To Share Or Not To Share

[Landon's Legacy]

Is it okay to let my recently neutered boar and my sow share items like a cuddle cup even though they aren't on it at the same time because Hercules purrs every time he uses anything September previously used - vise versa, except September squeaks mostly. Will this practice cause me problems later when I reintroduce them later on?


Thank you,
Shanna

 

[sport_billy]

I am unsure on this so will tag @Wiebke in, she is like a piggy oracle on bonding etc...

 

[Wiebke]

No, they can time share and get used to each other's smells; they are also allowed to interact through the bars. I did this when I had Hywel sitting out the reminder of his 6 weeks post op wait after the death of predecessor Llewelyn. He loved to trash the girls' cosies and hay corner before cleaning.

It is just bonded boar couples living together that should not be in line of sight of any sows unless they have grown up that way and are not bothered by it. Single boars can live alongside sows without a problem; they profit from the stimulation.

 

[Landon's Legacy]

I already tried to have them live side by side last week - the outcome wasn't so pretty. They spent most of the day chewing the bars to get to each other and by the end of the night, Hercules managed to get his head stuck in the bars. I'm so grateful that my brother was here with his wire cutter handy. So for now, they will stay seperated - Meg in the 2x3 C&C and Hercules in the SmartPet cage (which is only slightly smaller than the 2x3 with floor time every other hour.) I will be getting some new coroplast and a piece of acrylic for them to see each other. What do you recommend the new cage size be when I put them side by side?