boys v,s girls

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belinda-jayne

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hi all wonder if you could help me out
i,m looking for a pro,s and con,s
on keeping two boys v,s keeping two girls
many thanks
and happy new year to you all x
 
Hello and happy new year to you too!

Everyone will have different opinions on this. I've cared for 4 boys (two pairs) and have never had any girls. I'm fortunate in that I haven't had any issues with dominance or fighting within the pairs, but I can't run all of my boys together as Marley (the dominant pig in pair 1) will not tolerate Jerry (the dominant pig in pair 2). I think fighting is the main problem with boys, but if they are well matched then this will be less so. Most reputable rescues will only rehome boars in pairs so you can be confident that they will get along nicely if you rescue your guinea pigs.

I've found my boys to be very loving and all love their cuddles and lap time.
 
I have a pair of girls, 2 single boys and a trio of 2 girls and one boy.
while boys can have stinky "man bits" occasionally,this isnt really a problem,and as much as i love all my ladies,and all pigs are individual,in my own personal experience boys seem to be much more loving (thats possibly not quite the word I am looking for but i cant find the right one at the moment ) - my boar bumble loves a back massage and being stroked,as do the other boars in the house - whilst most of the girlies just tolerate it and one cant stand being stroked.I notice you are not far from me (I am in Malmesbury) there is a great rescue in Yate run by Tracey - yate small animal foster and rehome - she always has pairs of boars and has some fabulous Himi ones and Himi babies that have just been born - you usually find more boars in rescue than sows because people are falesly told that boys always fight - yes sometimes there are problems,but girls can fall out too - hope this helps
 
Happy New Year :)

Boars (boys) do get a bit of a bad reputation by some - I agree with JerryBelly, everyone has different opinions. I have two pairs of boars and too, have never had any sows (girls). We tried unsuccessfully to bond them, and have them separate. Whilst there is dominance that can sometimes verge on the aggressive side, generally speaking they get on fine - there is no blood shed and no real problems. However, as they are about to enter their particularly strong hormonal phase we know that this may change. They do need a bit of monitoring - I am long term sick which means I am ironically fortunate enough to be able to look after them and constantly keep an eye on.

The advice I would give you would be to look at rescue centres local to you. As you are aware, guinea pigs should really be paired as they enjoy the company of a cagemate. Obviously there are a few exceptions to this in particularly aggressive or poorly pigs, but for the main part you should be looking to adopt two. The benefit of rescuing a pair of piggies from a reputable rescue is that they will have ensured that the pigs they pass to you will have been properly introduced and bonded. If you were to get your pigs from somewhere like Pets at Home or other pet shops, there is no measure in place to say that the piggies you have picked have bonded - in most cases (which I have learnt the hard way) they are more or less lumped in a small cage with other members of their sex (and in quite a few cases, mis-sexed and sold as boars when they are in fact pregnant sows) and either haven't bonded, handled much and are not paired for their characteristics/personalities but just on how they look. A good rescue will have made sure the pigs you get have been handled and had a lot of love.

Sometimes an older piggie will get on better with a young pig, rather than having two of the same age - again, if you were to get a pig from a pet store, the majority of the time they are babies so will be similar age.

Whichever sex you decide, make sure that you have adequate cage space with two of everything - two bottles, dishes and hideys.
 
I love both :)
All of my piggies come up to say hello to me and take treats. My girls are loving and like attention but when it comes to handling my boys are the best. No running about the cage you can just reach in and grab them then theyll chill on your lap, enjoy chin tickles or back scratches. I just love them all.
I have four boars and two sows.
 
I have both boys and girls - my girls are very mischievious and adventurous whereas my boys are very laid back and snuggly.

I must say i prefer my boys but it really is a personal opinion as to which is the best.
 
This question seems to pop up so often. I currently only have boars and I adore them! I have in the past however had girls and they're just as adorable, in a different way. To me piggies tend to mimic our own genders behaviour, like most animals. There are exceptions to this obviously however most of the time the following can be applied.

Girls are generally more independent and less likely to bend over backwards for attention and perhaps slightly more moody. I'm not saying you shouldn't cuddle girls however boys tend to need constant love and cuddles, reassurance like most men! They also have a tendency in my experience to be more laid back. Emotionally I don't find there is a reason to choose one over the other, as I've said they both offer things to us. I'd say the biggest decision on gender comes down to cleaning. Girls are usually cleaner than boys, no boar glue, less poop and best of all no stinky sack cleaning! Despite my love for my boars I definitely don't enjoy the cleaning, constantly disinfecting and scrubbing their cages to remove dried boar glue isn't fun! I'd say if you aren't very squeamish then you really shouldn't care about gender however if you are and don't have the time to do willy checks and sack cleaning then I'd suggest you go for girls.

As I've said though, there are exceptions so don't take my word as gospel. Not all sows are moody and not all boars are needy. As long as you give them lots of love and attention I'm sure you'd have two very happy piggies! To also reiterate what the others have said, make sure you find a good rescue.
 
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I love Boars :) I have 10.

I have never had a Sow. And it's not ever really been by choice. When it came to buying (before I knew about rescues) I just chose the ones I was most drawn too. They just happened to be boars. Same with my rescue piggies. As soon as I saw their handsome faces I knew I had to have them come live with me! I would have taken them if they were girls!

My experience with boars - out of the 10 I have only had 1 pair have a few boar glue incidents and it was only for about 2-3 months during the hormonal stage but these 2 also happen to be my strongest bonded pair - they couldnt possibly live without each other and apart from the boar glue there has never been a problem with them. I have 2 who tolerate each other and I have to keep an eye on them as I dont want the submissive pig to be bullied. All the other pairs are happy living with their friend and have never caused any problems!

