Truffle and Polo

Aw glad the vet trip went well. I take my boys on the bus to the vet sometimes, they don’t love the noises but they cope pretty well considering, especially with some tasty veg to share in their carrier
 
Truffolo said:
Back from a check up at Beaumont Sainsbury Veterinary Hospital ❤️
Everything went well. The nice vet checked Polo's teeth and advised us to come back in three months for a check up. He is on a short diagnostic course of gabapentin to see if eating veg is causing him discomfort as he is puffing out his fur while eating veg. He eats with a good appetite, but I want to make sure his teeth are in good condition.
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Master Boris always puffs up when he's eating his veggies, I think I've heard about some other piggies that do it too.
 
Thank you, I'm glad to hear it's not unusual. I wonder why they puff up. Imagine having to burr your molars once a month and trim your incisors 😄 Poor Polo, I took his snuggle sack out his cage and it was soaking. Polo came rushing over to greet us when we got back. He must have wondered where Polo had gone.
 
Thank you, I'm glad to hear it's not unusual. I wonder why they puff up
 
Hi, Polo, how are you? I was wondering if you were still puffing up?

Stripe
 
Hello Stripe, great to hear from you 🐾🐾 Yes, I’m still puffing up when I eat my veggies. The gabapentin so far has not changed this. Otherwise I’m fine. I miss Truffle, but I can’t share a cage with him. Strange, isn’t it? We met through the bars and were both chewing on the bars, sometime with our noses touching. Mom has left a two inch space between our cages in case we chew each other’s noses as well as the bars ❤️
 
Truffle doesn't seem too phased by fireworks, but Polo gets quite unhappy, freezing and listening in the direction of the bangs. His facial expression is clearly one of dismay. I tried singing to him, hoping the vibrations in my voice would act as a noise cancelling sound signal, like noise cancelling headphones. I think I had some success. He went into his fleece corner tent, lay down and yawned. Possibly he found wonky singing reassuring, or at least no worse than the fireworks 😄
 
Truffolo said:
Truffle doesn't seem too phased by fireworks, but Polo gets quite unhappy, freezing and listening in the direction of the bangs. His facial expression is clearly one of dismay. I tried singing to him, hoping the vibrations in my voice would act as a noise cancelling sound signal, like noise cancelling headphones. I think I had some success. He went into his fleece corner tent, lay down and yawned. Possibly he found wonky singing reassuring, or at least no worse than the fireworks 😄
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You have a fan!
 
I took away the acrylic sheets between my piggy cages, thinking that perhaps things had calmed down enough, and initially it was very cute seeing them touch whiskers between the bars. However the bar biting increased and rumbling commenced with Polo doing side steps, something he hasn't done before. But there as less teeth chattering... 🙁
 
Finally the piggies lay down on. Either side of the fence and I picked up a book to relax before bedtime. There was some rumbling and then Truffle went full Freddy and leapt against the bars to making Polo squeak with fear. He hid behind his hay tray, chattering nervously and looking like he would cry if he could. It took a while and somd pea flakes to settle them down. The blankets are up and calm has returned, but the socialiding is over 🙁
 
Thanks! It's difficult to know what to do. Getting the plum fairy in is an option. But I worry that they might not survive the op. It would allow them to pair up with a sow if, for instance, I lost one of my piggies. I don't want to re-home either of them knowing what a dark, uncertain world is out there, I would rather keep them with me. I suppose finding a young boar might work as well, if it ever became necessary. The odds of a sow getting ovarian cysts and becoming dominant are there, but I think boars and sows usually get on, even if she has cysts 🙁. I would blame myself if one of them passed after an op. I think the time to neuter is when they first arrive as part of properly planned piggy parenthood, not after they have wrapped your heart round their piggy paws 🐾 So it will be back to acrylic sheets and a gap between the cages I think, for now at least.
 
I bet they are happy just being able to hear and smell each other. Maybe you don't need to do anything at all. I know what you mean about cysts. It is such a risk.
 
The other option would be to spay a sow while she is young, but over six months, and can recover from the op more easily than an older sow. I am not sure how boars get on with neutered females. She would need time to recover from the op, perhaps living as bar buddies for a while. Usually it is the male who is neutered. But hopefully I won't need to think about that for a really long time. There are two boars in the Pets at Home near me for adoption. It is sad, poor little fellows.
 
Please never just remove the panels separating Truffle and Polo as that is seen as an invasion of privacy and them stepping in to each others territory and is very dangerous. Polo stepping from side to side means he really wasn’t happy with Truffle invading his space. Any bonding needs to be done in a neutral space where neither of them have been before.

You could try rebonding them again in a neutral area and if that doesn’t work, there are options 1) to leave them as they are living side by side 2) have them both neutered and pair them up with a lady friend each 3) try them both with a baby boar. All options have their own pros and cons

Boar neutering is a much safer operation that sow spaying which is a more invasive operation
 
The wire grids were still up, but the acrylic sheets keeping the wood shavings in and stopping bar biting were removed. They were in no danger as they couldn't actually reach each other, but the barriers need to stay up. It's a pity as initially they seemed animated and curious. I feel like they are waiting for something (perhaps the sow of their dreams🥰) when they are more closed off.
 
Ramia said:
I bet they are happy just being able to hear and smell each other. Maybe you don't need to do anything at all. I know what you mean about cysts. It is such a risk.
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Yes, they are mainly creatures of smell, so perhaps keeping in touch "by phone" is enough. We get on soon well, they are so cute and clever. Polo sleeps near me at night like a little faithful doggie. Truffle's cage is furthest away, so he sleeps in a hide, but Polo stretches out where we can see each other at night ❤️
 
Truffolo said:
The wire grids were still up, but the acrylic sheets keeping the wood shavings in and stopping bar biting were removed. They were in no danger as they couldn't actually reach each other, but the barriers need to stay up. It's a pity as initially they seemed animated and curious. I feel like they are waiting for something (perhaps the sow of their dreams🥰) when they are more closed off.
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Boar / sow(s) is known to be very stable relationship that is a great choice for many of us. However, it still comes down to character compatibility and isn’t a decision to be taken lightly but it would be great if they could have a lady friend each and is an option you could certainly think about 🙂
 
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