• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

The Sow Dynamic

Oodjamaflip

New Born Pup
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
3
Reaction score
4
Points
45
Location
Bedfordshire, UK
I need some advice on whether or not to introduce a sow.

We originally had two boars who came as a pair from a young age. After going through the summer last year we started to notice that one was being aggressive to the other. We persevered but it got to the point that blood was drawn and enough was enough. Unfortunately, the aggressive pig became very anxious and was clearly missing the other even though they could see one another. The other pig seemed so much happier having space to himself.

For the anxious pig we decided to get him a cage mate and whilst they have their moments they seem to be bonded ok and it has definitely helped with his anxiety. However, our very laid back single pig then started to be sad. I have C&C and was able to construct it so that the single pig could go downstairs and visit the others whilst still having a nice big penthouse area up top. But what was happening was he spent the whole time in the small visiting area.

I have 2 runs setup outside and when they are out they love being together but you can see that my lone guinea pig is envious as they others don't seem to pay him much attention.

I would like to now get my lone guinea pig a cage mate. I have found someone who re-homes guinea pigs and was going to make contact.

After reading information on this forum, I think possibly the best way forward to avoid any more conflict would be to get my boar neutered and to get him a sow because this has the least chance of bonding failure. However, I am concerned as to the effect this may have on my other two boars. Do you think having a sow even if they can't see her until outdoor run time (in separate runs) would cause a rift in the boar pair? I don't want to introduce a sow if its going to cause angst as I really do not have any more space to split the boars. The other option is to possibly bide my time until all of the boars have gone through adolescence and try to bond them.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to the best approach?
 
I need some advice on whether or not to introduce a sow.

We originally had two boars who came as a pair from a young age. After going through the summer last year we started to notice that one was being aggressive to the other. We persevered but it got to the point that blood was drawn and enough was enough. Unfortunately, the aggressive pig became very anxious and was clearly missing the other even though they could see one another. The other pig seemed so much happier having space to himself.

For the anxious pig we decided to get him a cage mate and whilst they have their moments they seem to be bonded ok and it has definitely helped with his anxiety. However, our very laid back single pig then started to be sad. I have C&C and was able to construct it so that the single pig could go downstairs and visit the others whilst still having a nice big penthouse area up top. But what was happening was he spent the whole time in the small visiting area.

I have 2 runs setup outside and when they are out they love being together but you can see that my lone guinea pig is envious as they others don't seem to pay him much attention.

I would like to now get my lone guinea pig a cage mate. I have found someone who re-homes guinea pigs and was going to make contact.

After reading information on this forum, I think possibly the best way forward to avoid any more conflict would be to get my boar neutered and to get him a sow because this has the least chance of bonding failure. However, I am concerned as to the effect this may have on my other two boars. Do you think having a sow even if they can't see her until outdoor run time (in separate runs) would cause a rift in the boar pair? I don't want to introduce a sow if its going to cause angst as I really do not have any more space to split the boars. The other option is to possibly bide my time until all of the boars have gone through adolescence and try to bond them.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to the best approach?
Hi. There is always a chance that a sow may affect the bond between two boars. Your lone piggy would be very happy though!
Some people do have sows in the same room as boar pairs but are careful to keep them well away from each other. It all depends on the boar pair, if they have a strong bond they will probably be ok.
Why not try boar dating first at a local rescue. It may be possible to get your boar a male friend and avoid any conflict
 
Thank you. We only have a small house so I could not put them in different rooms. I will contact local rescue and see how we get on. Thank you again for your help.
 
Back
Top