bonding two baby boars (under 2 months old)

[steph1704]

hello !
I am bonding two baby boars for someone (one of them is one of the babies I had) and I was wondering if anyone's any tips on how to do this. I've read a lot of things about bonding adult males but is it different for younger guinea pigs? one of them is 5 and a half weeks old and mine is 7 weeks old.

Many thanks!

this is my male that I need to bond.

 

[Wiebke]

hello !
I am bonding two baby boars for someone (one of them is one of the babies I had) and I was wondering if anyone's any tips on how to do this. I've read a lot of things about bonding adult males but is it different for younger guinea pigs? one of them is 5 and a half weeks old and mine is 7 weeks old.

Many thanks!

this is my male that I need to bond.
View attachment 112085

Hi!

The bonding process is basically the same, only that sub-teenage babies have an overweening desire to not be alone/to belong to a group. This means that bonding is generally much easier unless you have ended up with two very dominant boys where clashes are inevitable latest when they reach teenage.

 

[steph1704]

Okay great thank you so much!

 

[Merab]

Hope it goes well.
The forum bonding guides are excellent - saved my sanity last year when I bonded 2 pairs of sows

 

[steph1704]

Thank you!

At the moment my boy lives with 3 other boys (a very laid back dad and two half siblings of similar ages to the one I intend to bond). Do you think it is easier to introduce the other boy to my already existing herd, rather than just bonding the two on their own?

 

[steph1704]

Also, at what age do guinea pigs become teenagers?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you!

At the moment my boy lives with 3 other boys (a very laid back dad and two half siblings of similar ages to the one I intend to bond). Do you think it is easier to introduce the other boy to my already existing herd, rather than just bonding the two on their own?

I would strongly recommend to rather see which of the sons is getting on with dad better and then introduce the other boy to your baby.
When bonding pairs or trios with more boys, you can end up with fall-outs amongst the bonded boys and at the worst end up with up to four single boys that won't go back together again, especially where teenagers are involved.
If you want to try your baby with more than one boy of the trio, please do it in succession rather than all together.

The testicles start descending sometime between 3-4 months and are fully descended by around 6 months. These are some of the most hormonal periods. The teenage months last until around 14 months of age and there some more tricky times along the way.
More information on teenage, what you can do to stabilise the bond as much as possible as well as what you can do if your boars get intro trouble in this very comprehensive guide here: Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[steph1704]

Okay great thank you! When will they reach their teens?

 

[Wiebke]

Okay great thank you! When will they reach their teens?

When the testicles start descending and the testosterone production gets going, the same as in humans.
You can find all the necessary information in the very useful link I have given you.

 

[steph1704]

Oh thank you! I completely missed the other half of your last message for some reason...so sorry!