seemed the more natural and bonded pair to be honest.

I’d really like some advice on what to do with Rodney. I feel so sorry for him on his own. Do I try to reintroduce him or will that just be a lost cause? I’m also not sure who should be in the pair? The fight always seems to be between Trigger and Rodney, with Rodney instigating it and Trigger fighting back. But although Trigger and Del seem a better match, Rodney and Del don’t normally fight. It’s only when Del seems to defend Trigger that there are any arguments between Del and Rodney, so, have I made the right decision? I just removed the trouble maker But Rodney May also do ok with Del Boy?

I’m in a bit of a quandary with these boys and would really appreciate any advice from those more experienced with handling fall outs like these?

Many thanks,
Jo

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

I am very sorry; there is always the hope that you are one of the lucky ones...

Your two remaining boys will have to re-establish their group as a couple; that requires some dominance behaviour, which is hopefully going to be on the minor side. It is always difficult when you have one boy who is getting on with either of the two.
If necessary, let him choose who he wants to be with.

For the single boy, you have the option to boar date if you can get to a rescue that offers this service (the Blue Cross in Burford doesn't) or have your single boy neutered so he can live with a sow or two provided you can get to a good vet. This requires also a 6 weeks post-op wait. For the time being, he should be OK as a neighbour with a divider.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

 

[David Piggie Lover]

Oh dear you have tried so much and the little loves are very naughty.
Big Hugs

 

[Joandpiggies]

Hi!

I am very sorry; there is always the hope that you are one of the lucky ones...

Your two remaining boys will have to re-establish their group as a couple; that requires some dominance behaviour, which is hopefully going to be on the minor side. It is always difficult when you have one boy who is getting on with either of the two.
If necessary, let him choose who he wants to be with.

For the single boy, you have the option to boar date if you can get to a rescue that offers this service (the Blue Cross in Burford doesn't) or have your single boy neutered so he can live with a sow or two provided you can get to a good vet. This requires also a 6 weeks post-op wait. For the time being, he should be OK as a neighbour with a divider.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

Hi Wiebke,

Thanks for your reply. I did wonder if Trigger and Del Boy alone would change the dynamic between them a bit. I will have to keep an eye on them.

How would I best let Del Boy choose his buddy? Should I create a neutral area and try Rodney with Del to see how they get on? And then I suppose, try to figure out who he gets on best with?

I hate the thought of any of the boys being alone, so sad this hasn’t worked out I think that’s a good idea to try and find another companion for whomever will become the single piggy. I’m just really hoping I don’t end up with 3 single boys! I think another boy would be best as I’d prefer not to neuter unless necessary, and I would still have to keep all in the same room. I’m not sure if the others would go wild if they could smell a female?

I will let the dust settle and see if and who Del would be best paired with first and then go from there.

Thanks again,
Jo

 

[Siikibam]

The smell of a female nearby could cause an argument/fight between the boys. So if you had Rodney with a sow, would you be able to put them at different ends of the room? Or alternatively stack cages so Rodney and girlfriend are on the bottom (smell can’t travel up as well as it can down!)?

I would think about who gets on the best out of the three then decide who to pair together. I wouldn’t put them all together again though, that’s asking for a fight so to speak. And if you decide to change the pairing, I think you have to consider doing the neutral area and completely cleaning out their cage to get rid of any lingering smells.

Good luck!, it’s not easy

 

[Joandpiggies]

The smell of a female nearby could cause an argument/fight between the boys. So if you had Rodney with a sow, would you be able to put them at different ends of the room? Or alternatively stack cages so Rodney and girlfriend are on the bottom (smell can’t travel up as well as it can down!)?

I would think about who gets on the best out of the three then decide who to pair together. I wouldn’t put them all together again though, that’s asking for a fight so to speak. And if you decide to change the pairing, I think you have to consider doing the neutral area and completely cleaning out their cage to get rid of any lingering smells.

Good luck!, it’s not easy

Thanks Siikibam,

I will try the neutral area tonight and clean out their cages. I'm so gutted I can't put them all together again. It's just really sad to see Rodney on his own, which may end of being Trigger on his own, depending on who Del chooses to buddy with. I also found some pulled out fur in their cage today when cleaning, so I'm guessing the fighting was happening quite a bit through the day yesterday and while I was out. I've checked them over but can't seem to find any obvious injuries. It's even hard to see who had the fur pulled, as Rodney and Trigger are both Peruvian and long haired.

I will update on how it works out and which two pair up, well, I hope at leat two pair up! I could yet end up with 3 singles. My worry is that all 3 are at a difficult age and so I wonder if introducing another piggy to pair with, would be a good idea or not at this time? I'm guessing if it's a boar, then an older one may be better with a youngster? I'm not too sure on how sows do with a stroppy teenage piggy either?

Best wishes,
Jo

 

[VickiA]

I am so sorry that you haven’t kicked the statistics and that your boar trio has fallen out as a result of boars being boars. You certainly did all you could.

I’m afraid that another boar is really not going to be the answer unless you wait until whichever single boar you have is well past the hormonal stage (over 18 months) which is just not really feasible as that would be a long wait for a lonely boar.

Your best bet is to neuter the solo boar and to get him a sow. As long as the neutered boar/sow pair are out of sight and scent of the boar pair all should be well.

