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Does anyone have both non-neutered male and female pigs that they let play together under close supervision?

And love your little white pig so sweet like an angel 👼! And nice shot if him in your pic I see my pigs from that angle when they want a snack all the time 😊
Well he actually did get called my Little White Angel because he was such a lovely sweet boy! ❤️He’s Rupert, I lost him last May aged almost 7, he’s very much missed bless him. Him and his lady Jess (still with me) loved getting all cuddled in blankets together! Got one of her from the same day too!
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Well he actually did get called my Little White Angel because he was such a lovely sweet boy! ❤He’s Rupert, I lost him last May aged almost 7, he’s very much missed bless him. Him and his lady Jess (still with me) loved getting all cuddled in blankets together! Got one of her from the same day too!
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So precious and I’m so sorry for your loss. My pigs are the pet I was allowed to get after my dog passed away at age 8 last year. Yesterday was actually the anniversary of her death. It’s so nice the time we spend with our little friends it seems like we don’t even deserve the time we get with them, no matter how short🌸✨
 
So precious and I’m so sorry for your loss. My pigs are the pet I was allowed to get after my dog passed away at age 8 last year. Yesterday was actually the anniversary of her death. It’s so nice the time we spend with our little friends it seems like we don’t even deserve the time we get with them, no matter how short🌸✨
Most definitely ❤ Sorry for the loss of your doggy, I’m a massive dog lover too. Hope you had a nice day and had lots of happy memories to remember x
 
You can’t have female piggies anywhere near your boys if you wish your boys to remain together. You certainly can’t put sows in the same cage as two boys. Just having a sow in the same room and your boys smelling a sow
will cause your boys to fight with each other and will ruin your boys relationship.

If you really want sows, then you would have to neuter your boys, have a six week wait after the operation for them to become infertile, split them up and put them in separate cages with a suitable character compatible sow each.
Or, you get another pair of boars and keep them in a separate cage to your current boar pair. So you have two separate boar pairs

Spaying sows is a major operation for them. Generally it’s not done as routine, but instead as a medical need. If you know a rescue who routinely does it then that is fine, but you still can’t put sows, spayed or not, in with or even in the same room as, your boys if you wish your boys to be able to stay living together.
Hi again Piggies&Buns. Sorry to come back to this forum again with a question but I think I have something left unaswered from this thread. We had actually talked about if my pig’s dominance behaviors were normal or not. I agree that they were actually normal when we talked, but I actually have them separated now and am preparing to re-bond them (not sure what its called) tomorrow. They had been going at eachother aggressively all night 2 days ago and I had to separate them and keep them quarantined for these past 2 days. Tomorrow is the day of decision amongst them for if they can live with eachother going forward. I feel that maybe I have been having a “mother’s intuition” 😉 about their relationship before it hit boiling point 2 days ago. Maybe I could sense the aggression being in the room with them, I’m not sure. I have been taking notes on the Bonding article recommended to me by Wiebke. Wiebke was very helpful and advised me to do the quarantining and then meeting again. He/she said that I would be able to tell very quickly if their relationship would go back to normal or become vicious again. Just for context my eldest had been chasing my youngest around, humping him and my youngest has been giving in as the submissive with screaming and allowing my eldest to hump him as far as I know. But my eldest still goes after him nonstop and wouldn’t let him eat, drink, or sleep for what I imagine was all night since it was going on when I went to bed and woke me up the next morning as well. The article on the forum says that with boar pairings it usually can only get more aggressive instead of die down... Also they had been separated and joined together again before I spoke to Wiebke and understood what to do. When they were joined together they began the process again... From my end it isn’t looking so good if I’m honest, just with the context of their whole relationship that I can’t fully get into without typing 9 pages. I wanted to leave this update to explain the situation. But my question after all of this is: If I have to rebond them, could I have each of my non-neutered males bond with neutered females. Everywhere says to have your boy neutered and then add girls but I do know of a rescue that automatically neuters all guinea pigs it recieves and was wondering if I could skip the operation for my pigs and just get them each neutered girls. I feel that girls might be best for them since they both like to have automatic leadership in my opinion, neither likes to assert but each expects it. I assume with females the male automatically becomes head of the pack so I thought it would be nice for them. I am of course still rooting for my boys to stay together, tomorrow is decision day so wish us luck and I’ll keep the thread posted!
 
