Would I be mad to get another (7th) pig? And would it upset Newton?

[Hannah_xx]

Hello everyone.
When I rescued Newton last year, there was another male pig there called Fugi. Fugi had already been at the rescue a long time due to him being older, white and with red eyes. He is still at the rescue, almost a year later. I have thought about him ever since I first went there, I loved him and Newton. But of course could only choose one to be the new husboar of the girls. And I originally went to see Newton.
So now I have the 2 separate girls, and they would like a husboar. And I ‘stupidly’ asked the rescue the other day if they still have Fugi. They do. He’s been there for almost 2 years now I recon. I’d absolutely love to give him a home.
Do you think I’m silly to take on another pig?
I’m always happy to take my pigs to the vet the moment I see illness. I will always provide vet care and costs, no matter what.
My 2 cages join, with a small gap in between. Do you think having another male in the same room would upset Newton? Would he feel threatened? I could easily put up a whole grid of corflute if they argued through the bars.

Do you think I’m mad? Or Should I provide him with a home?
My partner really liked him too, he even had a cuddle at the rescue last year. And always said if we were to get another it would be him.
Of course it all depends on if Fugi, Emily and Lottie get along okay!

 

[weepweeps]

Do it! It sounds like he’s been waiting for you

 

[Deleted member 139433]

He's absolutely gorgeous! I can't blame you for wanting to go get him. It sounds ideal that he could be husboar to your other girls. I'm not sure about the cages and being in the same room, as I've only had boy pairs in the same room together and no sows.

I do hope it can all work out for you guys and the beautiful Fugi

 

[piggieminder]

I believe it's fine to have husboars with their sows next to each other and as you say you can block them seeing each other if there's a problem. Wibeke has her cages next to each other with mixed groups. If you can afford the vets bills and have the time for another one I would try him with your girls, you will always wonder what happened to him. It sounds like he's been waiting for you, sometimes these things are meant to happen.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides
I've seen something about it in one of the guides but can't find the exact place at the moment but have a read through the behaviour ones. Good luck!

 

[Flutterby]

Do it! I've never had any problem with housing husboar and sow pair/herds next to eachother.

 

[Merab]

If your heart says YES then go get him.

 

[Siikibam]

I think if you have the time and, most importantly, the funds to look after him then do it. And it sounds like your boyfriend is on the same page as you. It’s a sign

 

[Bill & Ted]

Oh yes, give that gorgeous lonely lad a lovely home if you can Hannah x

 

[Betsy]

Hannah he has clearly been waiting patiently for you to go back and get him. Hopefully he will behave himself and your 2 girls will like him. Remind me, which 2 girls are awaiting a husboar?

 

[VickiA]

I have 2 adjoining/adjacent cages each with a neutered boar and sows and I don’t have any issues. I’d say go for it, if your girls will accept Fugi it could be a perfect solution and a happy ending for this lovely lad.

 

[Hannah_xx]

Hannah he has clearly been waiting patiently for you to go back and get him. Hopefully he will behave himself and your 2 girls will like him. Remind me, which 2 girls are awaiting a husboar?

Emily and Lottie . Little Olive hates Lottie with a passion, so I failed at bonding her with the big herd.
So the two ‘newest’ arrivals (I’ve had them maybe a year now?) are on there own without a husboar.

 

[Claire W]

If you have the space, funds and a plan B in case they don’t bond then I would go and get him

 

[Winniepeg]

I'm taking a different point of view here Hannah if that’s ok and no disrespect to other members here on the forum. It’s not for anybody to advise you on this one it’s up to you and your partner. Of course it would be lovely for Newton to have a great home. That said we can’t save all the animals whether they are cats,donkeys, chameleons etc. There is no doubt whatsoever he would have a brilliant home. Given the rough times you had in the past year or so is it the right time to take on another pet. I really don’t mean to sound like a party pooper but we all love piggies here and it’s easy to
say yes to another one. Take your time before making a decision. It’s hard I know but go with your head rather than your heart on this one . Good luck whatever you decide

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Sounds like he has been waiting for you.

