Following Trio Not Good?...

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Solarpowered

Solarpowered

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Hello everyone,
First time poster & yes, you've guessed it....I have a question!
I had two rescue piggies one of which died recently at the young age of 5 & 1/2 years.
The one that's left...Tattie, is immensely timid, always has been & I know he needs a pal.
My question is this.... From all the information I gather a boar trio is extremely tricky & I'm not sure I'm experienced enough to deal with that but what about introducing TWO very young individuals (not already paired) to my older boar?
Surely the young ones will go through their 'tough piggie' stage aside one another while my Tattie stays well clear & lets them 'get on with it' ?
Has anyone done this or have experience of it?
Many many thanks
 
Welcome and well done for thinking about the remaining piggy's welfare. I haven't had experience of introducing boars, but the reputable rescue centres offer boar dating sessions to help find suitable companions. There are very many experienced piggie people on here who can advise you better. Whereabouts are you, this will help other members to recommend a centre for you.
 
I am in north manchester & would rescue from Elaine at Thameside rabbit & Guinea pig rehoming centre.
I can understand the problems reported & associated with boars in trios but can't get my head around the problems associated with introducing two young ones to an oldie essentially...
Boar dating was definitely on the menu but should I try a trio date?
Thanks for your reply VickiA, muchly appreciated x
 
Hi!

I am sorry for your loss. 5 years is a good average age for a guinea pig these days, but it is never easy to lose a beloved piggy, whether they are young or old. :(

An older boar and two youngsters can work out - provided that the character combination is right; and that is not necessarily something you can predict! I have seen it both succeed and fail. Some youngsters will challenge the older boar's dominance during the stroppy months, which has led to fall-outs and splits; it is not at all a given that they accept his leadership unquestionably, especially if Tattie is not very dominant himself.

Alternatively you could consider dating Tattie at a rescue that offers 'full', i.e. residential boar dating. Milhaven in Keighley offer this kind of very safe, but time consuming way of bonding that allows to bond not just youngsters, but also adult boars of all ages, so Tattie can be found exactly the right companion for him. Any resulting bond will be as stable as a sow bond.
Here you can find out more what full boar dating is about: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...o.uk/threads/boar-dating-service-wales.59233/
 
Thankyou Wiebke! I live in England, Manchester.
That sounds a bit more promising! I have the space for a lot of piggies so that's a bonus.
A plan then would be to get two separate boar babies & date Tattie to them....then hopefully see the results!
I'm sure I'll be able to try another pair if it didn't work out... She's a very experienced rescue lady I'm sure so will be able to advise me if things go wrong.
Thankyou so much for all your input everyone - what a wonderful forum!
 
As Tattie is older I would personally look at dating him with one piggy at a time. The problem is two youngsters will go through the teenage stage together and Tattie being older might be in the middle of it and be challenged. I have a group of 7 and its taken time and work to get the combination right so boars can live successfully in a group. But its about having the space if things do go wrong :)
 
Well done for coming and asking questions before jumping in!

Boar trios can be a tricky affair and personality is key for any boar pair or group. Your older man may find living with two little, energetic youngsters quite hard to handle especially as they reach their most humpy, rebellious stage at 6-18 months old and he will be getting a little older.... They can be very challenging and need a lot of firm handling which is not necessarily what you want to be doing as a boar in your twilight years!

I would consider a single youngster or another older male for your lad. Boar dating is an excellent way to do this I can echo what Wiebke says about residential boar dating as it lets Tattie try a number of candidates before deciding who he likes best. It will give you the highest chance of a successful bond. Please be careful about which rescues you use and make sure you have personal recommendations from other experience piggy people as the quality of rescues and their experience especially of boar dating and behaviour is very variable. It takes some one with an excellent knowledge of boar behaviour and who knows the personalities of all the candidates available to help produce the best result. I myself have had a very unfortunate experience of boar dating at Tameside resulting in a failed pairing, ringworm infections all round and some nasty bite wounds but that was only my experience....
 
Wow! What a lot of useful advice! Thank you so so much.
Merry pip- that doesn't sound good with regards to Thameside... Think I'll investigate milhaven. I'm very glad I joined the forum- what a wealth of experience & expertes.
I suppose just selfishly, I hoped for two young ones to hopefully prevent having to 'bond' yet another pair when Tattie eventually goes. Having to youngsters around would probably be a handful for my extremely shy boy!
Thanks once again everyone
 
Solarpowered said:
Wow! What a lot of useful advice! Thank you so so much.
Merry pip- that doesn't sound good with regards to Thameside... Think I'll investigate milhaven. I'm very glad I joined the forum- what a wealth of experience & expertes.
I suppose just selfishly, I hoped for two young ones to hopefully prevent having to 'bond' yet another pair when Tattie eventually goes. Having to youngsters around would probably be a handful for my extremely shy boy!
Thanks once again everyone
Click to expand...
I can understand wanting more piggies, I'd be exactly the same, I'd have them all if I could but after one failed trio and one failed pair, I'm a little more cautious now!
Like Degu_rock says it's possible just more difficult to have boar groups, just not sure I'd have the guts or the space to do it!
 
If you have the space and cages then its something to look at long term but you need the back up of being able to provide friends if one ends up alone and also the time to be able to watch them closely for bullying etc....
 
I definitely have the space... It's the time really that's the problem. Full time work etc etc.
I wish someone could just come in to my living room & tell me what to do for Tattie... He's not losing weight, he interacts with me as much as he did before - VERY LITTLE! I'm not able to handle him as normal as my skin reacts badly to his wiry long fur & when Neeps was here he would just 'follow suit!' He's eating/drinking etc
My gut usually tells me what to do for the best but not this time...
It's been two weeks now so feel it only fair to make a decision!
No replies necessary by the way.... Just venting I think :bye:
 
I would take him to a rescue or consider a baby male to bond him too. You shouldn't have problems that way. Problems only tend to occur more when there is more then two. I think the fact you have asked means you know he ideally needs a friend :)
 
You could try a younger neutered boar, that way when "it" happens you can add a sow?
 
How do you.manage .mail clipping etc when your skin reacts like that? Do antihistamines help?
 
D-rock- I know you're right. I ythink I'll put in my application for a boar date at milstream....
Shrap- that's a really good idea! Thankyou!
Madguinealady- I have to clip his fur every 6 weeks so I do it all at the same time. The irritation is acute & subsides within a few hours so a small price to pay really. Antihistamines are a fab idea!
 
I wish you all the best.
I have had to just separate my trio :(
they were ok until 6 months then had a massive fight ......
I hope you find a friend for tattie :)
 
Thank you......i will be looking at boar dating for Jack as soon ad I have some time off work!
 
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