Jamie, Marmy and an overthinker for a pig mum!

[Livvann]

Thought I’d create a thread for my piggies (but mainly for myself) as I am always coming up with questions and worries about my boars.
First a little introduction, both boars are rescues, Jamie (around 4ish) and Marmy (around 2ish). Jamie might be a coronet and Marmy a smooth coat ridgeback (maybe), they are both definitely adorably handsome!
They live in a ferplast 120 cage with a tube to their ‘playground,’ a 4x3 c&c type cage. The side of the playground regularly gets removed and put in front of the door so they have full run of the room as well a frequent downstairs floor time and time on the grass.
They are fed mountains of hay, grass (when not outside), tablespoon of pellets and fresh veggies daily.
So my most recent worry after bonding the boys (5 days ago) is that when I pick Jamie up (to weigh, check over, etc) he really wheeks which he’d never done before. I checked him over, felt every part of his body and he did not wheek so I assume no pain. When I put him back down he immediately goes to Marmy and wheeks, rumblestruts and nose nudges him.
Is this wheek just a dislike to being away from his pal? And is this normal ish behaviour?
Great appreciation to all those who offer advice now and for my inevitable future worries!
A couple of recent pictures of my beautiful boys!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Gorgeous boys.
It is probably just a protest about being picked up. It sounds quite normal to me
My dominant piggy Popcorn, is very dramatic when he has to be handled, he shouts until he is put back!

 

[Merab]

I agree.

One of mine is a real diva. I’m surprised the neighbours haven’t rushed round to see if murder is being done sometimes.
It’s just protest.

 

[Livvann]

I wasn’t sure as he never did it when he was a single piggie, maybe he’s just showing off
Morning grass and forage

 

[alpacasqueak]

I agree.

One of mine is a real diva. I’m surprised the neighbours haven’t rushed round to see if murder is being done sometimes.
It’s just protest.

We’ve got a couple of those round here, but tiny Cleo is by far the worst! Deafening!

Your boys are absolutely gorgeous @Livvann!
He might just be giving protest as he want to stay with his buddy, if he didn’t do it when he was by himself etc. My little screecher definitely prefers her friend to me anyway!

 

[Wiebke]

Thought I’d create a thread for my piggies (but mainly for myself) as I am always coming up with questions and worries about my boars.
First a little introduction, both boars are rescues, Jamie (around 4ish) and Marmy (around 2ish). Jamie might be a coronet and Marmy a smooth coat ridgeback (maybe), they are both definitely adorably handsome!
They live in a ferplast 120 cage with a tube to their ‘playground,’ a 4x3 c&c type cage. The side of the playground regularly gets removed and put in front of the door so they have full run of the room as well a frequent downstairs floor time and time on the grass.
They are fed mountains of hay, grass (when not outside), tablespoon of pellets and fresh veggies daily.
So my most recent worry after bonding the boys (5 days ago) is that when I pick Jamie up (to weigh, check over, etc) he really wheeks which he’d never done before. I checked him over, felt every part of his body and he did not wheek so I assume no pain. When I put him back down he immediately goes to Marmy and wheeks, rumblestruts and nose nudges him.
Is this wheek just a dislike to being away from his pal? And is this normal ish behaviour?
Great appreciation to all those who offer advice now and for my inevitable future worries!
A couple of recent pictures of my beautiful boys!

Hi and welcome

You have some gorgeous boys.
It is always a good a good sign to have a piggy talking to you, even if it is complaining bcause that is a sign that they trust you.

At this early stage of the ca. 2 weeks bonding/settling in process You are bound to see a reaffirmation of the group hierarchy after every separation; as this is very mild, just take it as par for the course.

You may find our New Owners starting out practical information and how-to help collectionboth useful and interesting: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

 

[Livvann]

Thank you, they seem mostly settled but they still have their ‘I’m the boss’ moments. They are still cleaning together, cuddling and grooming one another so I have no worries.
I think I get some pig slave brownie points this evening as have just produce 2 new fleece tunnels from spare fabric and my pyjamas bottoms! They were constantly pushing each other out of the current one.

 

[Livvann]

Yet another worry- I knew it wouldn’t be long, they come very often! So I’ve weighed the boys and Jamie is at his lowest he’s been. Now he’s never a been a little boy to say the least, and since I’ve rescued him (in Jan) I’ve had to slowly wean him off his high veg and nugget diet (he was 1550g when I got him and very lazy!). I am not sure if this should be worrying or whether he is just continuing to adjust to more activity and less high fat foods. Within the last week we have had Marmy so he has been a lot more active- now that he has someone to run around with. No other concerns, eating constantly (hay, grass, veggies, nuggets) and there is (as usual) poo everywhere of the usual size.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yet another worry- I knew it wouldn’t be long, they come very often! So I’ve weighed the boys and Jamie is at his lowest he’s been. Now he’s never a been a little boy to say the least, and since I’ve rescued him (in Jan) I’ve had to slowly wean him off his high veg and nugget diet (he was 1550g when I got him and very lazy!). I am not sure if this should be worrying or whether he is just continuing to adjust to more activity and less high fat foods. Within the last week we have had Marmy so he has been a lot more active- now that he has someone to run around with. No other concerns, eating constantly (hay, grass, veggies, nuggets) and there is (as usual) poo everywhere of the usual size.

If you have had to change his diet to a healthier one, and he is now more active, then that is probably the reason for the weight loss. Do pop along to the vet if you are concerned though

 

[Livvann]

After 4 months of a change of diet would he still be loosing weight? Thankfully I don’t think it’s anything sinister as he’s never lost more than 50g in a week but you can never be too sure! If he takes any bigger jumps in weight I will definitely get him vet checked.

