5 Dominant Males

Julienooknook

Julienooknook

New Born Pup
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
14
Reaction score
22
Points
150
Location
Hinckley uk
Hi I have two brother piggies who are both dominant but are pretty bonded, they fall out occasionally. I have another two one older and one younger who put up with each other but only just and I have one on his own. Below is the current set up. Should I get another male for my lonely piggie? I could try giving them the whole room I'm up for that if anyone things that would encourage them all to bond? I feel so bad for the 1 guinea pig, who is in the middle but never gets to touch the others. Please help any advice would be greatly appreciated.


wiggie den.webp
 
Piggies do best when they live with a friend, but living as neighbours can be sufficient companionship for piggies who cannot live together. Your single boy will not be lonely as he can still interact with the others through sight, sound and smell. However, if you wish to get him a character compatible friend, then that is your decision.

When you say the other two fall out occasionally, what do you mean? Two dominant boars will usually have problems and this is how fights occur - for a bond to work properly, one needs to be dominant and the other submissive.
 
Also, even though they all fight each other, would it be advisable to let them out in a group for say half an hour a day with food?
 
No, please do not do this - it would be unfair and cause fights between them.
Piggies do not do playtimes - to them each meeting is a full on bonding session which causes a restructure of hierarchies. As five boars together will not work, doing so will cause fights, injuries and broken bonds - you run the risk of ending up with five single piggies. Boars must only be kept in pairs and never allowed to have physical contact with other pairs.
 
Last edited:
@Bradshaw Piggies this poster (with the remarkable set-up btw!) might benefit from your boarly experience too!

I'd say don't put them all in together - it would stress everyone out and then they'd worry even when they were back in their own places about it happening again. I had 2 pairs (sow/sow and sow/boar) and good fences made great neighbours - they used to love hanging out together at the bars. I tried a supervised all-in on the grass one day which quickly showed my mistake, and then there was tension at the bars for a good few days after that until everyone felt comfortable again!
 
Thank you. Basically I had two bonded males, two young males were purchased and one died after a couple of days. The two bonded older males then fell out and were fighting very bad so where separated and one has lived with the single male since (they tolerate each other but don't fight) the other on its own. The two brother were purchased to live with the lonely boar but they fell out with him and live on their own now. They recently fought but it was very quick and after a couple of days of rumble strutting and teeth chattering they seem to be quite amiable again. The single boar is very dominant, I always feel he gets depressed and spends too much time in his house.
 
If I've read this right and you tried to put more than two boars together, then this is why fights and fall outs would have occurred. Boars rarely function in anything more than a pair.
If you want to get him a friend, then it is best to take him dating at a rescue centre so he can choose his own character compatible friend. Buying a new friend for him on spec does run the risk of a failed bonding as you dont know whether they will like each other and have character compatibility.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
This is really helpful thank you. I've never heard of dating but I'm now going to look into it. Just for information, I've never owned guinea pigs until last year when my sons girlfriend could no longer look after them, so I took them on. They have floor time every day and I sit on the floor with them and they feed and crawl all over me. I love these guys so much I just want them to be happy. Thank you so much for all your help, I'm definitely going to send Tobias on a date :-) thank you thank you.
 
If you use the Rescue Locator then these are all forum recommended rescues. Get in contact with them and on their waiting lists for bonding. It may take a while, but rest assured that as he can see and smell other piggies, the he does have companionship of sorts.

How old are all the piggies?
If the piggy you are looking for a friend for is within his teens (4-14 months of age), then it is even more important to get help when finding a friend. Bonding teen boars is not for the faint hearted and due to their hormones can be harder work to find a friend. Some rescues will not want to bond a teen boar due to their hormones.
But to add, do not be tempted to neuter and bond him with a sow. The smell of a sow in the same room as your other bonded boars would have the potential to ruin their bonds and cause them to fight.
 
