Boar and sow pair

[Lucy Roper]

Hi, i have three pairs of nutered boars and sows. Two of my pairs are perfectly happy together and are doing great. One of my pairs are very different to the other two, they seem to be quite snappy with eachother and unsocial. I was watching them earlier, my boar was grooming himself when my sow came up to him and tried to sniff him but he stopped and pushed her away. They also chase eachother around the cage and dont allow eachother down the ramp when ones sat at the bottom. My boar was previously seperated from my 2 other boars(they where a three) because he was very agressive toward them. I put him with my sow because she used to be very laid back. But she has changed alot as shes grown up. They have been together around 10 months now, and I'm not sure if thats normal behavior or if they arent a good match. Any advice is helpful.

 

[Siikibam]

I don’t really know. I would consider removing the ramp altogether if it’s causing issues. Who does the chasing and how often is it?

Your boar wasn’t aggressive, he just didn’t get on with the others - either one or both of them. There can only be one top boar and it’s likely he wanted to be that. And boar trios are a rarity simply because it’s hard to get the balance correct, more so when they’re not yet through their teens.

Have a read of the guide below and see where they’re sitting in terms of dominance.
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, i have three pairs of nutered boars and sows. Two of my pairs are perfectly happy together and are doing great. One of my pairs are very different to the other two, they seem to be quite snappy with eachother and unsocial. I was watching them earlier, my boar was grooming himself when my sow came up to him and tried to sniff him but he stopped and pushed her away. They also chase eachother around the cage and dont allow eachother down the ramp when ones sat at the bottom. My boar was previously seperated from my 2 other boars(they where a three) because he was very agressive toward them. I put him with my sow because she used to be very laid back. But she has changed alot as shes grown up. They have been together around 10 months now, and I'm not sure if thats normal behavior or if they arent a good match. Any advice is helpful.

Hi!

Please use the tips in this thread in working out whether they want to be together or not if you have major concerns over whether a bond is still viable or not. They are the closest we can come to get a piggy's honest opinion of how they feel in their bond.
Bonds In Trouble

Like with humans, it is all about character compatilibity and down to the unique dynamics between personalities, so you get all kinds of relationships. Some are very harmonious while others can be more lively and volatile but still functional. As long as the piggies want to be together, you have to take it as it comes.


I would however consider either removing the upstairs or creating a second exit so ramp blocking cannot happen; to have hay and water bottles in two different places and to only use hideys with two exits for that pair.