You're Kidding?

Sophie B

Sophie B

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After somebody posted an image of three boars

I said:
Hello! Are they all boys? Boy trios hardly ever work (or a very slim chance that they will) boys can't really be kept in anything more than a pair. It not only risks the bond of your current pigs but it risks over dominance and bullying, even fights. It's best to keep pairs x

I will add it doesn't matter if they're from the same litter or not x

They replied:
They get along just fine! They were always kept together. One dominant and two submissive

I replied: They're very cute x

Somebody random says:
It's a mythhhhh, as long as there's no females involved for them to fght over they're fine, they get along really well, love each other bless them

I replied:
This is not true, trust me on this x

Am I in the right here? Are my facts correct?
( Note there is no malice -at least in what I am saying- here)
 
Sophie Blane said:
After somebody posted an image of three boars

I said:
Hello! Are they all boys? Boy trios hardly ever work (or a very slim chance that they will) boys can't really be kept in anything more than a pair. It not only risks the bond of your current pigs but it risks over dominance and bullying, even fights. It's best to keep pairs x

I will add it doesn't matter if they're from the same litter or not x

They replied:
They get along just fine! They were always kept together. One dominant and two submissive

I replied: They're very cute x

Somebody random says:
It's a mythhhhh, as long as there's no females involved for them to fght over they're fine, they get along really well, love each other bless them

I replied:
This is not true, trust me on this x

Am I in the right here? Are my facts correct?
( Note there is no malice -at least in what I am saying- here)
Click to expand...
It is true that 3 boars rarely work out, i have lost count on the amount of new members complaining about one boar being bullied out of the trio. You are correct, maybe they have a young trio? I duno
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
It is true that 3 boars rarely work out, i have lost count on the amount of new members complaining about one boar being bullied out of the trio. You are correct, maybe they have a young trio? I duno
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The person PM(ed) me and said they were 10 weeks :doh:
 
Bernie was in a trio before i adopted him, he was left on the adoption and the other two were adopted by someone else. I'm glad hes out of the trio, hes a real layed back lad
 
Yes! This person claims they have a degree in animal behaviour but ?
They also said they had kept boars like this before
 
you are correct that boar pairs are most likely to succeed .i have two boar trios that work well,but they are not in there teenage years.i would not suggest that new inexperienced owners attempt a trio.
 
I played it safe and went with boar and sow. This is how I'm always going to have it now. I have an older sow. So techicaly my next pig will be a sow and then the next after that will be a rescue neutered boar. And il keep going on like this. Morbid i know😣
 
Boar pairs are totally fine, I don't know if I could keep a sow because of the risks of ovarian problems...
 
Sophie Blane said:
Boar pairs are totally fine, I don't know if I could keep a sow because of the risks of ovarian problems...
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Yea this is what i dont like about sows. Dot has to be spayed very soon. I'm bricking it.

But with boars its the bladder stones that terrify me. They have less chance of passing small ones
 
I lost a boar to bladder stones, and it was a horrible horrible time for him and me. It was a month solid battle of syringe feeding, 10 hour work shifts, 4 hours sleep, morning and evening syringe feeding. I lost the plot. I ruined myself that much that when he died, i was very very upset. But had a huge weight of my shoulders. Very weird feeling
 
Sophie Blane said:
I know exactly what you mean, it truly is terrible to lose a pet x
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Yea it is horrid. I had to go on a work shift knowing he would be gone when i got back, and he was. I just couldnt get the time off to take him to the vet to be p.t.s.

Il never go to heroics again to save a pet. I took it way too far and should have gave up sooner. Big learning curve. Sorry I'm blabbering lol
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Yea it is horrid. I had to go on a work shift knowing he would be gone when i got back, and he was. I just couldnt get the time off to take him to the vet to be p.t.s.

Il never go to heroics again to save a pet. I took it way too far and should have gave up sooner. Big learning curve. Sorry I'm blabbering lol
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No that’s ok! If you ever need to rant or blabber on we’re (and I’m) always here
 
Interested to read it is OK to keep a pair of boars. Previous to my young son's 2 piggies (sows) who are now 3 years old, it was over 30 years since I last had piggies and back then I was advised that I couldn't keep boars together, even litter brothers, so I had a boar and a sow (non related) with the associated babies - omg they were sooooooo cute. Mum had 6 babies overnight. One was huge and she never broke the sack so I got up to a dead baby. I don't know why she didn't do that but put it down to it could possibly have been her first so she wasn't experienced and may have gone straight into needing to push again. And the smallest, which she was giving birth to when I got up, she refused to clean and feed. Luckily I'd set things up in case that happened and had read up on how to raise orphaned pigges - in books as it was pre-internet, so I cleaned him off, kept him warm, got his bladder working and hand fed him with a tiny pipette from work. Mum was happy to have him in the cage with her and his siblings didn't mind him so I thought it healthier for him to be with his family and I'd take him out to feed him. She still refused to feed him. I did try and see a few times because her feeding him, properly, would have been better for him, and me! I named him Tiny and he grew to be huge, bigger than his dad. Him and I had a strong bond. Anyway, that's why we had 2 sows this time. In those days the vets in my area also refused to neuter or sterilise citing anaesthetic risks. So if we get more piggies in the future it is nice to know we aren't limited to sows, we could get a pair of brothers
 