Hi again Piggies&Buns. Sorry to come back to this forum again with a question but I think I have something left unaswered from this thread. We had actually talked about if my pig’s dominance behaviors were normal or not. I agree that they were actually normal when we talked, but I actually have them separated now and am preparing to re-bond them (not sure what its called) tomorrow. They had been going at eachother aggressively all night 2 days ago and I had to separate them and keep them quarantined for these past 2 days. Tomorrow is the day of decision amongst them for if they can live with eachother going forward. I feel that maybe I have been having a “mother’s intuition” 😉 about their relationship before it hit boiling point 2 days ago. Maybe I could sense the aggression being in the room with them, I’m not sure. I have been taking notes on the Bonding article recommended to me by Wiebke. Wiebke was very helpful and advised me to do the quarantining and then meeting again. He/she said that I would be able to tell very quickly if their relationship would go back to normal or become vicious again. Just for context my eldest had been chasing my youngest around, humping him and my youngest has been giving in as the submissive with screaming and allowing my eldest to hump him as far as I know. But my eldest still goes after him nonstop and wouldn’t let him eat, drink, or sleep for what I imagine was all night since it was going on when I went to bed and woke me up the next morning as well. The article on the forum says that with boar pairings it usually can only get more aggressive instead of die down... Also they had been separated and joined together again before I spoke to Wiebke and understood what to do. When they were joined together they began the process again... From my end it isn’t looking so good if I’m honest, just with the context of their whole relationship that I can’t fully get into without typing 9 pages. I wanted to leave this update to explain the situation. But my question after all of this is: If I have to rebond them, could I have each of my non-neutered males bond with neutered females. Everywhere says to have your boy neutered and then add girls but I do know of a rescue that automatically neuters all guinea pigs it recieves and was wondering if I could skip the operation for my pigs and just get them each neutered girls. I feel that girls might be best for them since they both like to have automatic leadership in my opinion, neither likes to assert but each expects it. I assume with females the male automatically becomes head of the pack so I thought it would be nice for them. I am of course still rooting for my boys to stay together, tomorrow is decision day so wish us luck and I’ll keep the thread posted!

If your boys relationship is not functioning then separating them is the right thing to do. You just need to be certain that it is aggression and bullying because mounting and chasing in itself is a normal behaviour.

If you can get a spayed sow for each of them the your boys do not need to be neutered.

However, it is not correct that your boys will automatically be dominant piggy when put with a sow, it’s possible for the sow to be in charge and that is why have to find the right character compatible sow in order for a bond to work.
 
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If your boys relationship is not functioning then separating them is the right thing to do. You just need to be certain that it is aggression and bullying because mounting and chasing in itself is a normal behaviour.

If you can get a spayed sow for each of them the your boys do not need to be neutered.

However, it is not correct that your boys will automatically be dominant piggy when put with a sow, it’s possible for the sow to be in charge and that is why have to find the right character compatible sow in order for a bond to work.
Okay thank you so much for your support and advice. I am still trying to learn the piggy language myself. I understand about the sow being compatible. I have decided a few minutes ago to separate them although I am very sad about it I feel it is the best option for them. Our bonding session ended when neither boy would give in and both were antagonizing and fighting back to eachother. My eldest opened his mouth twice to bite my youngest so I stuck my hand in with a towel and separated them. I can’t seem to accurately describe the violence I see amongst them and how they won’t give in. I am taking the next few days to separate them and then find option B for their cagemates. Thanks for all your help!
 
