Introducing baby boar to old one - what age?

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sorrel

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Hopefully this is posted in the right place! I am still getting the hang of this forum, but am finding it invaluable!

I have posted about needing a companion for my older boar who isn't neutered, and now know that neutered females are rarer than hen's teeth! It seems that getting him a baby boar to live with may be the best option of getting him the a friend. My question is, what age would be classed as a baby? What age would the newbie have to be before he was classed as an adult and therefore more tricky to bond?

Thank you :)
 
I'm sure someone with lots of bonding experience will be along to answer your question in a mo. My own experience of boar dating involves Wally Whiskers who was around four at the time and Rocket who was 5 weeks. That went very well, Wallace was very protective of Rocket and put up with all sorts of shenanigans ( and still does!) from Rocket. :))
 
babies shouldn't really be rehomed younger than 6-8 weeks, depending on weight and how well they are thriving on their own (ie. without mummy). So the youngest you will be able to get is 6 weeks...I wouldn't recommend pairing up after 12 weeks, as they can start to go through their 'teenage' phase at that point...and then you'd be looking at boar-dating rather than just having a young boar....if that makes sense :)
 
Squidge said:
babies shouldn't really be rehomed younger than 6-8 weeks, depending on weight and how well they are thriving on their own (ie. without mummy). So the youngest you will be able to get is 6 weeks...I wouldn't recommend pairing up after 12 weeks, as they can start to go through their 'teenage' phase at that point...and then you'd be looking at boar-dating rather than just having a young boar....if that makes sense :)
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I didn't know this so I got a 4 week old baby boy (i.e. as soon as he was weaned) for my then 10 month old boar. I actually asked for a boy as soon as he was weaned thinking the younger the better for intoductions. Five months now and no problems, thank goodness. I really think the baby (Peanut Butter) treated Hazelnut as mummy and Hazelnut was definitely very protective of him so may have known he was a very young lad.
 
The reason they say 6 weeks + is because some problems can only be discovered after they have left their mum's...for example, if they are unable to eat solids, this wouldn't have been noticed whilst they were with mum because they would have had more milk then their brothers & sisters, however as soon as they leave her they would start loosing weight as they would be unable to eat.

It's always best for them to have a couple of weeks on their own/with brothers so that they can thrive by themselves. Also moving them at a young age can be a very traumatic experience.

I would always recommend 6+ weeks for a baby boar, and that you take your adult boar along with you to collect the baby, that way he has company for the journey, and the bonding process can begin immediately with the car ride home.
 
Yeah about 6 weeks is fine. Been through this successfully with my boys twice and had no problems.

I have just made sure in their cage that the baby has an area he can hide in that the adult can't access if he needs time out and mae sure every one can access food and water easily (2 bowls etc helps)

My boys both seem to have taken on being an uncle pig to a baby very easily and get very protective of their small companions. x
 
Squidge said:
The reason they say 6 weeks + is because some problems can only be discovered after they have left their mum's...for example, if they are unable to eat solids, this wouldn't have been noticed whilst they were with mum because they would have had more milk then their brothers & sisters, however as soon as they leave her they would start loosing weight as they would be unable to eat.

It's always best for them to have a couple of weeks on their own/with brothers so that they can thrive by themselves. Also moving them at a young age can be a very traumatic experience.

I would always recommend 6+ weeks for a baby boar, and that you take your adult boar along with you to collect the baby, that way he has company for the journey, and the bonding process can begin immediately with the car ride home.
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Thank you, this is good to know for future. And I can see what you mean about not knowing of any problems until later, My baby boy turned out to be a dental piggy, born with a misaligned jaw so the incisors don't meet, and I did not see there was a dental problem until after he had been with me for a month - so he was 8 weeks old at the time.
 
I would think about between 6-12 weeks would be the best age; shop piggies and backyard breeders lots are often younger and lighter. :(
A baby should be ideally over 400g before it is rehomed. You don't want to leave it too late before the big hormones strike between 4-14 months old.

If you have a choice, go for a more submissive, more laid back youngster, not a dominant one. It will further help to stablilise the relationship, especially during the difficult teenage months as the dominance will be less in question. Character compatibility is far more important than looks when it comes to a stable bond.

Best of luck!
 
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