Best Cage Size for Boars - Conflicting Views

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Parsnip

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We are building new cages for our two (separated) boys so hopefully one will get a new friend, maybe both. I was thinking of a 120x90cm cage, roughly 12ft area. The rescue said it was too small and must be 140 at least.

I’m happy to go for the 150x60cm instead as they are smaller in area so take up less space. I want to do whatever is best for them, space and money is no issue. The cages will be alongside each other unless they are both paired off, we can then have them on two levels.

Is length better than width for boar pairs? I thought I was doing the right thing by going for a bigger area. I’m really hoping to rescue rather than buy but it’s obviously a lot harder. I’ll contact other rescues further away as listed on this forum. And if it fails I’ll start researching vets who do neutering.
 
Hi, for a boar pair you need a space that’s at least 160cm in length but 180cm is what we as a forum recommend. A boar and sow pair need a space that’s at least 120cm in length but 140cm or bigger is best and is what most rescues require. I hope that helps you?
 
180x60cm is the same as 120x90 so should work by area and is therefore better than 150x60 as required by the rescue. But does the area need to be a long rectangle or is the wide shape ok? Other posters have suggest so but I want to make sure we are doing the right thing.
 
I think sometimes people look at only half the numbers, in this case the 120 part, and skip the rest. There's nothing wrong with a cage of 4'x3'/120x90cm. For a while I was mulling the possibility to myself of going for 3.5'x3.5' which is slightly over that, although in the end I went with something different. I've also had cages as L shapes, rectangles, and squares.
 
Parsnip said:
We are building new cages for our two (separated) boys so hopefully one will get a new friend, maybe both. I was thinking of a 120x90cm cage, roughly 12ft area. The rescue said it was too small and must be 140 at least.

I’m happy to go for the 150x60cm instead as they are smaller in area so take up less space. I want to do whatever is best for them, space and money is no issue. The cages will be alongside each other unless they are both paired off, we can then have them on two levels.

Is length better than width for boar pairs? I thought I was doing the right thing by going for a bigger area. I’m really hoping to rescue rather than buy but it’s obviously a lot harder. I’ll contact other rescues further away as listed on this forum. And if it fails I’ll start researching vets who do neutering.
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Hi

120x90 cm is fine because it is wider than a standard traditional cage. Obviously whoever rad your post was only looking at the first number but not the second.

I would make them aware that you will switch to a 150x60 cm cage on their express wish but that it is about 11% smaller space-wise than the shorter but wider area 90x120 cm (write it this way to make it more obvious) that you were initially proposing.
 
Ok thanks. It’s like I’m going mad. I’m an accountant so have an eye for detail, particularly numbers. It was a snotty email :( We are having a bad time in the new house - leak into the living room ceiling, fence blown down, removal guys leaving our stuff behind, rude neighbour already. The piggies bring a little joy to our lives and we want to do our best for them. Lots of advice is conflicting which makes it harder to navigate and avoid doing the wrong thing.

I did say I’d go for the smaller option at their request but my husband already built the 3x4. They love their new cages - especially the large one. I’ve emailed another rescue instead.
 

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If those are C&C grids is it actually 4'x3'? Only the grids tend to be slightly longer than a foot long wide.
 
Parsnip said:
Ok thanks. It’s like I’m going mad. I’m an accountant so have an eye for detail, particularly numbers. It was a snotty email :( We are having a bad time in the new house - leak into the living room ceiling, fence blown down, removal guys leaving our stuff behind, rude neighbour already. The piggies bring a little joy to our lives and we want to do our best for them. Lots of advice is conflicting which makes it harder to navigate and avoid doing the wrong thing.

I did say I’d go for the smaller option at their request but my husband already built the 3x4. They love their new cages - especially the large one. I’ve emailed another rescue instead.
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If you had told the rescue that you had a 3x4 C&C grid (which ca. 110 x 150 cm), then there wouldn't habve been a misunderstanding and your application would have passed with flying colours. Sadly, they see all too often sub-standard applications from people who cannot understand the importance of space.

Please accept that rescue people are all volunteering in their own free time and in the current post-pandemic mass pet dump are stretched to their limits. Two sets of stressed out people sadly don't mix well. Just take a deep breath and persist but please use the grid measure and not the cm measure, which generally is used for a traditional cage. Very sorry for all the extra hassle you are having to deal with right now. :(
 
It’s not the usual length of 14inches, it 12 per grid, so I’d be lying if I gave the impression they were longer. It really is 120x90cm. That’s why I’m giving the cm exactly. I don’t want to mislead.

I wasn’t at all rude, this is the one thing that is not stressful and we aren’t in a rush, so the response was a surprise and I assumed I was in the wrong and agreed to go with their suggested cage size instead. Perhaps they didn’t read it wrong and the cage my husband just built isn’t acceptable to them. Thats ok, I’m trying elsewhere. I just want to do the right thing and not go to a pet shop or breeder, which is horribly easy to do. I’ve emailed another rescue and was very polite and friendly. Sadly our local rescue, who know us, isn’t taking new piggies for the foreseeable.
 
Sometimes people do just have bad days, but I'd be surprised if it was anything more than them not paying attention to the actual numbers involved. You see and hear so many people talking about the "short" side of the cage being 60cm/2ft that it can be hard to notice when that's not the case. I don't say that to excuse them, but that it does happen.

And if they're going to double down on that after it's been explained to them, you're better off walking away (er, figuratively speaking) and finding somewhere else.
 
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