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The boar conundrum?

Bradshaw Piggies

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So long story short...

when Odin was poorly, he and his brother Stark had a fall out and never went back together. It’s like they hate each other but are fine seeing each other through bars (though Odin does occasionally chatter at him through the bars).


Thor and Loki were well bonded, but unfortunately Loki passed away about a month ago.


We managed to get Odin and Thor living together well. But they have now had a huge fall out (I think Odin is feeling better as he’s gone from submissive to aggressively attacking Thor).
so now I have 3 boars... that see each other through the bars but live alone in their C&C sections.
They are all happy, popcorning and eating but I do worry that they dont get enough social interaction on their own sides of the bars? 😔

I asked some rescue centres who recommended baby boars to pair, but there are none available.
I didn’t particularly want more guinea pigs or more fall outs as I have so much going on financially (and stressfully) with Odin and his veterinary care at the moment.

has anyone any thoughts?
 
Interaction with a piggy in the same cage is of course the better choice. But interaction is more than sharing a space. It’s about smell and body language as well. So that is still provided through the bars.

Yes baby boars could work because they wouldn’t be seen as threatening. But what about when they reach their teenage months and older pig won’t accept being dominated? I’m not saying this happens all the time, but it’s something to consider.

Gievn the above, I would strongly suggest you stick to rescues that can offer boar dating. Picking a friend themselves is the best way to bond because they choose one they get on with, and vice versa.

While you make a decision, your three boys are fine if they can interact with each other. Out of curiosity, have you tried Thor with Stark?
 
Interaction with a piggy in the same cage is of course the better choice. But interaction is more than sharing a space. It’s about smell and body language as well. So that is still provided through the bars.

Yes baby boars could work because they wouldn’t be seen as threatening. But what about when they reach their teenage months and older pig won’t accept being dominated? I’m not saying this happens all the time, but it’s something to consider.

Gievn the above, I would strongly suggest you stick to rescues that can offer boar dating. Picking a friend themselves is the best way to bond because they choose one they get on with, and vice versa.

While you make a decision, your three boys are fine if they can interact with each other. Out of curiosity, have you tried Thor with Stark?
Thank you.
Sorry yes, I should have mentioned that I have tried Thor and Stark. They also clash. But both are strong personalities. There is lots of chattering and lunging at each other, so I don’t think that works either.
The problem is if I did get more piggies and they fall out in the future, I don’t have much more space to offer them. These guys have large spaces and I wouldn’t want to take away from that
 
So long story short...

when Odin was poorly, he and his brother Stark had a fall out and never went back together. It’s like they hate each other but are fine seeing each other through bars (though Odin does occasionally chatter at him through the bars).


Thor and Loki were well bonded, but unfortunately Loki passed away about a month ago.


We managed to get Odin and Thor living together well. But they have now had a huge fall out (I think Odin is feeling better as he’s gone from submissive to aggressively attacking Thor).
so now I have 3 boars... that see each other through the bars but live alone in their C&C sections.
They are all happy, popcorning and eating but I do worry that they dont get enough social interaction on their own sides of the bars? 😔

I asked some rescue centres who recommended baby boars to pair, but there are none available.
I didn’t particularly want more guinea pigs or more fall outs as I have so much going on financially (and stressfully) with Odin and his veterinary care at the moment.

has anyone any thoughts?

I would stop worrying if your boys are happy and popcorning! They are getting enough interaction and stimulation from each other but have each their own patch.

The problem with baby boys is that they grow up and turn into teenagers - and then you can quickly end up with yet more single boars. :(
 
I would stop worrying if your boys are happy and popcorning! They are getting enough interaction and stimulation from each other but have each their own patch.

The problem with baby boys is that they grow up and turn into teenagers - and then you can quickly end up with yet more single boars. :(
Thank you. Are there signs of loneliness I should watch out for?
 
Thank you. Are there signs of loneliness I should watch out for?

No; because they are not lonely.

I adopted an old depressed bereaved sow (the last of a very long-lived trio); she stopped being depressed the moment she came into this room even though it took ten months for her to be ready to move in with another widow and live on to celebrate her 9th birthday. Yes, having a live-in companion would be great but unless they are character compatible and ideally past teenage, I would leave be.

We have got quite a number of members with 'can't live together and can't live apart' boar pairs that stay bonded through the bars and sincerely grieve when their ex-mate dies.
 
No; because they are not lonely.

