What To Do With My Three Boars

[kraftykiwi]

This is somewhat about housing but mostly about bonding and social behavior. I have three boars right now, two brothers that are 3 or 4 months old and a little guy that is 2 or 3 months old. My husband doesn't like the look of the c&c cages so he wants to build a wooden cage of sorts and we settled on one like this (scroll down to the two shelf cage that's decorated for Christmas) because it looks stylish enough for him to be ok with it being in our front room.
Here's where the bonding question comes in:
I wouldn't be able to get a fourth piggy for Max (my lone baby) to bond with because 3 was already pushing it for my husband so Max would be on his own. I don't want him alone but I also don't have a great place to rehome him because there aren't any rescues near me so if I sell him locally (which would be a long shot because there are quite a few piggies listed for sell that aren't selling) or take him to a shelter I can't guarantee what sort of life he'll have or if he'll be given the proper space/companionship/care. But, I also don't want him being lonely. Would it be better to keep him with him being a shelf above the other two piggies and just know I'm giving him good care and lots of me snuggling him, or should I take the risk of rehoming him?
One possibility I've looked at that isn't a guarantee either is keeping him until the brothers and him are adults and then trying to bond the three of them into a trio and connecting the two layers of the house.
Any advice?

 

[Wiebke]

Max should be allowed interaction with of some sort with other piggies ideally if you want to keep him on his own. he won't have that if he is on another level.

If you want to consider to rehome him, please contact this guinea pig rescue here. It is covering your state and operates to a high standard to make sure that Max will be hopefully bonded at the rescue and only go to a good home.
Piggie Poo Rescue, Phoenix
http://piggiepoo.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arizonas-Piggie-Poo-Rescue-Inc/174843145898322

Under the circumstances, it may be rather worth trying the three boys as a trio and then rather act if you run into problems. Hopfully, you husband will have softened his attitude a bit by then!

 

[Elwickcavies]

From experience, three boars together is notoriously difficult and I've never heard of anyone managing it. They tend to pair up and pick on one. I agree with Wiebke that he'll need piggie interaction and probably the best thing to do will be to contact the rescue. My husband is also not very keen on piggies. Mine have to live outside! Good luck with the rehoming. x

 

[kraftykiwi]

Max should be allowed interaction with of some sort with other piggies ideally if you want to keep him on his own. he won't have that if he is on another level.

If you want to consider to rehome him, please contact this guinea pig rescue here. It is covering your state and operates to a high standard to make sure that Max will be hopefully bonded at the rescue and only go to a good home.
Piggie Poo Rescue, Phoenix
http://piggiepoo.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arizonas-Piggie-Poo-Rescue-Inc/174843145898322

Under the circumstances, it may be rather worth trying the three boys as a trio and then rather act if you run into problems. Hopfully, you husband will have softened his attitude a bit by then!

I looked up the rescue and they have a 4-6 week wait to surrender a piggie and you have to get the piggie to them I suppose I could try an add locally. I really don't want to take an animal to the humane society.

 

[Wiebke]

I would not rehome privately personally. Please be aware that even if you find Max a space with another boar, it is not a given that they will click, so the person you rehome him to will need to either have a 2x4 ft spare cage or the option to divide and extent their cage to accommodate two boars next to each other so they can interact.

Is it really not possible to create a cage with a hayloft or upper story where the couple can interact with Max on a regular basis?

 

[kraftykiwi]

I

I would not rehome privately personally. Please be aware that even if you find Max a space with another boar, it is not a given that they will click, so the person you rehome him to will need to either have a 2x4 ft spare cage or the option to divide and extent their cage to accommodate two boars next to each other so they can interact.

Is it really not possible to create a cage with a hayloft or upper story where the couple can interact with Max on a regular basis?

I might be able to actually! If I make the two shelf cage and Max needs 2"×1" less space than the brothers, I can use the 2"×1" space as a loft area for the brother's hay with a grid so they can see and interact Max! That's a really great idea, thank you.

 

[crazygal330]

We have a trio of boars here- they are all siblings. We haven't had any problems with fighting but they have a lot of space and lots of hiding places, multiples of everything etc.
I agree that it might be worth trying to bond them- it can be difficult and is not often successful however with plenty of space and compatible personalities it can work.
If it doesn't then it is a good idea to have space where they can see each other and interact.

 

[kraftykiwi]

We have a trio of boars here- they are all siblings. We haven't had any problems with fighting but they have a lot of space and lots of hiding places, multiples of everything etc.
I agree that it might be worth trying to bond them- it can be difficult and is not often successful however with plenty of space and compatible personalities it can work.
If it doesn't then it is a good idea to have space where they can see each other and interact.

I think I'll try to bond them when they're past their adolescent phase, so probably next year.

 

[Wiebke]

I really hope that you can work something out - having a hayloft side by side is a good idea!

 

[kraftykiwi]

I really hope that you can work something out - having a hayloft side by side is a good idea!

I just can't stand the thought of him going to someone that wouldn't give him the right care and environment so I'm going to find a way to make it work. I talked with my husband last night about getting an adult to bond with him since adult to baby bondings have such great success rates and my husband was sounding like he would let me. So either the loft or another piggy

 

[Wiebke]

If you can arrange a meet and greet to see whether the two boars will take to each other, then that is certainly an option. The key to any successful boar bond is character compatibility.If possible, find a place that would be prepared to take back the boar if the bond is not working out.
This is even more important during the hormonal teenage stage between 4-14 months of age when boars go through testosterone spikes and develop their adult identity. It is generally easier if only one boar in a pair is going through them at any given time. Having three same age boars winding each other up is about as unstable as you can get.

You may find this thread from a British rescue about their adult boar bonding experiences helpful in making up your mind and getting an idea what you are looking out for and up against: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boar-dating-service-wales.59233