Hi guys. So I have run into another roadblock. I am a year away from being an adult. At this moment my parents are refusing to buy me any more guinea pigs even though I have to separate my boys. So this means that I can either keep them in my divided cage where they are fighting through the divider and get stressed when I give food first to one vs. the other since the dominant one usually gets food first. I know they won’t work and will probably try to bond them again just for the sake of trying since that is my only option. My other option is to divide them into two bigger cages and separate them for good, with them not having another cagemate for 10 months until I move out. I am absolutely distraught with this decision as I know how important it is for them to bond and already miss terribly their bond together. I feel that I am being selfish keeping them when someone else could give them a friend. I love them too much to let go and they themselves have been moved around so much, I think it would be very upsetting for them as well. At least by keeping them I can guarantee that they will have a friend in a year’s time. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to keep them happy and less alone?
 
I wouldn’t completely separate them. Keep them next to each other and perhaps put up a solid divider for now. You can then give them maybe a week or two and take it down. They’re still ‘riled up’ and to be honest, from what I remember of your description of their relationship - both want to be dominant? - I don’t know if I would try bonding them again. How many times have you tried now?

It really wouldn’t be a good idea to leave them alone for 10 months, that’s a long time.
 
I wouldn’t completely separate them. Keep them next to each other and perhaps put up a solid divider for now. You can then give them maybe a week or two and take it down. They’re still ‘riled up’ and to be honest, from what I remember of your description of their relationship - both want to be dominant? - I don’t know if I would try bonding them again. How many times have you tried now?

It really wouldn’t be a good idea to leave them alone for 10 months, that’s a long time.
Hi again and thanks for your continuous advice its much appreciated. So are you saying that they could live without the divider together but just not be bonded? I feel strongly against bonding them as well I have tried once but they are so violent it makes me feel like I am stressing them out more and more. I feel so terrible.
 
I mean if they’re still riled up you could put up a solid divider so they can’t see each other - cardboard or cover with fleece, anything they can’t see through. You then give them a week or so and try with just a grid as a divider.
 
I mean if they’re still riled up you could put up a solid divider so they can’t see each other - cardboard or cover with fleece, anything they can’t see through. You then give them a week or so and try with just a grid as a divider.
Okay I understand. Thank you. The longest they have been separated was a few months while they had a hell of a battle with ringworm. If this goes on longer than that I am really going to have to push for this. I am totally saddened by this and will do everything in my power to try and make their lives as happy as I can.
 
Just catching up with this thread, everyone has given you brilliant advice but I noticed you mentioned today that you had to separate them because of ring worm? I’m still learning too (and I’ve had my boys for just over a year now!) but medical separation can put a strain on a relationship especially if your younger boar is going through his teenage stage. I’m not sure if this is different when a pig has ringworm but it’s not recommended to separate as your pigs have likely been exposed to whatever each piggy has anyway. I hope you figure out what to do for your boys (I know how tricky it can be to try and read their behaviour and signals!) The forum is such a great place to ask questions and there are so many experienced people to help so keep posting if you’re unsure. Wishing you the best of luck.
 
Just catching up with this thread, everyone has given you brilliant advice but I noticed you mentioned today that you had to separate them because of ring worm? I’m still learning too (and I’ve had my boys for just over a year now!) but medical separation can put a strain on a relationship especially if your younger boar is going through his teenage stage. I’m not sure if this is different when a pig has ringworm but it’s not recommended to separate as your pigs have likely been exposed to whatever each piggy has anyway. I hope you figure out what to do for your boys (I know how tricky it can be to try and read their behaviour and signals!) The forum is such a great place to ask questions and there are so many experienced people to help so keep posting if you’re unsure. Wishing you the best of luck.
Hi, nice to see another newbie! My guinea pigs had ringworm when my youngest was around 4-6 months, I’m pretty sure he came to me with it from the super shady rescue I got them from. His brother had it too for a little while. I separated them with two Midwest cages next to eachother for at most maybe a month now that I think of it. My youngest had it again a month later but I still treated both. Now they seem clear to me and have since that time. I will probably have my annual vet checkup soon to have them cleared. I find myself freaking out sometimes since I’ll see little dry spots on their feet but I assume it isn’t ringworm since their coat gets very dry just like my skin that cracks. I also assume it isn’t ringworm because it hasn’t gotten worse in months, there are no spots like there were when they had it and they are not losing any hair. Their eyes, ears, and whole body seem clear. I still give them two vitamin C’s a day though, just to be careful and also because they go crazy for them, I don’t know how to break the habit! As soon as my alarm goes off they beg for them! Hoping to hell my vet doesn’t tell me it is some type of fungal infection-it’s my secret fear but I find it highly unlikely since it has never gotten worse or developed spots. I actually put coconut oil on their fur and nails, now whenever I put it on my hands and they smell it they make a mad dash, poor dears. Still getting used to personal invasion. I think with the whole dominance thing, my youngest was given to me at three months, I find myself angry now that the rescue gave him to me and told me his 1 year old brother was the dominant one or something like that. Of course he would be! Now of course I am running into this problem of separating them later on now that my baby is all grown up. I wish I was more educated at the time, I thought I could rely on the rescue’s knowledge plus I was in love with them! I totally believe this forum has saved me it helped me through round 2 of ringworm and my various other questions. Thanks for encouraging me to keep posting, sometimes I ask a ton of questions in my life and I wonder if I’m too much!
 
