Bonding baby boar and recently bereaved boar

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piggie friends

Have been really impressed by peoples' knowledge on this site - can I ask for help on this too please?

My almost one year old boar, Raven, lost his dear friend, Nippy, about a week and a half ago, but as Nipster was at the vets, Raven's been alone for 2 weeks. On Sunday, we bought a little baby boar, Smudge, whom we have kept upstairs from Raven in the hutch as the first few days he wasn't eating. He was supposed to be 8-10 weeks, but I wonder if he is more like 6-7 as he is tiny. He is now doing really well, eating, pooing, very tame and friendly. We want to introduce them. So far, they have looked at each other through the run and the baby seemed very eager to get to know Raven, and last night we stroked them together on their blankets, about a foot apart. They were very calm last night.

This morning, after their veggies, we tried them again on the sofa. They seemed very very eager to meet one another - Smudge was practically running to get to Raven. There was no teeth chattering, but a lot of licking noses and lips, sniffing bottoms and licking back ends. Raven kept trying to mount Smudge and Smudge kept running underneath Raven. They were squeaking, Raven was vibrating a little though. Then Smudge did a wee and Raven licked it up 98)

They seemed really keen to be together, but as I am not sure about body language, I wanted to ask for advice first. When we went to put Smudge in the hutch, above Raven's later on, he was straining to get to Raven and Raven was licking the bars and calling to him.

I feel the signs are good but I am still nervous as another boar we have, which we tried to introduce to a baby at a local breeders, sank his teeth into the neck of the breeding lady, so I still have that image in my mind. A baby boar is pretty defenseless against a big adult. Raven was the submissive pig with Nippy, and is a very calm, tame, confident piggie who has never bitten. The night before Nippy went into hospital, however, they were both chuntering at each other and had be separated. Nippy was clearly ill, so perhaps Raven was trying to take over?

Any advice please very welcome, thanks.
 
They sound like they are going to love each other once they meet properly :smitten:

sorry to hear about Nippy 0:)

If i were you i would keep them separate for at least 2 weeks cause then any signs of disease and that may show up on the baby piggy as you dont want to introduce them if the baby isnt well ;) after the 2 weeks are up i would let them play in a large run together and see how they get on and leave them together and then put them in the same cage/hutch as long as its the right size for 2 piggies that is O0

Also make sure you wash or clean the cage before they go in it as the little one will feel lost if it just has the scent of your piggy Raven :D
Just make sure 100% that the little one is a boar too as you dont want to put the little baby at risk if it is a sow as shell get pregnant

Cant believe one of your boars though ? the one that bit a rescue sow ~ oh and a rescue having a breeding sow ?

Good Luck :)
 
so sorry again to hear about nippy :'( :'( :'( 0:) 0:) 0:) i would wait a few weeks and then introduce them in neutral terrority and slowly and keep an eye on them. if you wait a few weeks smudge will be a little bigger as they grow quickily. give raven time to grieve nippy too. 0:) 0:) 0:) we wanted till jessie was a bit bigger and now jessie bosses zoe around :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: also be caerful when smudge goes through the teenage months thats when there might be fights or disputes, as smudge will have all those hormones running round. good luck with it, wait a few weeks to make sure smudge is well and introduce slowly and in neutral terrority. sending hugs and cuddles :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: girls send :-* :-* :-*
 
Hi Iloveanimals and Chloe,

Thanks, that's really good advice guys. They are eating together on the sofa at the moment. I feel they are nearly ready to be together, so will wait just a little longer to make sure and just do supervised introductions. So far, really good and keen on one another. If I put the stairs back in, they will have a massive double hutch together which was the one Nippy and Raven used.

Re: my boar, Iloveanimals, he actually bit the woman who had bred the guineas on the neck, not the baby boar he was being introduced to! :embarassed: That was a pretty awkward moment. She concluded that he was too traumatised to ever live with other pigs. However, we recently rescued a mature boar who also lives alone, and are hopeful they will one day share a divided run as they both obviously need company as they talk constantly. Since the other pigs moved in - Smudge and Seymour, Splodge (the boar that bit) has been at the front of his hutch peering behind his hay rack constantly - like they're net curtains! to see what all these new neighbours are doing. ;D

I think Raven is getting over Nippy now, Chloe, and coming to terms. He was definitely upset the first week, so when we brought Nipster home to bury, we actually let him see the body for a quick sniff - might be unorthodox but we felt he should be included - they had been paired together since, well, 8 weeks old we think. They were living in the same 'herd' when we bought them, so maybe longer.

Thanks for all the advice and help - I really appreciate it. What a great site this is!
 
Your welcome ~ ask away with any more questions that you have as no question is stupid ;)
Good Luck O0
 
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