To rehome or not….?

[piggy_smalls]

I’m not sure the best place for this question so I apologise if this isn’t the right thread.

I’ve had my boy a year and I adore him. He’s 14 months old and had two failed bonds so far. He’s been alone a few months now. He is a very challenging pig with a lot of unusual behaviour and I suspect he was a runt as he didn’t gain weight as fast as he should have despite having the best care. I’ve always thought that this is why the other piggies didn’t take to him.

He is absolutely thriving now though, he’s healthy weight, happy and playful but I just cannot shake the feeling he would be better off with another family who have more piggies he can bond with. I can try again bonding of course, but I just don’t have space for two full size cages if the bond fails again.

I feel terrible even thinking about it but I want what is best for him and I want him to be happy. He has a huge cage here and all the love in the world - we both work at home all week so he gets soooo much attention - but I know this cannot replicate piggy companionship.

Please be gentle with me, I’m really struggling to know what to do here. I don’t want to lose him but I want him to be a happy pig.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this. We are all here to support you in whatever decision you make.
It’s clear you love him

Being the runt is not the reason he hasnt found a friend - character clashes are the reason. There is a pig out there for him but finding said pig is the challenge.

Have you considered neutering and finding a sow?
It still comes down to compatibility but often a boar/sow bond is easier to find and tends to be more stable.

 

[piggy_smalls]

I’m sorry to hear this. We are all here to support you in whatever decision you make.
It’s clear you love him

Being the runt is not the reason he hasnt found a friend - character clashes are the reason. There is a pig out there for him but finding said pig is the challenge.

Have you considered neutering and finding a sow?
It still comes down to compatibility but often a boar/sow bond is easier to find and tends to be more stable.

Yes I thought about neutering. I’ve been wary of it for a while as again, I didn’t want to lose him to surgery, but I’m sort of wondering if this might be the best option right now. I’m also wondering if his challenging behaviour is maybe down to being alone? He was so badly bullied by his first cage mate though and it’s obvious he still carries that with him. He still displays some of the behaviour he exhibited at that time even though it’s been months so it’s hard to know if he was just traumatised or if he’s just a silly little piggy!

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s something to think about. Of course there is risk with any surgery but if he is in good health and the vet is experienced then it is as safe as it can be.

As there isn’t detail about his background and behaviour in this post, I can’t comment on specifics but generally - a piggy who has been alone may not get the social cues; a piggy who has been bullied may go in to bonding on the defensive and be territorial.

 

[piggy_smalls]

It’s something to think about. Of course there is risk with any surgery but if he is in good health and the vet is experienced then it is as safe as it can be.

As there isn’t detail about his background and behaviour in this post, I can’t comment on specifics but generally - a piggy who has been alone may not get the social cues; a piggy who has been bullied may go in to bonding on the defensive and be territorial.

Yes I don’t think it helped at all that he was bullied. When they were separated he was so much happier and finally started popping and zooming, so it was clear he was unhappy. Sadly that bond ended in blood shed. A few months after that we tried again but alas, the other piggy just didn’t like him. My poor little lad.

 

[Merab]

My Micah was a runt and badly bullied as a baby which left him with raggedy ears.
I ‘rescued’ him from PAH as they had labelled him as having to live alone.
I took him, had him neutered and he moved in with my sows.
He was a very happy boy who thrived.

There is always a risk with surgery. Micah developed a scrotal abscess after his surgery which meant a second op to clear that.
He came through very well.

You are such a caring and loving owner.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one, because you make it with love for your boy.

 

[piggy_smalls]

My Micah was a runt and badly bullied as a baby which left him with raggedy ears.
I ‘rescued’ him from PAH as they had labelled him as having to live alone.
I took him, had him neutered and he moved in with my sows.
He was a very happy boy who thrived.

There is always a risk with surgery. Micah developed a scrotal abscess after his surgery which meant a second op to clear that.
He came through very well.

You are such a caring and loving owner.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one, because you make it with love for your boy.

Thank you for this.

I’m so torn what to do for the best. My boy is such an unusual pig and nothing like any of the others I’ve had before, so I’m really concerned he won’t tolerate another boar. Neutering might be my only option.