 

[Joandpiggies]

I am so sorry that you haven’t kicked the statistics and that your boar trio has fallen out as a result of boars being boars. You certainly did all you could.

I’m afraid that another boar is really not going to be the answer unless you wait until whichever single boar you have is well past the hormonal stage (over 18 months) which is just not really feasible as that would be a long wait for a lonely boar.

Your best bet is to neuter the solo boar and to get him a sow. As long as the neutered boar/sow pair are out of sight and scent of the boar pair all should be well.

Thanks VickiA,

My concern is that I can’t find a rescue near me and ideally I’d like to make sure whichever Boy is single, gets on with a potential new sow 1st, or do they tend to do well regardless with a neutered male? I’m very novice at all this so apologies if that sounds like a silly question. And how long after neutering would it be ok to introduce a new sow? I’m presuming there will need to be a recovery period after the op?

Rodney’s character seems to have completely changed overnight! I just came home from work and normally he’s the more highly strung piggy, doesn’t like being handled or groomed at all. He normally squeals and wriggles in protest whenever I try to put a comb through his long hair. But today he let me comb him without the slightest protest. I think he was even purring and enjoying the chin rubs and scratching around his ears. He just seemed so calm. I’m not sure if he was craving some interaction or if he was generally less stressed away from the other two?

Del Boy and Trigger seem fine at the moment, just the usual rumble strutting when the other gets in the way. I need to set up a neutral space this evening to see who Del bonds better with and will go from there.

Many thanks,
Jo

 

[VickiA]

After neutering you need to wait for a full 6 weeks to ensure there are no viable sperm left in his system and to prevent a pregnancy.
Solo sows are quite unusual in rescue. The reason for this is that it is easier to bond them into a group than it is for boars, so they can often be bonded into another group if their companion dies. That isn’t to say that singles don’t come in, but Pairs of sows are more frequent. A neutered boar and pair of sows combination works quite well. A young or baby sow would be ideal. It depends how many are born into rescue.
Have you checked our rescue locator (top of the page) to see if there is one near you? If there isn’t one near you, many of our approved rescues will approve you as an adopter based on emails and photos of your set up. You would still need to travel to the rescue to do the bonding session but piggies cope well with car journeys of a couple of hours so this isn’t impossible if you set aside a day or a weekend.

 

[Joandpiggies]

After neutering you need to wait for a full 6 weeks to ensure there are no viable sperm left in his system and to prevent a pregnancy.
Solo sows are quite unusual in rescue. The reason for this is that it is easier to bond them into a group than it is for boars, so they can often be bonded into another group if their companion dies. That isn’t to say that singles don’t come in, but Pairs of sows are more frequent. A neutered boar and pair of sows combination works quite well. A young or baby sow would be ideal. It depends how many are born into rescue.
Have you checked our rescue locator (top of the page) to see if there is one near you? If there isn’t one near you, many of our approved rescues will approve you as an adopter based on emails and photos of your set up. You would still need to travel to the rescue to do the bonding session but piggies cope well with car journeys of a couple of hours so this isn’t impossible if you set aside a day or a weekend.

Hi VickiA,

I can see there’s one in Burford which isn’t a million miles away. I just had a look on their website and immediately saw a single sow that needs a home Obviously I need to go through the neutering and recovery process first with one of my boys and then look for a potential girlfriend that he can’t get pregnant.

I will definitely check the rescue again after op recovery and see if there’s any more girls in need of a home. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to end up with a lot of piggies at this rate Especially if I visit a rescue, I’m likely to want to take them all home!

Thanks for the advice X

 

[VickiA]

Hi VickiA,

I can see there’s one in Burford which isn’t a million miles away. I just had a look on their website and immediately saw a single sow that needs a home Obviously I need to go through the neutering and recovery process first with one of my boys and then look for a potential girlfriend that he can’t get pregnant.

I will definitely check the rescue again after op recovery and see if there’s any more girls in need of a home. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to end up with a lot of piggies at this rate Especially if I visit a rescue, I’m likely to want to take them all home!

Thanks for the advice X

It’s worth staying in touch with Burford as most rescues have piggies “in the system” who are not yet ready for adoption but who will be up for adoption on a given date (often awaiting health check or on pregnancy watch). If you are in their sights they will let you know who is “in the system”. Remember, not all piggies will be on the website. Good luck x

 

[Joandpiggies]

It’s worth staying in touch with Burford as most rescues have piggies “in the system” who are not yet ready for adoption but who will be up for adoption on a given date (often awaiting health check or on pregnancy watch). If you are in their sights they will let you know who is “in the system”. Remember, not all piggies will be on the website. Good luck x

That’s really useful to know, thanks for the tip! I will get in touch and let them know that I will be looking soon and would love to hear if they would likely have any sows needing a home then

I’ve just tried to give Del Boy the choice of which piggy he would like as a Buddy. Initially it looked more promising for Rodney, but after about 20 minutes I had to separate them as it became aggressive. So, it looks like Rodney will be the one to be neutered and hopefully find a girlfriend or two.

I just really hope Del and Trigger work out as a pair now, fingers crossed X

 

[VickiA]

Hope it settles down for you x