Rule of thumb is:
You can keep single and bonded boars next to each other.
You can keep single boars and neutered boars living with sows next to each other (it actually mimics their natural living)
What should be avoided is introducing sows into a room with bonded boars only, as the sow pheromones (especially when they come into season) can upset even adult bonded boars and can lead to fights or fall-outs. Sows should at all times be kept out of sight and reach of pheromones of boars that are not used to them.

Boars that have grown up around sows or in a room with sows will react a lot less because they produce more of a calming hormone. A stong season can however still upset teenage boys as I know from my own experiences with my own boar pairs in my big piggy room.
One pair did make it and were even able to live peacefully next to a pair of sows (Nye is now living with them after Nosgan's death) but the other pair parted ways eventually due to a character imbalance - not by much but enough to see that dynamics were heading in the wrong direction with Dylan insisting increasingly on abject submission the less teenage Llelo was willing to give it; they live happily with a lady each now.

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

 

[PigglePuggle]

I think if both boars have ladies it would be ok, on cage clean days husboar Theo and his 5 ladies set up camp in the playpen right next to where husboar Ollie and his wife Tallulah live and the only jealously seems to be over which set of pigs has the most lettuce and hay cookies! I believe in the wild its quite normal for 2 groups to live as neighbours as long as each boar gets to keep his own ladies

 

[Wiebke]

I have a room full of adjoining mixed gender or sow cages. It actually recreates the kind of colonies the wild ancestors of our domesticated pet species live. I personally find it fascinating to see just how much of this natural behaviour is still there - both as herd and as group or inter-group behaviour. Wiebke's Tribe is most definitely a Tribe, although these days it is no longer just one big group but lots of small ones interacting with each other through the bars, which has given me new but also highly interesting insights in how piggies tick.

For anybody interested, my new article series for Guinea Pig Magazine, starting with the issue that is coming out just now (issue 63), is called 'The Herd, The Group and I' and deals with questions like social and personal identity, herd behaviours you see in daily life, groups and inter-group territorial behaviours as well as a planned closer look at why boars are ticking differently and what underlies the big boar Do's and Don'ts. You will hopefully find the new series over the coming issues very interesting because a lot of our quirky cavy behaviours we see every day or during bondings will suddenly make a lot more sense.

 

[Hannah_xx]

I have a room full of adjoining mixed gender or sow cages. It actually recreates the kind of colonies the wild ancestors of our domesticated pet species live. I personally find it fascinating to see just how much of this natural behaviour is still there - both as herd and as group or inter-group behaviour. Wiebke's Tribe is most definitely a Tribe, although these days it is no longer just one big group but lots of small ones interacting with each other through the bars, which has given me new but also highly interesting insights in how piggies tick.

For anybody interested, my new article series for Guinea Pig Magazine, starting with the issue that is coming out just now (issue 63), is called 'The Herd, The Group and I' and deals with questions like social and personal identity, herd behaviours you see in daily life, groups and inter-group territorial behaviours as well as a planned closer look at why boars are ticking differently and what underlies the big boar Do's and Don'ts. You will hopefully find the new series over the coming issues very interesting because a lot of our quirky cavy behaviours we see every day or during bondings will suddenly make a lot more sense.

Thank you for you detailed replies Wiebke!
Newton lives with his 4 wives and the new boy would live with 2 wives (providing they accept him of course!).
I'm So relieved to hear that the boys should be okay in adjoining cages especially as they each have their own herd of girls. And that it actually mimics natural ancestry lifestyle!

 

[Hannah_xx]

I'm taking a different point of view here Hannah if that’s ok and no disrespect to other members here on the forum. It’s not for anybody to advise you on this one it’s up to you and your partner. Of course it would be lovely for Newton to have a great home. That said we can’t save all the animals whether they are cats,donkeys, chameleons etc. There is no doubt whatsoever he would have a brilliant home. Given the rough times you had in the past year or so is it the right time to take on another pet. I really don’t mean to sound like a party pooper but we all love piggies here and it’s easy to
say yes to another one. Take your time before making a decision. It’s hard I know but go with your head rather than your heart on this one . Good luck whatever you decide

