Boar advice needed please!

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netutopia

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Hi

I have 3 pairs of boars (well now 2 and 2 singles!)

Max came to live with us about 6 months ago when my friend decided she did not want him after 1 week! 8... Got him a friend - Percy, made the mistake of getting 2 boys about the same age mallethead

Anyway they got on OK for a few months - typical boy behaviour - a bit of purring and usual things (according to what I've read anyway). However this got out of hand and resulted in Max biting Percy on his back so I split them up a few weeks ago and both are now living on their own.

I have tried putting them out in separate runs so they can see each other and Percy bites the bars to get to Max, when I try them together in a run they are OK for a while and then Percy starts hassling Max, Max stands so much but then you can see he gets fed up with it.

Max is now about 8 months old and Percy 7 months.

What should I do do you think? It breaks my heart to see thm both on their own. I am reluctant to try side by side as in the runs it just seems to drive Percy crazy.

I don't want to upset my other 2 pairs either as they are very happy together.

Any advice very greatfuly received!
 
:) seems you have a problem. Have you ever thought of purchasing another partner or two for each? maybe get one from a breeder who will let your pig meet theirs first and see how they go. You could also try a herbal remedy. I have heard they can be efective....I've never tried them yet thought.
here's one what could help your pig calm down. Maybe calming down will help..
HT VIII Chamomile Calm
 Chamomile Calm :- Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Skullcap & Valerian

A blend of herbs selected for their Calming properties.
 
Have thought about getting each a new friend (baby) but I am concerned that when they get to "that age" that they may have problems too, then when do you stop!

The bite caused a bit of bleeding and a scab - not too major but a bite nevertheless.

At what age do hormones calm down with boys?
 
see mine nip quite a lot, when Scruffy the older one, as Max is at the age wehre hes trying to fight for that dominance and scruffy gets annoyed at puts him in his place. it doesnt hurt though, hes done it to me, no mark, no pain!

some pigs generally do just like their own company, maybe this is the case.

Maybe Percy likes company, did he try and be next to Max alot of the time? didnt like benig on his own?
 
Tayz said:
:) seems you have a problem. Have you ever thought of purchasing another partner or two for each? maybe get one from a breeder who will let your pig meet theirs first and see how they go. You could also try a herbal remedy. I have heard they can be efective....I've never tried them yet thought.
here's one what could help your pig calm down. Maybe calming down will help..
HT VIII Chamomile Calm
 Chamomile Calm :- Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Skullcap & Valerian

A blend of herbs selected for their Calming properties.
Click to expand...

Where do you get the Chamomile Calm from?
 
I sympathise completely i have a Percy; his name is Toddie. He was separated from his friends as a baby in rescue for bullying. Since coming to me he lived alone at first, separated by mesh to other piggies so he could chat to them.

He was exactly the same mesh gnashing & i really thought he wanted a friend, aged approx 10 months old i took him to choose a friend; a 6wk old baby whom he loved for approximately 4 wks then he bullied the baby, no biting but he would chase him out of wherever he was, not allow him to eat veggies no matter how far across the hutch i scattered them. Their hutch was 7.5ft long so space was not an issue & had 2 of everything.

I had no choice but to separate them & eventually rehomed the baby as he was sad on his own. Toddie now lives next door to Maddie (an intact sow), he chats to her & he still bar chomps tho' she's not interested in him.

As has been said some seem to prefer their own company or just won't live with others. My other 2 boys live separately, again divided by mesh & have done for the past 18 months - these 2 are really happy living alone; Hamish frequently popcorns.

Good Luck with him :)
 
Thank you for your reply Niki

Because Percy is living in a hutch in one of my bunny sheds at the moment I could think about getting him neutered and getting him a girlfriend - do you think this would be an option?

I just don't know what to do for the best for him - also I wonder if this would upset any of my other boys having a girl nearby?

He is a gorgeous piggy - loves a cuddle, I just want the best for him.

Max seems quite happy to be on his own in his hutch and in the day he goes into a run next to my older pair and popcorns away.

Percy breaks my heart though as he seems to keep calling out to the others. 8...
 
Having him neutered & paired with a girl "could" work, i say could because not all girls want a man.

As for wether a girl would upset your other boys, i can't answer. Mine were never bothered by the scent of girls and they were all housed in the same shed.


You are the same as i was, Toddie called for the others & cried whenever i took Irving (the baby) out of the hutch but it didn't last long, nor did it stop him bullying him when he was put back.

The mesh gnashing does calm down, Toddie's resigned himself to the fact Maddie's not impressed by it & he will sit/lay/stand quietly by the mesh now but still has his moments :))
 
How long do you leave them in runs side by side? Because when I was introducing my 4year old (at the time) boar to my new 1 year old, I left them outside in runs, side by side, for several days (they came in at night).

I took everything *very* slowly, and it was probably about a month between them first meeting and living together. They still argue - but nothing serious!

A girl could be a good idea, but I would have a long hard thing about it because if Percy doesn't take to a girly then you've got a lone girly! I would definatly try like Niki said - pop them in cages side by side and try it for a few weeks, see if Percy settles down. :)

Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
Your situation sounds just like a pair of pigs I picked up from a woman who was trying to flog them on eBay, same age as yours, fell out badly as she kept females next to them. They now enjoy lap time together and the occasional run time, although I never leave them unsupervised just in case - good thing too as one winds the other up every now and again! As long as we have them, they will always be next to each other with a mesh divider, and as Niki says, the mesh gnashing will calm down.

Before you rush out and get more pigs, I would definately try the softly, softly approach like Susieq and see how you get on a few months down the line, as it can be really sucessful! We have a load of single boars and they all are separated with mesh dividers so that they can interact and sniff and chat over the veggies, curl up next to the dividers close to each other and seem utterly content with this. We have something of a single boys club here (6 singles in total plus 2 pairs) - most of my boys have been "damaged" in one way or another before they went into rescue and as a result are unwilling to pair off with others, but with the sociable mesh arrangement all seem happy and content with this contact :)
 
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