Trio have fallen out, please help

[Doeylicious]

My group of three has fallen out (2 girls one neutered boar)

JoJo and Bounty have bonded quite closely. She follows him, he follows her, he actually lets her steal his food...for my asbo pig (used to bully his cagemate) this is great!

Snickers however has become distant and antisocial. Bounty and Jo sleep together upstairs, Sniks on her own down. If Bounty goes to the food bowl/hay pile, Sniks nips at her. When Bounty or JoJo try to get in the downstairs sleepy bit, she nips at them, even Jo (who is a wimp and legs it with Bounty in tow)

Tonight we thought we would see if adding a fourth pig would even things out (as it did with my group of 3 girls who became 4 and went from nightmare to harmony). It did not at all. It has resulted in my poor Whiskey (my calm, sensible pig we thought might calm Sniks down) having a large bite on her back as a result of Sniks going nuts, despite neutral territory and a lawn full of grass (there goes my idea of a month without a vet visit...)

So. It is apparent Sniks is not a happy pig. She dislikes Bounty, only tolerates Jo, and is being left out of the trio, but attempts at a quartet sent her mental.

Mum thinks we should rehome her to live alone as a house pig or with someone's lone pig. I feel incredibly upset at this idea, as she has already been rehomed once and came from a home where she was never cuddled, just taken to and from a run and lived with rabbits. However if it is the only way I would consider it.

My thought was, she may not accept a boar and a sow, but would she accept a snipped boar? One just for her who she can have all to herself with no pesky females?!

I really need some advice even if it isn't what I want to hear. Right now I feel I have failed my pigs, I have made their lives worse rather than better, and don't know how to fix it

Can anyone help?

 

[Shellza]

I'm sorry your trio have fallen out . A single neutered boar may work. It sounds like she's been left out, two's company, three's a crowd sort of thing. If possible I would try her with a boar. It wouldn't be fair to keep her alone . Good luck and I hope it all works out for you and Snickers .

 

[Wiebke]

I am sorry your trouble; you are trying your best to make your piggies happy. Perhaps it would be best if you could find somewhere to take Snickers to date her own friend. However, some few piggies (like some humans) have trouble to get on with anybody. I hope that snickers is not one of them.

 

[Doeylicious]

I am sorry your trouble; you are trying your best to make your piggies happy. Perhaps it would be best if you could find somewhere to take Snickers to date her own friend. However, some few piggies (like some humans) have trouble to get on with anybody. I hope that snickers is not one of them.

This would be my plan Wiebke - no way would I just pick a boy and get him done, she would need to piggy date as she has already shown she has a tricky personality.

I feel it's unfair to give her a life alone without at least trying to find her a friend...at the end of the day most of them are social animals.

 

[mrsoakavich]

This has happened to my 3 boars they are litter brothers and we are having the same issue!

 

[Hachi475]

The best thing to do is separate Snickers for a bit until she calms down, and then if you DO want to add another piggie for Snickers, it has to be a young sow as Snickers might then take a motherly role. I heard that a bullied guinea pig (boar) was introduced to a younger guinea pig (boar) and they are the best of friends.

 

[All0about0the0animals]

My group of three has fallen out (2 girls one neutered boar)

JoJo and Bounty have bonded quite closely. She follows him, he follows her, he actually lets her steal his food...for my asbo pig (used to bully his cagemate) this is great!

Snickers however has become distant and antisocial. Bounty and Jo sleep together upstairs, Sniks on her own down. If Bounty goes to the food bowl/hay pile, Sniks nips at her. When Bounty or JoJo try to get in the downstairs sleepy bit, she nips at them, even Jo (who is a wimp and legs it with Bounty in tow)

Tonight we thought we would see if adding a fourth pig would even things out (as it did with my group of 3 girls who became 4 and went from nightmare to harmony). It did not at all. It has resulted in my poor Whiskey (my calm, sensible pig we thought might calm Sniks down) having a large bite on her back as a result of Sniks going nuts, despite neutral territory and a lawn full of grass (there goes my idea of a month without a vet visit...)

So. It is apparent Sniks is not a happy pig. She dislikes Bounty, only tolerates Jo, and is being left out of the trio, but attempts at a quartet sent her mental.

Mum thinks we should rehome her to live alone as a house pig or with someone's lone pig. I feel incredibly upset at this idea, as she has already been rehomed once and came from a home where she was never cuddled, just taken to and from a run and lived with rabbits. However if it is the only way I would consider it.

