Spayed sow and un-neutered boar? Decisions.

[Wheekyone]

Evening all,

I have a recently bereaved sow. She was spayed for medical reasons and her last companion was an intact boar who she was very close to but not interested in his sexual behavior. Now we are looking for a new friend and have a few options from local rescues. There is a neutered boar I'm tempted by, but also a lovely un-neutered boar who needs a home. They are both younger (at around one year old) than my 4 years old+ sow

Are there any advantages or disadvantages to consider in this situation that I may not have considered? We could also wait for a suitable sow companion.

I know neutered males are easier to re-home so feel like ethically perhaps I should be adopting the un-neutered boar as there aren't as many spayed females around that he could live with. If my girl then passes away though I'd be left with an intact boy who would either need to be castrated at that point, or bonded with a hard to find spayed sow. Could he then be placed with a boar after living with a female, or would that be a bit mean for him after a life with a lady?

Any help welcome as I'm going round in circles about what to do, thank you x

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

It really comes down to your preference and your sow based on character compatibility.

The unneutered boar would be unlikely to bond with another boar down the line. It can be seen as a demotion in status to be back in a bachelor pairing after having had a girlfriend.
You would be wise, if you went down the route of having the unneutered boar, to neuter him while he is younger to provide options for him after the passing of your sow.

 

[Wheekyone]

I’m sorry for your loss.

It really comes down to your preference and your sow based on character compatibility.

The unneutered boar would be unlikely to bond with another boar down the line. It can be seen as a demotion in status to be back in a bachelor pairing after having had a girlfriend.
You would be wise, if you went down the route of having the unneutered boar, to neuter him while he is younger to provide options for him after the passing of your sow.

Thank you, that's in line with what I was thinking as I had heard it might be unfair on him to go back with a boar.

Our lovely lad was only young so we hadn't expected to lose him and had been toying with whether to neuter him or not before we lost him. Obviously there's no pregnancy risk here, it's just thinking about the future for both of them