If you have any access to fresh grass with no dog-pee etc (it is toxic for them) they will delight you with how they hoover it up! If they have not had fresh grass before just start with a bit at a time though till their tummies get used to it. A handful in each enclosure at the same time to prevent jealousy (a bit less for your singleton) - and if you have plenty in your garden you can do it at the same time every day. Mine get grass in the morning and it is absolutely their fave time of day and ours too 💕
 
Piggies&buns said:
If you use the Rescue Locator then these are all forum recommended rescues. Get in contact with them and on their waiting lists for bonding. It may take a while, but rest assured that as he can see and smell other piggies, the he does have companionship of sorts.

How old are all the piggies?
If the piggy you are looking for a friend for is within his teens (4-14 months of age), then it is even more important to get help when finding a friend. Bonding teen boars is not for the faint hearted and due to their hormones can be harder work to find a friend. Some rescues will not want to bond a teen boar due to their hormones.
But to add, do not be tempted to neuter and bond him with a sow. The smell of a sow in the same room as your other bonded boars would have the potential to ruin their bonds and cause them to fight.
Click to expand...
He's about two now, the two older ones are two years old and all the younger ones are a year old. I will certainly try and get him bonded via a date, if nothing else it will make me happy. We have a large garden so grass is not a problem, but we are rural so I am currently building an enclosure which has a roof because of the birds of prey. However, this will only be like floor time, they will continue to live indoors but be allowed outdoor time each day (weather dependent). I will heed your advise and make sure they only have a little bit of grass to start off with. Thank you.
 
Free Ranger said:
If you have any access to fresh grass with no dog-pee etc (it is toxic for them) they will delight you with how they hoover it up! If they have not had fresh grass before just start with a bit at a time though till their tummies get used to it. A handful in each enclosure at the same time to prevent jealousy (a bit less for your singleton) - and if you have plenty in your garden you can do it at the same time every day. Mine get grass in the morning and it is absolutely their fave time of day and ours too 💕
Click to expand...
I'm making an enclosure (see below), because we are rural I need to ensure that it's going to be safe as we have badgers, foxes and birds of prey, so this will only be for an hour supervised each day. My problem is that I need to split the enclosure into 3, as I know being out together will give them all confidence, or else they will just spend outdoor time hiding :-) I'm also paranoid so we are building the bottom bit out of brick so they can't escape.
 
Piggies&buns said:
If I've read this right and you tried to put more than two boars together, then this is why fights and fall outs would have occurred. Boars rarely function in anything more than a pair.
If you want to get him a friend, then it is best to take him dating at a rescue centre so he can choose his own character compatible friend. Buying a new friend for him on spec does run the risk of a failed bonding as you dont know whether they will like each other and have character compatibility.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Click to expand...
Hi I just thought I would let you know that after all of the brilliant advice I received, I have now got Tobias going on a speed date tonight at Puddleducks Guinea Pig Rescue in Leamington Spa. I have now set up a small double cage in a different area of the house that the guinea pigs have not been in, and added a house water food and hay only, just in case he manages to impress one of the other boys and gains a friend. Quick question if I may, how long should I leave him in that set up before bringing them together, and then bringing them back to the other piggies?
 
Free Ranger said:
If you have any access to fresh grass with no dog-pee etc (it is toxic for them) they will delight you with how they hoover it up! If they have not had fresh grass before just start with a bit at a time though till their tummies get used to it. A handful in each enclosure at the same time to prevent jealousy (a bit less for your singleton) - and if you have plenty in your garden you can do it at the same time every day. Mine get grass in the morning and it is absolutely their fave time of day and ours too 💕
Click to expand...
Hi I just thought I would let you know that after all of the brilliant advice I received, I have now got Tobias going on a speed date tonight at Puddleducks Guinea Pig Rescue in Leamington Spa. I have now set up a small double cage in a different area of the house that the guinea pigs have not been in, and added a house water food and hay only, just in case he manages to impress one of the other boys and gains a friend. Quick question if I may, how long should I leave him in that set up before bringing them together, and then bringing them back to the other piggies?
 
