Help With Newly Adopted Pair

[kwbarrington]

Hello, I am having problems with a new pair of guinea pigs I adopted recently.Several months ago I purchased two young boars and they are doing well -- they seem to be bonded closely, though they do have their occasional spats.

Anyway, I recently adopted a pair of guinea pigs (one very young male and one adult female). The two were living in the same cage and seemed to get along fine. I originally intended to see if the male could get along with my other boars and eventually get a female friend for the girl. I have given the boars some time with each other, mostly playtime in neutral territory, but one of the original boars gets pretty aggressive and starts fights. I currently have the young boar in a cage next to the original two so they can interact but not fight.

The problem is that I don't want either the new male or the new female to get lonely. I am wondering, however, if it would be better to move the young male back in with the female than to keep both of them in cages on their own -- I think he might be one of her offspring because he is so young and because he has very similar coloration/pattern.

The reason I separated the two new ones is that, after contact with my original males, the youngest boar seemed to suddenly realize that his cage mate was female and tries to mount her at every opportunity. My question is -- should I try to reunite them and hope that he eventually calms down or is it best to keep them separate?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Briony_S]

Hi, welcome to the forum. It is good that you have come here for advice.

You need to keep all males away from the female (unless they have been castrated) as boys are fertile from a very young age they can impregnate from as early as 3 weeks old.

Your right Guinea Pigs ideally should have a cage mate or they will get lonely. If the boy is causing issues with your original boy pair I would perhaps look for another boy for your baby boy from a local rescue who could help you by letting you take him along and pick his friend.

Also your girl could do with a girl friend of her own or a castrated male again this could be found through a rescue.

One thing you will need to be careful of is the proximity of the girl and your boy pair as the girl should ideally be out of sight and smell of a boy pair or they may fight over her.

You may also find these links interesting :

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/


http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/


Not sure where you are but you may find this rescue locator useful too :


http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/

 

[Briony_S]

Sorry pressed reply before I was finished just wanted to say good luck in finding the right combination and hope you like the forum there are lots of lovely and knowledgeable people on here!

 

[MerryPip]

Hello, and welcome, you have done the right thing to come and ask questions, it's always better to ask than worry! If you add your location to your personal profile members will be able to give you more useful advice depending on whether you live in the UK, US, Australia etc.

It's unusual for a well bonded pair of boars to accept a third in their space so I would be a little hesitant about introducing the youngster too them as it may well upset the current balance within the older pair. He would probably be better off being with a cage mate of his own, either another male ( please get help bonding from an experienced rescue for best results), a spayed female or get him neutered and re pair him with his original female friend.

Neutering isn't without risk and shouldn't be undertaken lightly so please find a good vet and discuss it before going down that road. After neutering a boar should be kept away from females for 6 weeks until he is safe to be introduced without the risk of accidents (even 4 and 5 weeks post op there have been surprise pregnancies known).

As others have said boars can get a female pregnant from 3 weeks of age so you did right to separate them now. Please keep an eye on her as it is possible she may already be pregnant.....

People often suggest keeping entire males in an area away from females to avoid fights but in rescues and where my lads board it is not always possible to do so and I have not heard of problems.

Consider all your options and see what works for you but please keep all of your males away from the girl unless they have been neutered to avoid unwanted surprises.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Can you please add your country, state (US/Aus) or general area to your location. Click on your name on the dark green bar at the top, then go to personal details/location. It will make a big difference as to your local options.

The other information that I need to urgently know is:
a) is your new boy neutered or not?
b) how old is your sow? Has she had babies before? or is she spayed?
If your new boy is not neutered, your sow is very likely pregnant. From eight months onward, the ligaments in the pelvis start to become gradually more inflexible and labour is becoming increasingly more risky, especially for first time mums.
If your sow could be pregnant, please open a thread in our pregnancy section with all information you have about her (how old, how long you have had her, how long she's been separated etc.), so we can give you support and advice.

Boar trios are usually very difficult, as achieving the right balance between three characters is even more difficult to get just right than with two boars. You are very likely to end up with two boars not getting on or with a bullying scenario.

However, if your sow may be pregnant, I would not try to find a new friend for your boy right now, as she may have baby boars, who need a "daddy piggy" after they have to be separated from mum and any sisters at 3 weeks old.