A trio of juvenile boars is just a disaster waiting to happen. But people seldom accept what they don’t want to hear. In older life when boars have been left bereaved they can be amenable to living in a trio but it is entirely down to the nature of the boars in question and takes a brave (braver than me) and experienced keeper to attempt the bonding. They need very close supervision too to make sure there is no bullying.
Even a pair of boars can have its ups and downs. But a well bonded boar pair can be just as stable as a bonded sow pair.
 
Our trio is still going strong with no real arguments.. I would say we are probably exceptionally lucky in that. (They are almost through the teenage years now so fingers crossed it stays that way)
 
PembsGP said:
Interested to read it is OK to keep a pair of boars. Previous to my young son's 2 piggies (sows) who are now 3 years old, it was over 30 years since I last had piggies and back then I was advised that I couldn't keep boars together, even litter brothers, so I had a boar and a sow (non related) with the associated babies - omg they were sooooooo cute. Mum had 6 babies overnight. One was huge and she never broke the sack so I got up to a dead baby. I don't know why she didn't do that but put it down to it could possibly have been her first so she wasn't experienced and may have gone straight into needing to push again. And the smallest, which she was giving birth to when I got up, she refused to clean and feed. Luckily I'd set things up in case that happened and had read up on how to raise orphaned pigges - in books as it was pre-internet, so I cleaned him off, kept him warm, got his bladder working and hand fed him with a tiny pipette from work. Mum was happy to have him in the cage with her and his siblings didn't mind him so I thought it healthier for him to be with his family and I'd take him out to feed him. She still refused to feed him. I did try and see a few times because her feeding him, properly, would have been better for him, and me! I named him Tiny and he grew to be huge, bigger than his dad. Him and I had a strong bond. Anyway, that's why we had 2 sows this time. In those days the vets in my area also refused to neuter or sterilise citing anaesthetic risks. So if we get more piggies in the future it is nice to know we aren't limited to sows, we could get a pair of brothers
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Mine aren’t litter brothers, we introduced them before I joined the forum and 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️
I basically just put them in a cage together, no proper introduction.
I’d know better now thankfully 😅
They get along quite well, they just don’t like being right next to each other, they demonstrate this by rumbling!
I have only ever kept boys and I’ve never had any big fights (touch wood)
 
Update: They PM(ed) me and we discussed it further, they gave their opinion and I gave mine, then we chalked it up to experience, being guinea pig lovers with a different opinion. I didn’t want to discuss it any further, I didn’t want any tension
 
Best just to leave it. They will be very lucky if they get past the teenage months in my opinion. Two boars together can be problematic without another in the mix. Bill and Ted are ok most of the time, but do have the odd heated moments just like most housemates I suppose x
 
Claire W said:
My Edward was part of a boar trio and he was the one who was bullied and bitten so his owners kept the two brothers and gave Edward to rescue. He’s now happily living with Ellen
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What a shame, he’s lucky to be with you now!
 
Sophie Blane said:
After somebody posted an image of three boars

I said:
Hello! Are they all boys? Boy trios hardly ever work (or a very slim chance that they will) boys can't really be kept in anything more than a pair. It not only risks the bond of your current pigs but it risks over dominance and bullying, even fights. It's best to keep pairs x

I will add it doesn't matter if they're from the same litter or not x

They replied:
They get along just fine! They were always kept together. One dominant and two submissive

I replied: They're very cute x

Somebody random says:
It's a mythhhhh, as long as there's no females involved for them to fght over they're fine, they get along really well, love each other bless them

I replied:
This is not true, trust me on this x

Am I in the right here? Are my facts correct?
( Note there is no malice -at least in what I am saying- here)
Click to expand...

I have always understood the same but I board three male entre pigs together. They are now 2yrs old and much to my amazement are a great little group. I would never recommend it personally x
 
It’s such a tricky one. I’ve got a bit embroiled in a Facebook selling page where a friend is trying to rehome home her newly single boar (his cage mate died). I totally understand where she is coming from but I’ve suggested just putting him in with an established group may be a problem all round and suggested the local rescue where he can get a companion and a properly checked out home. Ended up biting my tongue as I’m a lone voice in a crowd. I don’t mind them learning the hard way but the one that suffers most is the literal piggy in the middle of it all :(
 
You were right In what u said I currently like a four boy group they work fine as I have a very dominant Male who keeps everyone else I check but is not aggressive tot he other piggies
 
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