What a wonderful bunch you have and great that you have given them all a loving home.
Are those boys all living together?
Thanks, Wiebke! If I could, I'd have a ton more, of course. There are so many needy little ones.
Sadly not all the boys live together. Ned, Rufus, Misha and Nikola live quite happily together.
GusGus has been through numerous living situations. He lived alone briefly when I brought him home. Then he was successfully housed with several other boys for a time (all who have passed now), but he became overly nervous and aggressive with all of them except Max who was an old guy and GusGus' buddy. So, I separated GusGus and Max from the rest of the boys and they lived contently that way until Max passed a year and a couple of months later. I had recently taken in Cyril at that point and he was still a babe. He was quite ill when I took him in, but once he got past his infections, he was housed with GusGus, until Cyril got a little older and then the two began to fight like crazy as well. GusGus was bullying Cyril like mad and they also had to be separated.
Since then, Cyril and GusGus have lived alone. I've attempted to introduce both solitary boys to Ned and the gang without success. GusGus seems to have a real anxiety problem and has fear aggression when other pigs are too close now. Max was his only bud.
Cyril, who I thought would be a good match for the other boys turns into a very aggressive guy around them. As the other boys are all heart pigs, I have been very careful with the attempted intros and have not been able to allow any dominance, chasing, etc. to go on for very long.
If Cyril were in better health, I had the money, and a relatively strong assurance that he and Olivia would do well together, I would have him neutered and house him with Olivia, as the two have really bonded since Olivia is alone now as well. They've spent all their time together, snuggled up against the wall. Perhaps in the coming months. I will consider it some more. Cyril is still relatively young which makes the idea of surgery less daunting to me, but we need to get him healthier again first. Plus the neuter would be somewhere between $200.00 and $300.00, and with the other chronically ill piggies, I try to keep the vet fund stocked for the emergencies, etc., and don't want to drain it for an "unnecessary surgery." Maybe in the future, but for now, they all seem to be doing ok.
They live in C&C cages with only grids as barriers, so they are all able to visit and snuggle, as well.