 

[Free Ranger]

George was 1.4 kilo for ages. Then he dropped to 1.35 all of a sudden and stayed there. I was upset at first because he's 5 and I'm thinking it's the beginning of a decline but actually it was probably because his arthritis has been really helped by joint support supplements and he's significantly more active. Jamie looks like he's still a hefty boy but you're right to be looking for the weight to stabilise... at whatever point that might come. Your boys are lovely!

 

[Livvann]

I came home to this today I am so upset as I thought they were getting on fine. I assume they got on one another’s nerves and Marmy had enough or something. We had the odd scratch which I thought was okay in the first couple of weeks but this is too much. I told myself to always put Jamie (my original pig first) hence why I found him a friend but this is definitely not what I wanted. I also said that I didn’t want to cut Jamie’s space in half so I think Marmy will have to go back to the rescue which is really sad as he’s such a lovely boy. Their behaviour has been totally normal since I’ve been home but I won’t be able to sleep tonight if they are together unattended. Also what should I do with Jamie’s swollen lip? What looks like a wound beside it has already began to heal over which is very reassuring but anything I can do to help this process. Thank you all for any advice! I feel very shaken as my piggies are my and it’s a sad decision I’ll have to make.

 

[Livvann]

Also, Jamie is eating absolutely fine, I’ve been home an hour and he’s eaten veggies, nuggets and lots of hay so his lip isn’t interfering with his eating. They are currently lying next to each other which just breaks my heart a little more

 

[Livvann]

Thread 'Jamie, Marmy and an overthinker for a pig mum!'
Jamie, Marmy and an overthinker for a pig mum!
I’ve posted in my current threads so have put the link here but I assume they aren’t coming up as new.
I am really struggling with what to decide. We have had a clear bite which looks sore and is swollen. However the boys seem fine! Eating together, sleeping together. Usual rumblestrutting and a bit more throwing of mouths. If they were persistently at each other I would separate but they aren’t. However the thought of leaving them tonight and potentially waking up to more wounds scares me. I could separate and then re-introduce but I can’t imagine their behaviour would change from how it is now or from how it was from this morning (before the bite) but whose to say there won’t be more bites? Bit of a wreck at the moment, any more experienced advice would be so hugely appreciated

 

[Piggies&buns]

It may just have been a misplaced swipe. If you haven’t seen anything else concerning and they are fine now, then you may just be able to keep an eye on them

 

[weepweeps]

I’d keep an eye on them. One of mine had a nip that looked like that. But nothing else has ever happened. Hopefully it was an “accident”.

 

[Swissgreys]

Thread 'Jamie, Marmy and an overthinker for a pig mum!'
Jamie, Marmy and an overthinker for a pig mum!
I’ve posted in my current threads so have put the link here but I assume they aren’t coming up as new.
I am really struggling with what to decide. We have had a clear bite which looks sore and is swollen. However the boys seem fine! Eating together, sleeping together. Usual rumblestrutting and a bit more throwing of mouths. If they were persistently at each other I would separate but they aren’t. However the thought of leaving them tonight and potentially waking up to more wounds scares me. I could separate and then re-introduce but I can’t imagine their behaviour would change from how it is now or from how it was from this morning (before the bite) but whose to say there won’t be more bites? Bit of a wreck at the moment, any more experienced advice would be so hugely appreciated

I have moved your post to the original thread.
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As others have said if they seem ok then it is fine to leave them together for now.
Keep everything in the cage the same and hopefully it was just a misplaced swipe.

 

[Merab]

An odd swipe or scratch isn’t a real worry. Just keep an eye on them

 

[VickiA]

If you haven’t seen how an injury was caused, It’s not always quite as bad as you may think. With a lip injury that could have been caused by a misplaced swipe and not a full on fight. Just remain vigilant and see how things progress. It’s different if you find bite marks on the rump or torn ears or similar. But a small lip cut could be caused accidentally.

I once had a neutered boar/sow pair who were far from an ideal match. One day I spotted some blood on her face, and found a bite mark (with an entry and exit wound so clearly inflicted by the boar). I was mortified, and while at the vets getting her sorted I mentioned to the vet that I was going to separate them. She cautioned against it and said that as I’d not seen any evidence of fighting, and had not seen anything that could have led to this injury I should just be vigilant as it may be that something had happened to startle them and that the bite had been an accidental injury. They lived together without any further incident for several years.

 

[4boipigs]

I read your threads and this sounds just like what is happening with me, including placement of the injuries! It can scary when it happens and I know I'm super concerned over my two not getting along. How have they been?

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Thought I’d create a thread for my piggies (but mainly for myself) as I am always coming up with questions and worries about my boars.
First a little introduction, both boars are rescues, Jamie (around 4ish) and Marmy (around 2ish). Jamie might be a coronet and Marmy a smooth coat ridgeback (maybe), they are both definitely adorably handsome!
They live in a ferplast 120 cage with a tube to their ‘playground,’ a 4x3 c&c type cage. The side of the playground regularly gets removed and put in front of the door so they have full run of the room as well a frequent downstairs floor time and time on the grass.
They are fed mountains of hay, grass (when not outside), tablespoon of pellets and fresh veggies daily.
So my most recent worry after bonding the boys (5 days ago) is that when I pick Jamie up (to weigh, check over, etc) he really wheeks which he’d never done before. I checked him over, felt every part of his body and he did not wheek so I assume no pain. When I put him back down he immediately goes to Marmy and wheeks, rumblestruts and nose nudges him.
Is this wheek just a dislike to being away from his pal? And is this normal ish behaviour?
Great appreciation to all those who offer advice now and for my inevitable future worries!
A couple of recent pictures of my beautiful boys!

wow what beautiful pigs! sorry i can’t help with any advice! i'm always asking questions too!