 

[VickiA]

Thank you for this.

I’m so torn what to do for the best. My boy is such an unusual pig and nothing like any of the others I’ve had before, so I’m really concerned he won’t tolerate another boar. Neutering might be my only option.

I’ve had several neutered boars who had been unable to bond with other boars and who lived happily with sows once they were “safe” (6 weeks post op). In the right hands neutering is a routine procedure and it gives them a chance of a happy and fulfilled life.

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

I've had a number of boars neutered in my time and there was only a problem once, which I didn't catch in time. That didn't stop me getting future ones neutered. I agree with @VickiA that it's a routine procedure in the right vet hands.

A neutered boar (husboar) with one or two (or more) sows, depending on space, can be really lovely. I always had that latterly.

You sound such a caring owner - really sad at the idea of rehoming but also wanting to do the best for your piggy that I think you should definitely neuter and keep him, because how do you know anybody else is going to find that perfect lady for him? Is there a guinea rescue anywhere near you who might take him in specifically to try bonding him with sows? I've seen that mentioned here on the forum so it seems a possibility in the UK and rescues tend to have a considerable supply of sows... Depending on the rescue, they might keep him for a week or so and then give him back to you with his preferred sow.

In Germany guinea rescues talk about 'macho' boars and sweet, gentle boars who are sometimes too gentle for some sows. I don't know how true that is, but it's what people observe and then think. There's a fair bit of talk of figuring out the character of your guinea and what other guineas would fit this character. Also that 'difficult' guineas aren't actually difficult, they just need a different piggy personality to be bonded with.

I did have a boar, Woolly, who I also think was traumatised by another boar, Snowy, (I left them together too long because that's what I read back then on bonding, plus some other mistakes...). It turned out that Woolly was very gentle - he was a Lunkarya - once bonded with neutered boar Rubi it was hard to tell he was alpha male. He was, but he didn't need to throw his weight around at all. I have sind read that Lunkaryas tend to be very gentle. And later when my other group of husboar Snowy plus 2 ladies fell apart when Snowy died, Woolly (who was also long since neutered) joined one of the remaining ladies and it was love at first sight/sniff. He joined her in a hidey and that was it. (Not that you should try a bond with hideys, but I didn't know that then either. However it worked, meant to be I guess.) Rubi was so sweet and gentle that none of the available sows (some I had on loan from elsewhere to try out) would accept him and I actually had to give him to a rescue till they found a compatible sow for him, which they did. Keeping him would have meant opening a third group, which wasn't possible for me.

I hope I've managed to give you some hope for keeping your boar, getting him neutered and finding a sow for him to love. I know I'm a bit scatter-brained and so's my writing.

 

[CTWC]

Do any local rescues do piggy dating for him to try?

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

Piggy dating

@piggy_smalls Piggy dating! That's the word I needed when explaining all this rigmarole:

Is there a guinea rescue anywhere near you who might take him in specifically to try bonding him with sows? I've seen that mentioned here on the forum so it seems a possibility in the UK ... Depending on the rescue, they might keep him for a week or so and then give him back to you with his preferred sow.

 

[piggy_smalls]

I've had a number of boars neutered in my time and there was only a problem once, which I didn't catch in time. That didn't stop me getting future ones neutered. I agree with @VickiA that it's a routine procedure in the right vet hands.

A neutered boar (husboar) with one or two (or more) sows, depending on space, can be really lovely. I always had that latterly.

You sound such a caring owner - really sad at the idea of rehoming but also wanting to do the best for your piggy that I think you should definitely neuter and keep him, because how do you know anybody else is going to find that perfect lady for him? Is there a guinea rescue anywhere near you who might take him in specifically to try bonding him with sows? I've seen that mentioned here on the forum so it seems a possibility in the UK and rescues tend to have a considerable supply of sows... Depending on the rescue, they might keep him for a week or so and then give him back to you with his preferred sow.

In Germany guinea rescues talk about 'macho' boars and sweet, gentle boars who are sometimes too gentle for some sows. I don't know how true that is, but it's what people observe and then think. There's a fair bit of talk of figuring out the character of your guinea and what other guineas would fit this character. Also that 'difficult' guineas aren't actually difficult, they just need a different piggy personality to be bonded with.