As you are speed dating at the rescue, then they will need to come back and go into neutral territory for several hours, or overnight. They need to be able to get through the stages of dominance before you move them back into their thoroughly cleaned out cage.

You should remove the hides and houses. The bonding pen should be completely empty other than water and a pile of hay.
When you say a double cage, do you mean two storey? If so, then it’s best to only have a large single level cage for bonding - 6ft x 2ft for boars. If the cage is double storeys then the ramp could cause problems during bonding, plus if it is a commercial cage, then they usually aren’t big enough for a boar pair.

This guide explains how to carry out a bonding

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

Good luck, keep us posted!
 
You have had some excellent advice from other members, but I wanted to chime in and say your set up is AMAZING! :D
Honestly given you are fairly new to this, is it clear that all of your boys are extremely lucky and live the most wonderful life with you.
Plus well done for taking on board all of the advice given and for taking time to update us.
Can't wait to hear how tonight's date goes :love:
 
Swissgreys said:
You have had some excellent advice from other members, but I wanted to chime in and say your set up is AMAZING! :D
Honestly given you are fairly new to this, is it clear that all of your boys are extremely lucky and live the most wonderful life with you.
Plus well done for taking on board all of the advice given and for taking time to update us.
Can't wait to hear how tonight's date goes :love:
Click to expand...
Thank you :-) Updates coming :-)
 
Swissgreys said:
You have had some excellent advice from other members, but I wanted to chime in and say your set up is AMAZING! :D
Honestly given you are fairly new to this, is it clear that all of your boys are extremely lucky and live the most wonderful life with you.
Plus well done for taking on board all of the advice given and for taking time to update us.
Can't wait to hear how tonight's date goes :love:
Click to expand...
Piggies&buns said:
As you are speed dating at the rescue, then they will need to come back and go into neutral territory for several hours, or overnight. They need to be able to get through the stages of dominance before you move them back into their thoroughly cleaned out cage.

You should remove the hides and houses. The bonding pen should be completely empty other than water and a pile of hay.
When you say a double cage, do you mean two storey? If so, then it’s best to only have a large single level cage for bonding - 6ft x 2ft for boars. If the cage is double storeys then the ramp could cause problems during bonding, plus if it is a commercial cage, then they usually aren’t big enough for a boar pair.

This guide explains how to carry out a bonding

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

Good luck, keep us posted!
Click to expand...
1631357397001.webp
Bonding went well, they are like this, this morning, I am currently redesigning the set up downstairs and will update later when complete :-)
 
I just wanted to thank everyone for their excellent advise. I now have an overjoyed Tobias who is a constant companion to Star, and the new cage design is working a treat (at east it is easy to clean now) :-) thank you thank you x
 

Attachments

  • new.webp
    new.webp
    39.6 KB · Views: 26
  • Tob star.webp
    Tob star.webp
    55.3 KB · Views: 26
I'm so pleased for you all 💕
I wonder if they might benefit from a bit more hay downstairs? I think you have a hayloft upstairs and maybe you've tidied for the photos, but if they spend most of their time downstairs they would probably like to be chewing all day long! If it's there and I can't see it I do apologise ☺️
 
Wow, your set up is brilliant! So pleased for you, Tobias and Star that your bonding went so well! Such handsome boys :love:

They’re very lucky to have such a caring owner like you that does so much to make sure they’re happy :)
 
Free Ranger said:
I'm so pleased for you all 💕
I wonder if they might benefit from a bit more hay downstairs? I think you have a hayloft upstairs and maybe you've tidied for the photos, but if they spend most of their time downstairs they would probably like to be chewing all day long! If it's there and I can't see it I do apologise ☺️
Click to expand...
Thank you, just read this but after two days I moved the hay downstairs and made the upstairs up with blankets that they now all use to sunbathe on LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top