[Gpdd] MISC. Boar advice request

[scalabro3 at cfl.rr.com]

Hi, Anneli!  Like you, I recently had to make the decision whether to increase my herd. I had seven pigs, and everything was great, when my friend Jen who runs a rescue in Orlando contacted me about our newest addition, Reese. We did a pig swap where we rescued two poor little piggies who were living outside in the cold in a wire mesh rabbit hutch (even though we are in Florida, it got down to freezing for more than two weeks here this year), and I took Reese to live with my only single male to free up the space in her rescue so she could take in the two little piggies.  

I would have loved to keep the two we rescued, Teddy and Tex, but I knew that we have no more room for piggies in the pig-room, and two pigs ago, my husband said that he would leave if I brought home one more piggie.  Because that was two pigs ago and he's still here, I'm not sure it was an actual threat, but I'm not willing to test that theory any more.

I thought that I financially got the better end of the deal. Jen got two sickly little piggies with respiratory infections and poor little Teddy had a deformed foot.  I thought that I had escaped the massive veterinary bills that Jen was willing to take on, until Reese's chest filled up with fluid last month. Two procedures and $1800 dollars later, he's doing well at the moment. We don't know his long term prognosis, but he's healthy and happy now, but he and Donovan have decided that they no longer want to live together.

At the same time this was going on, Chakalaka became very ill, and we almost lost him too. He and his roommate began having terrible fights, and we have just constructed another pen so that they each have a 2' x 4' pen to themselves.

I don't want to discourage you from getting a friend for your Teddy. That is most likely the best thing that you can do for him. But you need to realize that there is a chance that sweet little Teddy will grow up to be an alpha male who refuses to live with any other boar.  Then you would have two males living side by side in separate quarters, which is not a bad thing, it's just more work for you.

When Puffy was a baby, he cried and cried all the time. We tried giving him floor time with the other boys, but they really didn’t' like him, so we found Puffy's soul-mate Cocoa Puff. As soon as Cocoa Puff moved in with Puffy, he immediately stopped crying.  Puffy and Cocoa Puff seem to be made for each other.  They love to run and play with each other and at night, Cocoa Puff sleeps in the pigloo with Puffy outside with his little face in the doorway watching Cocoa Puff sleep. They have two pigloos, but Puffy prefers to watch over Cocoa Puff. Puffy is the only boar that I've seen groom another pig. He washes Cocoa Puff's ears and eyes at least once a day. They're the sweetest pair of piggies that I've ever seen. They get along so much better than the other boys...or girls for that matter.

I'm not sure I'd trust the boys and girls together during floor time. Some of the other members may have more experience with that, but I've got two permanent teenage-boy pigs that I wouldn't let within five feet of our sows, because I'm pretty sure that, if I turned my head for a minute, my poor husband would end up constructing more pens for the resulting piglets.

Whatever you decide will be the best thing for you and your herd. You just have to look at your time and financial resources and your support system and make the best decision you can at the time. Or just do what I do, and see a cute little piggie in need and bring him home anyway and hope things will work out.  

Hope this helps. Best Wishes!



ME in New Smyrna Beach