I did have a boar, Woolly, who I also think was traumatised by another boar, Snowy, (I left them together too long because that's what I read back then on bonding, plus some other mistakes...). It turned out that Woolly was very gentle - he was a Lunkarya - once bonded with neutered boar Rubi it was hard to tell he was alpha male. He was, but he didn't need to throw his weight around at all. I have sind read that Lunkaryas tend to be very gentle. And later when my other group of husboar Snowy plus 2 ladies fell apart when Snowy died, Woolly (who was also long since neutered) joined one of the remaining ladies and it was love at first sight/sniff. He joined her in a hidey and that was it. (Not that you should try a bond with hideys, but I didn't know that then either. However it worked, meant to be I guess.) Rubi was so sweet and gentle that none of the available sows (some I had on loan from elsewhere to try out) would accept him and I actually had to give him to a rescue till they found a compatible sow for him, which they did. Keeping him would have meant opening a third group, which wasn't possible for me.

I hope I've managed to give you some hope for keeping your boar, getting him neutered and finding a sow for him to love. I know I'm a bit scatter-brained and so's my writing.

Thank you for this reply.

There is a vet local to me who does all the piggy neutering for my local Blue Cross so that would be who I’d use if I was to go down that route. It’s fairly reasonable price wise too.

I don’t know about dating but there are a lot of places who have females to adopt so that is definitely an option! I think it might be the only way I can do this to make sure he’s happy. As I say, do that or rehome to someone with a nice little hareem for him to join!

What’s your opinion on getting him a young sow once he’s neutered? So there’s no challenge to dominance. Or is that a poor idea?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Getting him a sow is a good idea. The sow needs to accept the boar and a submissive sow will allow him to mount her straight away; whereas if the sow is the dominant in the pairing she will refuse him until she is in season.
Young sows are usually very accepting of a boar but he is likely to be very overcome with excitement upon meeting a lady for the first time

 

[piggy_smalls]

Getting him a sow is a good idea. The sow needs to accept the boar and a submissive sow will allow him to mount her straight away; whereas if the sow is the dominant in the pairing she will refuse him until she is in season.
Young sows are usually very accepting of a boar but he is likely to be very overcome with excitement upon meeting a lady for the first time

Would you suggest letting them meet through bars first then so he can smell her or put them in a neutral pen first like when binding males?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Would you suggest letting them meet through bars first then so he can smell her or put them in a neutral pen first like when binding males?

Best case scenario is that any introduction (whether it’s boars/sows, sows/sows or boars/boars) starts with them being side by side for the days or even weeks before the actual bonding day. This allows them to settle and get to know each other a bit first.

It’s not always possible though - ie with speed dating - but if it is an option for them to be side by side first then it’s preferable.

If you were to pursue this, then if he was not yet six weeks post neuter then you would need to ensure the side by side cages are very secure and ideally lidded so that he could not escape and get in with her. An excited boar will be quite determined to get in with a sow!

 

[piggy_smalls]

Best case scenario is that any introduction (whether it’s boars/sows, sows/sows or boars/boars) starts with them being side by side for the days or even weeks before the actual bonding day. This allows them to settle and get to know each other a bit first.

It’s not always possible though - ie with speed dating - but it is an option for them to be side by side first then it’s preferable.

If you were to pursue this, then if he was not yet six weeks post neuter then you would need to ensure the side by side cages are very secure and ideally lidded so that he could not escape and get in with her. An excited boar will be quite determined to get in with a sow!

Perfect. I do have facility to make my enclosure separate. It does mean reducing their space but would of course only be temporary. So that works out quite well. I was thinking of letting them live side by side briefly until my boy has got used to sharing his space again.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Perfect. I do have facility to make my enclosure separate. It does mean reducing their space but would of course only be temporary. So that works out quite well. I was thinking of letting them live side by side briefly until my boy has got used to sharing his space again.

Being side by side doesn’t get them used to sharing space as such but it does help them calm a bit (although a boar meeting a sow is always going to cause excitement), get to know each others smells and get a bit of defensiveness/territorial out the way