Advice about new boar - does he need a friend?

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kerrielfletcher

Hi there

A couple of days ago I adopted a young (6-8 month old) boar from the RSPCA. He was in a pair - I did ask two different staff whether they were sure I could take just him on his own, but they both said they were happy with that as he and his pal were starting to fight/mount each other (I don't think it can have got too serious, as they were snuggled up together when I went to collect, and I can't see any sign of injuries).

However, everything I have read since says that guinea pigs should not be kept singly. As I see it the options are:
1. Keep him on his own
2. Introduce him to a baby male (Ideally I would prefer to rehome rather than buy from a breeder/pet shop)
3. Get him neutered (how risky is this?) and pair him with a female
4. Try to get him together with another adult - an older male? - a neutered male?
Can anyone give me some advice? I'm based in Derbyshire and do have a cage big enough for two if anyone has a single boar they think would get on OK with a young male...

Thanks for your help
 
Hey i had this problem when i got my 1st piggy. I personally think it depends on the pig. My Lincoln is very much a people piggy and prefers our attention rather than his own kind. However if the little one you have was already with another piggy it would have been good to keep them together. Can you go back and get the other pig? If not i wouldnt risk neutering him (personal opinion) and would go with introducing him to a baby boar. Hope that helps and good luck with your cutie x
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
It is a tricky question and the solution varies from guinea pig to guinea pig.

If he was already having a problem with his companion, then the RSPCA made the right decision in separating them as two males that don't get on could potentially end up nasty. But having said that many males are bonded and live together very happily. It comes down to personalities.

I had a father and son live peacefully together until unfortunately the son passed away. I had two brothers, born and always lived together, where one really hurt the other one by biting his back causing abscesses.

I have had three boars neutered in total with no problems whatsoever. It obviously carries a risk and is expensive. My neutered boars have then lived happily with two sows each ... nagged a little by the sows but they love it really! :))

Having said that I recently heard of a boar who wouldn't live with another boar, the owner had him neutered, introduced him to two little sows and he wouldn't live with him either.

What type of personality would you say he was? Placid, skittish, timid or cocky?
 
What type of personality would you say he was?

At the moment I would just say plain terrified! Poor little soul spent the first 48 hours frozen in a corner refusing to eat or drink. At the moment, he is rustling around in his cage and I can hear the sound of chewing, so I think he is getting used to us.

He seemed so miserable to start with I really regretted separating him from his pal, whatever the RSPCA said. I have kept pairs of males before and they have always got on with it, with the occasional spat.
 
kerrielfletcher said:
What type of personality would you say he was?

At the moment I would just say plain terrified! Poor little soul spent the first 48 hours frozen in a corner refusing to eat or drink.
Click to expand...

Give him a few days and I am sure that he will settle down. He is, as you say, probably terrified.

A baby boar might be a option although he is old enough to be neutered. Keep your eye out for any baby boars here on this forum that have come into care.
 
kerrielfletcher said:
What type of personality would you say he was?

At the moment I would just say plain terrified! Poor little soul spent the first 48 hours frozen in a corner refusing to eat or drink. At the moment, he is rustling around in his cage and I can hear the sound of chewing, so I think he is getting used to us.

He seemed so miserable to start with I really regretted separating him from his pal, whatever the RSPCA said. I have kept pairs of males before and they have always got on with it, with the occasional spat.
Click to expand...

Can you not go back to the RSPCA and take his friend home?
 
Absolutely worth a try! If they are both 6-8 months old, then I'd expect them to be trying to mount each other...Garry and Minty did this and Ben and Dave have been the same. Ben and Dave have been the more risky of the two because their personalities are quite similar so Dave doesn't back down quite so easily as Ben would like! If they were snuggled up together, I would have said that they were behaving in a normal teenage piggy way which should pass.

Good luck!
 
We had this problem with our Dylan, he was part of a big rescue of over 70 fighting, in-breeding free range pigs and was so badly bullied he had a stroke in the rescue before we found him. Consequently we can't get him neutered because of the risk as he has a head tilt (anaesthetic risk) and he won't go with any other boars, young or old. The RSPCA let him come with us alone as we had other pigs which he could interact with but yet be separated from. If you go back and get his friend and it doesn't work out, would you be able to provide a similar set-up? I know he's a different pig, but Dylan is very much a people piggie too, yet needs the company of his fellow pigs as long as he isn't in with them - he often snuggles up next to Bear through the mesh divider we have separating them, yet won't share his space with him at all!

Personally I would try male options before going down the neuter route, all ops carry a risk, however if you can find a guinea savvy vet, perhaps one the RSPCA centre use then you may feel more comfortable doing that.

Also as already mentioned, another route is a baby. Depending on the personality of the pig, you are likely to find a young boar in rescue, and the advantage to that is that the rescue should know the personalities of their pigs (unlike the vast majority of pet shops) and may be able to suggest one who is a particular temperament, or better still, let you take your boar along to choose himself.

Well done for taking on a single boy :)

Best of luck!

Edit after seeing Minty & Gary's post - I would tend to agree with this, what you (Kerrie) described is normal teenage behaviour and just stroppy boys throwing their weight around and strutting their stuff. If they are actually fighting and loud clacking, snorting, raising up on hind legs and drawing blood (you will know this from playing, trust me) then obviously you will need to separate.
 
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I have to agree and see if you can go back fro his friend...

My Bigbum is neutered (before i had him) and the op went fine as he is still here (!) but with small animals the less operations they have the better...
Neutering is easier than spaying a female though and less dangerous so you could think of that as second option...
 
Hi

I had exactly the same dilema as you, I took on my friends boar, Max, when he was about 4 months old. After reading up and asking questions I decided to get him a friend, so got another baby boar, Percy. They got along really well at first but then started Rumble strutting and purring which I know is normal boar behaviour, however this got more frequent and intense and Percy would just not leave Max alone - Max turned on him and I had to split them up.

Percy was the problem and he will not settle with any boys, that just seems to be how he is. Even through a divide he naws away at the divide and wont settle.

Max now has a new baby male friend and they are getting along great, so far, Pumpkin (new baby) seems happy for Max to be boss - lets just hope it stays that way.

Percy has been neutered and will be introduced to 2 female piggies once he is "safe"!

I also have 2 more pairs of boars hapily living together (a 3 year old and 1 year old) and 2 8 month brothers.

I guess what I would say is that from experience I have learnt that there is no right and wrong answer, it is very much down to the personality of the piggies - and that is not always easy to spot in young piggies.

If it is a possibility to get the other one from the RSPCA and try them together it may be a good option.

Whatever you decide - good luck.
 
Well if this helps at all I have a boy who has been alone for a few years and am getting him neutered and introducing him to by baby girl Heidi. I think with boars you will have to neuter both to avoid hormonal attacks/bullying, and with my girl I'm only neutering him so that saves some money.
 
Everything I've seen or read states that neutering a boar does not change behaviour only render them sterile so there is no need to neuter boars who are to live with fellow boars. I have a neutered boar who lives with six sows and he still rumbles occasionally, bum sniffing and hoping to mount them until they put him in his place
 
Thanks everyone - I am going to ring the RSPCA and see what they say (and whether his pal is still there) as he still seems quite subdued. If not - if anyone has a young boar to rehome I'd be willing to give it a try (I do have a second cage if it doesn't work out). I live in the Midlands.
 
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