Loss and bonding

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Fred&HarryPigs

New Born Pup
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Hi
I sadly lost my special boy Harry on Tuesday. He was only 18 months old and we tried so so hard to save him. I took him to a specialist vet who was great but sadly we discovered when he went in for an X-ray for suspected cystitis that he had a very enlarged heart, an overgrown tooth root and a very inflamed bladder.

I gave him round the clock care and love for the past 2 months, the last month being the hardest. On Tuesday morning he had deteriorated and I didn’t want to see him suffer any longer so made the heart breaking decision to have him put to sleep.

My heart hurts and I will miss him loads as we had a very special bond. His character was larger than life. I just hope that he knew how much I loved him and was happy in his short time here with me.

He leaves behind his brother Fred. Currently Fred seems okay, I think he probably knew this was coming. But I am aware that I need to get Fred some friends so that he doesn’t get lonely. I feel guilty for doing this so quickly after losing Harry but I know Fred needs this and I need to put all of my love into him now.

Fred is scheduled to be neutered on 31st March. I know there are risks as there are with any operation but I think this is worth the risk. I have decided based on my research that I would like to get Fred two girl friends.

I want to get the girls soon and will keep them in a separate cage until 6 weeks after Fred’s operation and will then bond them. I am setting up a 5x2 Kavee cage. Currently Fred is in a 4x2.
I plan on putting the girls in a temporary cage next to Fred until they can be together as at least Fred will be able to see, smell and talk to them so that he doesn’t get lonely.

I have written all of this to simply ask, what sort of age should the girls be? I was looking at getting babies (not from PAH) I would have loved to rescue but unfortunately I can’t find any local rescues and any that are within travelling distance do not have girls and I don’t want to leave it too long as I need to think of Fred.

Any advice would be appreciated and thank you for reading.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. He absolutely knew he was loved and you did a great job for him.

In terms of new friends, age is not really relevant. If you are buying piggies, then they are most likely going to be youngsters.
Ensure if you are going to keep them alongside him, that his cage is very secure and ideally lidded. A boar in the presence of sows can become very determined to escape and get in with the girls.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m so sorry for your loss. He absolutely knew he was loved and you did a great job for him.

In terms of new friends, age is not really relevant. If you are buying piggies, then they are most likely going to be youngsters.
Ensure if you are going to keep them alongside him, that his cage is very secure and ideally lidded. A boar in the presence of sows can become very determined to escape and get in with the girls.
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Hi Piggies&Buns

Thank you so much for your quick response.
Fred is currently in a Kavee cage on a stand and the temporary cage will be on my dining room table adjacent to him, so no chance of him being able to get to them.
That’s good news about the age. Thank you for your help. X
 
Piggies&buns said:
You are likely to see quite a reaction from him when he smells girls for the first time!

Good luck for the bonding.
This guide will help you with how to do it - Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
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Ah thank you for the heads up! I’ve never actually owned girls before so it will be a learning curve for me too. I just didn’t want to risk brining in a baby boar and them falling out. I’ve read that boars are generally happier with sow company and that there is less risk of a fall out.

I’ll have a read of the guide, I’ve been working my way through as many as I can in preparation for this!
 
Fred&HarryPigs said:
Ah thank you for the heads up! I’ve never actually owned girls before so it will be a learning curve for me too. I just didn’t want to risk brining in a baby boar and them falling out. I’ve read that boars are generally happier with sow company and that there is less risk of a fall out.

I’ll have a read of the guide, I’ve been working my way through as many as I can in preparation for this!
Click to expand...

Boar pairs are lovely provided compatibility is achieved (I have a bonded boar pair and two single boars who bond broke down when the teens hit) but that goes for any bond. A neutered boar/sow bonding still requires compatibility but long term, these groupings tend to be more stable

keep us posted on how things go
 
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