2 baby boars and hormone spikes

[Binkymari]

Hi all,

I am planning on getting 2 baby boars since boars are said to be more outgoing. This is our first time having 2 piggies so after some research I'm kind of worried.. since they will both be around 4-5 weeks old when they come together they probably will bond well. But what happens when they will get hormonal spikes.. is there a chance they will start disliking eachother? Forever? We dont have the room to separate them. The cage is selfbuild and about 2 square meters + upstairs. Also, will it go well if we get a baby and and an older(1yr) one from a petstore?
Or is there less risk when getting 2 females?

Both cases they wont be brothers or relatives but different breeds

Love,
Binky

 

[Siikibam]

Being relatives doesn’t guarantee them getting along. As with humans, it’s a case of personalities that get on well together.

Is it possible to go to a rescue? That way you’re guaranteed a well bonded and healthy pair. There’s a link somewhere of rescues if you do a search.

I don’t think there’s any less risk with sows. I would say don’t limit yourself to boars. Go see which ones they have and choose the ones you feel are calling to you. With my first, i Was wanting girls but fell in love with boars. With the second pair I got the ones I fell for - sows I find them all entertaining - they all have their own personalities.

 

[VickiA]

I’m afraid that you cannot predict with babies how they will mature. It all depends on their personalities. All you can do is be sure when you have young boars that they have 2 of everything, plenty of space on single level (additional levels don’t count) and that you are observant. If you do all that then it’s just down to them.

 

[Siikibam]

PS I like your setup. My one piece of advise would be to add some sides to the ramp, or secure a tunnel to it. But don’t be baffled if you find they don’t like it either way. Piggies are ground roaming

 

[Caris]

You can never really guarantee whether a bond will last or not, but, with rescue pigs, the chances of that bond succeeding are far more likely because the piggies are matched for personality and go through a bonding process. With pet shop piggies, you can't always guarantee that the two you're getting actually like each other, especially if you're picking them out from a group. I think, whatever the case, whether you go for girls or boys, you always need to have a backup plan if it doesn't work out. For instance, if my boys ever fall out (and they're 7 months and currently going through their teenage phase) I'll neuter them and see about getting them each some girlfriends.

I don't think there is much difference, personality-wise, between boars and sows. It just depends on their individual characters. My girls, although younger (8 weeks!) and having never been handled, have come around a lot quicker than my boys (who I got at 12 weeks+ and used to being handled). They're not bothered about me walking around near their cage, whereas my boys will still sometimes run and hide, and the girls started wheeking at me for food week one. It took about three months for me to hear my boys wheek! But they've all got very distinctive, individual personalities. Minnie is the mountain goat, Ava spends most of her time popcorning around and is fascinated by my dogs. She also frequently chirps (!) I have no idea why! Merlin is Mr. Adventure Pig and everything is a bit of a drama with him as well (he's hilarious), and Arthur is more quiet and composed, but will do anything for pellets.

I would definitely say go with the ones that call to you. I wanted sows to begin with, had my reservations about boars, but fell in love with Merlin and Arthur, and I was not coming home without them. And then I saw Minnie and Ava several months later and was not leaving without them either... even though I hadn't planned on more piggies.

The only thing to keep in mind is that boars need more space, and that if you get two you can only keep them in pairs. Anything more is likely to fail. You can't add more to your herd later, like you can with sows.