How Many: Thinking of adopting one more boar

[2pigs2kids]

I have had my first two pigs for a couple of weeks now. Things are going great and I don't know how I made it 35 years without having pigs...I'm in love! Seeing such a need for piggie homes, and enjoying the two I have so much has given me the 'itch' to look into adopting one more. I found a little guy on Craigslist, an 8 month old boar. The two I have now are between 1.5-2 years old. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on how this combo might work. I know that it depends greatly on their personalities and such, but would these age groups tend to work out well together?

Also, in reality, how much more work/cost is it to go from 2 to 3? My husband is not thrilled about the prospect of one more. He thinks things are going great with the 2 we have and is concerned about adding more work and financial commitment (though, I must say, the 'work' part is all on me-which I don't mind). I'm a stay at home mom, so I'm here all day and have the time to care for them.

Just wondering what your thoughts are...thanks!

[angiekay]

My first boar came from a CL'er he was over a year old, then I adopted an 8 month old, things were good with them, couple of weeks later I added a 4 month old, and it went downhill from there. The oldest started attacking the middle child, and baby was caught in the middle, I separated, went through all that.

Long story short, it does depend on their personalities I think, and you really don't know until weeks later whether things are going to "stay" calm and they will "tolerate" each other and live together. As it was over a month before I saw spots on my 8 month old where the oldest was biting him!

I now have three again (different set, long story), except the two I added are litter mates and 4 weeks old, things are going very well, it's ONLY day two though, and I'm curious of what puberty is going to be like when the babies hit it together.

Mostly, you just have to try, some members here will say even number in boars works out better, lots of space helps, and be prepared to make arrangments to split the cage up if need be, if things were to come to that.

Hope that helps. I know it's hard to NOT want more and more, I was supposed to only get one of these babies, but I took the both of them, I hope it works out for you.

[Peggysu]

Just one more. I know that feeling. I've gone from two to four.

Whether or not they will get a long really depends on the pigs. As far as more work, it really won't make much of a difference. You'll notice there is less veggie waste with three. If you're sweeping the cage, what's a few more poops.

The only thing is with more pets comes the potential for more vet bills.

[akstrohm]

The main cost increase is in potential vet bills. There won't be too much of a cost in terms of food and bedding. Cleaning shouldn't take that much longer.

Some people have had bad luck with keeping boars in uneven numbers, but a lot of trios of boars get along just fine too. It depends on the pigs. If you do decide to get the new pig, be sure you have a back up plan (divided cage, for example) in case they don't get along. And read up on how to do intros so you increase the chance of them getting along from the start.

Other things to keep in mind:
-You'll need to do a full three week quarantine behind closed doors.
-It's better to provide excellent care for two than to compromise to take in a third. So only get the third if you can provide sufficient space (at least a 2x5), veggies, and vet care to all three.