I adopted an old depressed bereaved sow (the last of a very long-lived trio); she stopped being depressed the moment she came into this room even though it took ten months for her to be ready to move in with another widow and live on to celebrate her 9th birthday. Yes, having a live-in companion would be great but unless they are character compatible and ideally past teenage, I would leave be.

We have got quite a number of members with 'can't live together and can't live apart' boar pairs that stay bonded through the bars and sincerely grieve when their ex-mate dies.
Thank you, that’s really helpful and really puts my mind at ease! 😊
 
I have recently decided to separate my two boars @Marvel_piggie_squad . I was getting increasingly anxious and stressed about their behaviour, so much so that I was anxious the whole time I was out/working etc. as I was terrified they were going to hurt each other. I eventually decided to separate them when they both went to the vets for Dougal’s lump to be looked at and Diego was relentless when we got home and it was the final straw as I knew he couldn’t have been chased like that after his op. I was so pleased with the decision, although you feel guilty at first but I had to remind myself to look at it through their eyes and not my own!

They can still see each other through the bars and interact but have the best of both worlds as they don’t have to worry about claiming their belongings and get to eat as much bath as they want without being chased off and chattered at! Even my nervous pig Diego is quite happy living separately. They occasionally have a chew on the bars, rumble and lie down near them but that’s them marking their territory and not ‘missing’ each other like we would look at it as! It now means they can have lots of different enrichment and ‘toys’ to chew in their cages and regular floor time as this would set them off before.

Hope Odin is ok!
 
I have recently decided to separate my two boars @Marvel_piggie_squad . I was getting increasingly anxious and stressed about their behaviour, so much so that I was anxious the whole time I was out/working etc. as I was terrified they were going to hurt each other. I eventually decided to separate them when they both went to the vets for Dougal’s lump to be looked at and Diego was relentless when we got home and it was the final straw as I knew he couldn’t have been chased like that after his op. I was so pleased with the decision, although you feel guilty at first but I had to remind myself to look at it through their eyes and not my own!

They can still see each other through the bars and interact but have the best of both worlds as they don’t have to worry about claiming their belongings and get to eat as much bath as they want without being chased off and chattered at! Even my nervous pig Diego is quite happy living separately. They occasionally have a chew on the bars, rumble and lie down near them but that’s them marking their territory and not ‘missing’ each other like we would look at it as! It now means they can have lots of different enrichment and ‘toys’ to chew in their cages and regular floor time as this would set them off before.

Hope Odin is ok!
Ah thank you so much!
makes me feel better that it isn’t just me who feels guilty sometimes! Thor and Stark tend to lie near each other through the bars, only Stark can be bothered to chew them though 🙈
I initially separated Stark and Odin because of Stark being relentless when Odin was poorly.
Odin is happy in his own section, nibbling all of his own food and not getting chased :)

Hope Dougal is doing well!
 
Ah thank you so much!
makes me feel better that it isn’t just me who feels guilty sometimes! Thor and Stark tend to lie near each other through the bars, only Stark can be bothered to chew them though 🙈
I initially separated Stark and Odin because of Stark being relentless when Odin was poorly.
Odin is happy in his own section, nibbling all of his own food and not getting chased :)

Hope Dougal is doing well!


Thank you! Better today hopefully still at 1272g even though we reduced feeds which is good! 👍🏻
 
So after a night apart, this morning Thor and Odin seem to have gotten over their argument and are getting along as though nothing happened...... can this be the case?
 
That’s good news. 🥰 Maybe they just had a funny hormal flare up and they’ve calmed down with a separation over night. Just keep an eye on them and that Odin is getting enough rest/food/water if he hasn’t been feeling well! :tu:
 
That’s good news. 🥰 Maybe they just had a funny hormal flare up and they’ve calmed down with a separation over night. Just keep an eye on them and that Odin is getting enough rest/food/water if he hasn’t been feeling well! :tu:
Thank you :) will do! It was Odin who was being the pain and hounding Thor 🙈(he is a year younger than Thor and might have been feeling hormonal and obviously better in himself) but now they are very settled. I spread lots of food and hay out around their large space so there seems to be no issue with food. They’ve eaten together and they are napping now 🥰
 
That’s great to hear glad they’ve sorted out their issues!
Yeah once one piggy has been ill/starts to feel better there will normally be a dominance flare up as the dominant pig ‘challenges’ for his place in the hierarchy back. It used to happen with mine - When Diego the dominant pig had a mild uri Dougal took it as his opportunity to try and claim top pig but Diego was having none of it so they were bickering on and off for a while after that :doh::))
 
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