My thought was, she may not accept a boar and a sow, but would she accept a snipped boar? One just for her who she can have all to herself with no pesky females?!

I really need some advice even if it isn't what I want to hear. Right now I feel I have failed my pigs, I have made their lives worse rather than better, and don't know how to fix it

Can anyone help?

I've always found that trios don't work longterm. Either one gets pushed or left out. What sex was the 4th pig you introduced into the trio?

Don't home her to live alone, it's no life for a pig. There is a way around it. I have a sow here that I was told would'nt live with others, she's now in a group of 6 others.

pm me if you'd like further advice, don't feel too disheartened.

 

[Doeylicious]

I've always found that trios don't work longterm. Either one gets pushed or left out. What sex was the 4th pig you introduced into the trio?

Don't home her to live alone, it's no life for a pig. There is a way around it. I have a sow here that I was told would'nt live with others, she's now in a group of 6 others.

pm me if you'd like further advice, don't feel too disheartened.

Thanks AATA (hope you don't mind me abbreviating!)

Snicks has been on her own for a week and the change has been immense. She has calmed down a lot, much happier to be handled, and last night she stood out wheeking at dinner time! So very happy with her progress.

We have done a couple of 'experiments' with many towels and gardening gloves to hand just in case, and have established she does like boys - she was having lots of fun with Bumble my nice, gentle, laid back Swiss neutered boar earlier. Girls on the other hand we are not so sure of if a bloke is involved yet - she said hello to Pixie, then tried to barge her out the way. Pixie is such that if the sun is shining and the grass is green, who cares, she will ignore it, but a more dominant sow and we would have had an issue! We are not keeping her with the two though as they are VERY well established and it would be another trio which IMO is an accident waiting to happen.

It was a sow we added to the trio - an older and laid back one, but I think Snicks issue is 'my man off!' :{

I think I might have to post Snicks her own lonely hearts ad to see if we can find her a fella or a calm sow she may get on with on her own. I don't care diddly squat who or what she picks, as long as she likes him/her. A rescue in Eastbourne who I think is on the rabbit sister forum to this site has contacted me about a boy they had done last week, who we might foster for a bit then see if they get on, but obviously we can't find out for 6 weeks (no more babies, please no more babies!)

So all in all, Snickers future is looking a lot brighter now

(Unlike mine and my OH's as he went nuts when I said she was staying AND I would be getting another....oh well he will get over it...)

 

[All0about0the0animals]

Thanks AATA (hope you don't mind me abbreviating!)

Snicks has been on her own for a week and the change has been immense. She has calmed down a lot, much happier to be handled, and last night she stood out wheeking at dinner time! So very happy with her progress.

We have done a couple of 'experiments' with many towels and gardening gloves to hand just in case, and have established she does like boys - she was having lots of fun with Bumble my nice, gentle, laid back Swiss neutered boar earlier. Girls on the other hand we are not so sure of if a bloke is involved yet - she said hello to Pixie, then tried to barge her out the way. Pixie is such that if the sun is shining and the grass is green, who cares, she will ignore it, but a more dominant sow and we would have had an issue! We are not keeping her with the two though as they are VERY well established and it would be another trio which IMO is an accident waiting to happen.

It was a sow we added to the trio - an older and laid back one, but I think Snicks issue is 'my man off!' :{

I think I might have to post Snicks her own lonely hearts ad to see if we can find her a fella or a calm sow she may get on with on her own. I don't care diddly squat who or what she picks, as long as she likes him/her. A rescue in Eastbourne who I think is on the rabbit sister forum to this site has contacted me about a boy they had done last week, who we might foster for a bit then see if they get on, but obviously we can't find out for 6 weeks (no more babies, please no more babies!)

So all in all, Snickers future is looking a lot brighter now

(Unlike mine and my OH's as he went nuts when I said she was staying AND I would be getting another....oh well he will get over it...)

So glad that things are being sorted and happiness is being restored in your herd, your o/h will get over it, I mean how much more room does one more take up

 

[Tupeny]

Are your girls the same age? I've found my older girls won't tolerate each other (they're littermates) but one is living with two younger females, one of which is even younger. I wonder if the varied ages make a natural pecking order, with less need to fight. They have the odd moment but nothing serious, and generally all get along well.

I'm sure Snicks will be able to live with another pig, a male and female that I paired up got on wonderfully for about a week and then feel out spectacularly - it was shocking! However they're both now happily living with different partners!