Most of my boars will happily sit on my chest or my lap and fall fast asleep! And 2 of my boars are big big cuddlers and hate it when I go to put them back into their cage, they really insist that they stay out longer! LOL
 
hi all a very very big thank you for all your great reply,s your all so much help all my four legged friends have been male
i have a big black labrador right now and he loves his hugs also i was a groom for many years and all the males that i looked after loved a fuss far more than the female
so looks that in some ways guinea pig,s are the same
 
We have 4 girls indoor and 2 boys outdoor.
I find the boys tend to be very loving and love a cuddle whereas the girls are much more moody and aren't as keen to be cuddled as much as the boys. The downside to boys I think is that they have quite a strong smell, I think the girls have a sweeter smell-unless they've sprayed each other of course. I find the girls to be very entertaining with their different moods but that could be because they live indoor.
 
Males in most species tend to be more placid & laid back....

I have 2 boys but had girls years ago - i personally prefer boys. They are that little bit more cuddly in my opinion ;)

Please don't be put off by my willy story, that's the first time in 2 years I've seen it & it's gone away now hahaha. Xx
 
lol pamelakt i was born on a farm you should see the size of a bull,s ..-
you would need more than a bowl of cold water for that
i,m glad that it,s gone now cold shower next time hey lol x
 
another vote for boars here! I have had 4 girls (2 still here) and 2 boys and the boys are by far the most characterful and hilarious!
 
Having only had girls I can't comment on boars. I do love my girls though, now that I have 4 I can see that
they have very different personalities. Esme is my biggest cuddler she is so relaxed, whereas Ruby is very affectionate but won't sit still, Tia is very cheeky and is a nibbler and Rosie likes to explore :)
 
bekki2308 thank you for your help from all the great reply,s i have had it sure looks that way x
klee sorry to ask but you say tia is a nibbler do they nibble people i just wonder if it,s like my dog he loves to chew on your hand never leaves a mark and he get,s this ga ga look on his face goes into dream land it,s a kind of grooming so do guinea pigs do the same and just have to say i love your guinea pig in your picture it,s got the big lips is it just females that have them because i have so fallen in love with guinea pigs with big lips they look so cute x
 
Generally they don't tend to nibble that much, and they certainly won't bite intentionally. Tia tends to fidget and doesn't stay still very long so her nibbling is generally a sign she wants to go back in the cage. Ruby will lick and is very affectionate, if you've been handling veg they are more likely to have a little nibble to see if you are a carrot haha.
Ruby is the piggie in my pic, I don't think lip size varies between gender, I think it just depends on the piggy itself, some piggies are more pouty than others- juat like humans I suppose.
 
lol klee thank you so much for that in that case i soooo want a pouty piggie
can you please give ruby a huge hug and a kiss from me and tell her i think she is sooooo cute
 
Not quite sure how much Ruby appreciated her cuddles. She kept hiding under my cardigan and is still there now rolleyes

20130103_155918.jpg
 
As for nibbling - all four of ours tend to like to have a nibble now and then but Scruffy and Snoopy are real nibblers - it's never done to harm us (although they've drawn blood once!) and just inquisitive and usually happens after we've been handling hay, nuggets or veg. Our other two, Gilles and Banana love to give us little licks.

xox
 
I've kept boys and girls and haven't really noticed many of the differences others here have.
Except that one of my old boars had to have his bottom cleaned out every so often when he got older...fairly disgusting but not the worst thing I've ever had to do! ALL my pigs have learned to like cuddling.
All pigs are lovable I think.
 
Ive only kept boys so i could be very biased but i think boys can be very laid back (and greedy)! However they can be more dominant than girls, ive heard.
 
klee awwwww thank you so much for the picture look at that bum it,s so cute she is just so sweet
and being really cheeky if you ever get a pout picture of little miss cute then pretty please can you post it for me
sue and smartie hmmm not nice for both of you i would guess but we have to look after them hey
cucumber cuties well as i have a big black teddie of a labrador right now i know all about the laid back and the greedy bit lol
it,s funny just looking at his bum now it,s very guinea pig like lol
 
missybct awww they sound so cute i will remember to wash my hands after food time and before hug time when i get mine then lol
 
belinda-jayne said:
missybct awww they sound so cute i will remember to wash my hands after food time and before hug time when i get mine then lol
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I quite like them having a little nibble so I don't mind. Guinea pigs generally do not bite unless under severe stress although I imagine there are exceptions to the rule!
 
well missybct as long as it,s gentle i will not mind
i,m sorry to say but the picture of me running around the living room with a blooming hamster (sorry all ) hanging off my finger
are still firmly planted at the front of my head i only ever had two of them and both tried to eat me
still can,t bring myself to touch one so so many years later lol
 
belinda-jayne said:
well missybct as long as it,s gentle i will not mind
i,m sorry to say but the picture of me running around the living room with a blooming hamster (sorry all ) hanging off my finger
are still firmly planted at the front of my head i only ever had two of them and both tried to eat me
still can,t bring myself to touch one so so many years later lol
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Some piggies won't do it at all. I had two syrian hamsters about six years ago who bit me, it was hard work with them! xox
 
Boys smell a little more and needs baths like once a month or so to clean up their grease gland :))

But they are probably the most charming and friendly I think :)

Plus you wont be inclined to get more and more and more as you can only really have 2 males at a time
 
missybct
OUCH i so know the feeling i must have been about 7/8 when i had the devils with teeth
and i have had the big 40 birthday plus a little bit but it,s still firmly planted in the brain lol

littleeskimo nothing beats the smell of wet lab well apart from wet lab with bad glands which we had just before christmas
so used to boy smells lol but i got the fairy on hand for the grease gland scrub up
not sure what shampoo to get yet but i will have to look into that one the boys do sound very friendly
many thanks
 
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