Two quick questions about our babies...

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Jonti+Kris

Hey folks,

Well, we've had the three babies sexed, and it turns out we have two boys and a girl. We've noticed for the last week that the babies are getting quite boistrous, and pestering their mum (we're pretty sure they've been chasing her trying to mount her). They're now 23 days old, which seems a bit young for them to be firing anything other than blanks, but we're not sure whether it is safe to separate them yet -- we don't want any more pregnancies, but at the same time, we really, really don't want to hurt/distress them by taking them away when they still need their mother.

So - when should we separate the babies from their mum?

The other question comes down to which we keep and which go to a loving home (I suspect Kris' mum will have them ;)). We've got room to keep one with our three lovely ladies, and that leaves a pair to go to whoever will look after them well (I'd love to keep all three, but we definitely don't have room :( ) . Should we keep the girl (given that our three are all girls), and let the two boys go, or is it better for a pair of piggies to be a boy and a girl, and for us to keep one of the boys? Obviously, if we keep the girl, then neither of the boys would need to have the snip (or would they?) - but would two boys together not get on so well? Would four girls have problems, compared to three girls and a boy?

Sorry for all the quesitons -- but we want to do the right thing by our lovely babies!

The "Too Long Didn't Read" (TLDR) version

I know I write too much sometimes ;) So

1) When should we separate our baby boys from their mother, sister and aunties?
2) Is it better to give away (to a very good home!) a boy and a girl, and keep a boy with his aunties and mum, or to give away the two boys, and keep the girl with the ladies?

Thanks hugely in advance for the help and advice, again!

Jonti
 
i would definantly seperate 3 weeks old for males is good or even before if they are trying to mount her
i would keep a boy have heard of a little tension from malepiggies if they are near females and not in cage with them
 
oh and 3 of my piggies get along very well but i do prefer pairs I'm sure you wouldnt have a **** rehoming two males together x
if the boys are trying to mount your females might already be pregnant.
 
I think it sounds like you want to separate the two boys now from the rest. They have each other and will be fine. I had two girls and one boy and had to separate the boy quite early as he was too interested in one of his aunties. He was a bit miserable on his own, but he could hear the rest of my girls and say hi to them through the bars. I kept him for a few weeks until he was old enough to find the perfect new home.

If it was me, I would keep the girls and try and find the boys a new home together. I don't know much about boars but I believe some brothers remain on good terms for the rest of their lives... again I wouldn't take my word for it.

Also if you keep one of the baby boars you have to wait 6 months I believe until you can give him the snip... and for me seeing my baby boar living alone was quite heart breaking and I only kept him until he was old enough to be re-homed!
 
I would keep the girl with your sows; especially as one is her mum.

You can kep the two boys together, but they should be taken away from mummy and any other females immediately, as they can fire "life shots" already! they should be more or less weaned by now, anyway!

Just be aware that the boys could have a permanent fall-out when they reach their hormonal "puberty" at the same time from about 5-12 months. Neutering won't change that.

If you want to keep any of the boys with other sows or their sister, they need to be neutered and kept apart for 6 weeks after the op. Make sure you find a vet with plenty of experience in neutering (i.e. ask the local rescue who they use!).

Cross gender pairing are usually very stable, but you have to be prepared to have them operated on.

Good luck with whatever you do!
 
The sibling boys should do fine as a pair there is a stage at 6 months old when they get hormonal and can quarrel a little but 80% of the time it settles down and they do not need to be seperated it would not be necessary to neuter either of them then.

I remove boys at 3 weeks or 300g which ever comes sooner as at 3 weeks they can be capable of getting females pregnant. I have nkown of a case where a 36 day old got his mum pregnant! I would just seperate them and keep a check on whether they are using a water bottle etc they should be doing so by now on their own anyway.
 
Hi I would back up what everyone else has said. By keeping the sow with mum and aunties you know she will be with a group she is used to.

The boars should be fine together and you can have peace of mind that they will not be lonely or on thir own. If they are starting to mount the others then separate them now. They should be fine on their own.
 
Hey again,

Thankyou all for the help/advice! I'm really hoping their mummy isn't pregnant again -- but at only 23 days, I suspect they probably didn't quite know what to do!

We've separated the boars, and put them in the cage we used to have for our ladies before we built their C+C cage - and they haven't shut up yet! Lots and lots of squeeking -- like wheeking, but very loud and continuous! I think they're trying to talk to mummy and their friends, and missing them -- they sound a bit distressed, which makes me feel really mean separating them, but it needs to be done! I hope they'll settle down and be happier soon :(

Mummy, on the other hand, seems totally and utterly unconcerned - I think she's enjoying a bit of peace and quiet to be honest ;)

I think the best bet is that we keep the girl and let the boars go -- much as it would be lovely to have a boy (they're so so sweet!), it's easier that way, and means we don't have to put them through nasty operations and things!

Thanks again!
 
Good idea! And they can stay together as much as possible!

Your boys should calm down soon. Perhaps have them in a separate room for a few days? I did that with the surprise babies that my new sow dropped on me and it worked fine.
 
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