Adding A Boar To A Group Of Sows

katia2

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Hi,
A few months ago I adopted two bonded females guineas who are nearly a year old. They get along very well but one of them appears to be a bit more dominant than the other. After adopting them I started researching about herds of guinea pigs and how the most the successful groups have been a boar and a few sows. After reading I'm wondering if I should add a boar to my group, is this recommended? I personally think it would be really cool to start a herd but only if it's whats best for the piggies :)
 
Hi,
A few months ago I adopted two bonded females guineas who are nearly a year old. They get along very well but one of them appears to be a bit more dominant than the other. After adopting them I started researching about herds of guinea pigs and how the most the successful groups have been a boar and a few sows. After reading I'm wondering if I should add a boar to my group, is this recommended? I personally think it would be really cool to start a herd but only if it's whats best for the piggies :)

Hi and welcome

The best way of finding out whether a neutered boar is working with your girls is by rescue dating them at a good standard piggy savvy rescue that has neutered boars and offers this service. This means that you come home with a new mate only if acceptance has happened and you can be assured that you are bringing home a fully quarantined/healthy guinea pig that does not require quarantining and may not be accepted by a very dominant sow.
Mixed gender trios, when they work are a joy; but they can go wrong. I have and have had either. At the moment, I've got two very stable ones.
Recommended rescues we can guarantee for: Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
Recommended good standard rescues in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

Please be aware that you will always see dominance behaviour in any conformation. A neutered boar only works if your two girls are getting on well together, otherwise you will see your boar associate mostly with just one girl and you end up with the usual outsider problem that trios are so prone to.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

For the safety of your sows, please make sure that any boar has had a full 6 weeks post-op wait and is 100% safe to go with sows. The little baby in my avatar picture, my now 6 years old Tegan, is the unplanned lecagy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-neutering op boar. Not one of mine, I hasten to add, but a reminder that it can really happen as late as that. I have heard of more cases.
 
Ok, thank you. One more question- If I were to add a neutered boar to my group of unspayed females, would I need to spay my females as well?
 
you will not need to spay the sows if you have a 6 week post neuter boar.females only need spaying if they have problems with there womb,or if you plan to place sows with an non neutered boar !
 
I have a neutered boar ans 6 sows, not spayed. It works well..
 
Ok, thank you. One more question- If I were to add a neutered boar to my group of unspayed females, would I need to spay my females as well?

No - only one gender needs to be de-sexed. neutering boars only takes away the ability to make babies, but it doesn't change their personality or social behaviour. ;)
Unlike with rabbit does, there is no firm link to ovarian cancer in guinea pig sows.
 
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