Just saying, but it takes A LOT of money to move out from your parents! Just because you might only have 10 months until you're an adult doesn't you'll be able to move out 😔
Hi, thanks for wanting to help me out. I actually have some money saved up and my own big plan for that time. Gosh you sound like my parents! 😏😝 The good news is I used @Sikibam ‘s advice to talk to them today. I don’t think they were as educated as I thought they were on the social ways of guinea pigs. My dad told me point blank this morning that no matter what I said or did he would never consider getting them friends. I have been crying and distraught all day. Later on I had a talk with him and he said he would think about it, so now I’m halfway on cloud 9. I know my dad and two guinea pigs was hard for him, nevermind 4! He is very old school so it’s all very bizarre to him. I am trying to explain that people who have one guinea pig are just not educated on their ways. Now that I am equipped with this knowledge of them it’s hard for me to see them living any other way. I feel good like now I can argue my way and say all the right things and ask all the right questions. I really will just die if I have to keep them alone for 10 months!
 
Hi, thanks for wanting to help me out. I actually have some money saved up and my own big plan for that time. Gosh you sound like my parents! 😏😝 The good news is I used @Sikibam ‘s advice to talk to them today. I don’t think they were as educated as I thought they were on the social ways of guinea pigs. My dad told me point blank this morning that no matter what I said or did he would never consider getting them friends. I have been crying and distraught all day. Later on I had a talk with him and he said he would think about it, so now I’m halfway on cloud 9. I know my dad and two guinea pigs was hard for him, nevermind 4! He is very old school so it’s all very bizarre to him. I am trying to explain that people who have one guinea pig are just not educated on their ways. Now that I am equipped with this knowledge of them it’s hard for me to see them living any other way. I feel good like now I can argue my way and say all the right things and ask all the right questions. I really will just die if I have to keep them alone for 10 months!
Also so mad that in the UK the legal age is 17 smh 🤦‍♀️. I could have 8 guinea pigs by now lol jk. Also, my dad’s million dollar question is what happens if we bond the pigs again and then their relationships fall through again. “What, then will we have to get 6 new pigs?” I know this could very well happen though unlikely if they have been bonded at the rescue. I have been recommended to Nevins Farm in NH, US. One of the best East Coast rescues I have come across is Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue. They are just out of my location but I loved their policies so much I had to seek advice from them about rescues in my area. They are the people who automatically neuter on the spot and create boy-girl couples. They are in PA, WA, VT, and more if anyone is interested I recommend. All their pigs also go to foster homes immediately! Another million dollar question, how expensive is it really to feed 4 pigs? I’m running out of money here guys and plus I’m a vegan (another bizarre thing for my family) which costs a lot more and already puts me in hot water with my spending!
 
You have to bear in mind that anyone can call themselves a rescue without having knowledge of guinea pigs and their exact needs.

Feeding isn’t particularly expensive. What can be is very care - more so in US. So that would be something serious to consider when you’re getting them paired up.
 
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