I’m always happy for honest opinions, after all that’s why I asked the forum for advice! So thank you Winniepig for balancing out a different point of view. Much appreciated. And you’re totally right.. I have had a tough few years, and even quite an emotional and rough couple of weeks. Not only did my lovely elderly uncle pass away. But also my (mums) elderly cat back in the U.K. had to be PTS. And to top it off we lost out on a cottage we wanted to buy last week which I loved so much.
But despite the heartache, despite the ups and downs. Despite the huge life changes and despite my own mental health imbalances. I actually think I’m quite a tough cookie sometimes.. I won’t dwell on bad times, (except my pets dying.. I really struggle with that). I find that I pick myself back up quite quickly after bad news or stressful times. I may have a few days where I’m all over the place and I cry. But then I’m okay. I survive and I carry on. I always try to see the positives in life.
My anxieties are always there of course. But so are my animals, And they are what help me the most through tough times. I absolutely cannot help but smile every morning when I walk into the kitchen and my pigs wheeeeek for breakfast. Newton makes me laugh many times a day when he popcorns like a mop. My dog is always happy, he always loves me no matter what my mood. My birds interacting with each other bring me joy. And my horses.. yes I have 3 too many . But each one of them provide me with support, love and joy.
So in conclusion.. I’m a crazy person, with sometimes a crazy life. But I’m a happy crazy animal person. Who loves and cares for my animals no matter what life throws at me.

so I think that answers our potential question whether I should take another one on
Thanks again Winniepig for thinking of me and my health

 

[Winniepeg]

I’m always happy for honest opinions, after all that’s why I asked the forum for advice! So thank you Winniepig for balancing out a different point of view. Much appreciated. And you’re totally right.. I have had a tough few years, and even quite an emotional and rough couple of weeks. Not only did my lovely elderly uncle pass away. But also my (mums) elderly cat back in the U.K. had to be PTS. And to top it off we lost out on a cottage we wanted to buy last week which I loved so much.
But despite the heartache, despite the ups and downs. Despite the huge life changes and despite my own mental health imbalances. I actually think I’m quite a tough cookie sometimes.. I won’t dwell on bad times, (except my pets dying.. I really struggle with that). I find that I pick myself back up quite quickly after bad news or stressful times. I may have a few days where I’m all over the place and I cry. But then I’m okay. I survive and I carry on. I always try to see the positives in life.
My anxieties are always there of course. But so are my animals, And they are what help me the most through tough times. I absolutely cannot help but smile every morning when I walk into the kitchen and my pigs wheeeeek for breakfast. Newton makes me laugh many times a day when he popcorns like a mop. My dog is always happy, he always loves me no matter what my mood. My birds interacting with each other bring me joy. And my horses.. yes I have 3 too many . But each one of them provide me with support, love and joy.
So in conclusion.. I’m a crazy person, with sometimes a crazy life. But I’m a happy crazy animal person. Who loves and cares for my animals no matter what life throws at me.

so I think that answers our potential question whether I should take another one on
Thanks again Winniepig for thinking of me and my health

You really are a diamond

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hannah did you take that lovely lonely Fugi on? Can’t find if you did or not

 

[artcasper]

Hannah did you take that lovely lonely Fugi on? Can’t find if you did or not

I've just come on to see the same thing!

 

[Pawz]

I am also itching to know if you adopted him,

 

[Hannah_xx]

Hannah did you take that lovely lonely Fugi on? Can’t find if you did or not

I messaged the rescue place, by FB message and email and haven’t heard back! It’s been weeks They did say on their FB page that they haven’t been very active on the messages lately, and they are working on getting back to everyone. I'm confident he’s still there, just have to be patient I guess!
We’re are in lockdown again at the moment, so wouldn’t be able to go to Melbourne any time soon to get him anyway.
I’ll let you all know as soon as I hear something!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I messaged the rescue place, by FB message and email and haven’t heard back! It’s been weeks They did say on their FB page that they haven’t been very active on the messages lately, and they are working on getting back to everyone. I'm confident he’s still there, just have to be patient I guess!
We’re are in lockdown again at the moment, so wouldn’t be able to go to Melbourne any time soon to get him anyway.
I’ll let you all know as soon as I hear something!

Aw, great you are still thinking about him poor little man, hope you get a reply very soon x
Hannah x

 

[Julesie]

Breaks my heart he’s been there so long. He’s the spitting image of my elderly piggie Eevee and she is the sweetest and most laid back of all my piggies.

keep us updated on if you are able to get him. He’s stunning