Introducing Male To Females

[PiggieNinja]

I have 3 female sows who get along fine, they have been living together to about 6 months and I have sensed no problems . Two of them are now 1 year old and one is 1 and a half and although they have never fought I wanted a plan just in case they did.
If they fight (and I'm not talking a small tiff) then I would think about introducing a neutered boat to the herd as I have heard this would help stop it (and I have plenty of room) . However as I have no knowledge of Male guinea pigs I have some questions :

• How old would a good age be for him - would he have to be older than my oldest sow or is that not a problem?
• Even if he is neutered will he still occasionally mount the girls?
• When introducing him , is it likely he will fight with the most dominant sow ?
• Is it even true this will help stop the fighting?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Deleted member 114675]

to the forum .

It sounds like you have a well bonded herd of guinea pigs so there is a lot of truth in the saying "if it ain't broke - don't fix it ". Conversely , there are a large number of boars in rescues waiting to find their forever home . If you are considering getting a neutered boar, I strongly recommend you contact your local rescue to get some assistance in finding a good match . If you are in the UK, there is a rescue locator on the top toolbar to help you find your local rescue .

Are you happy to add your location to your profile ? We have members from all over the world and it is really helpful to know whether you are based in the UK/US – or elsewhere. Having an idea of your Country + location can sometimes help us tailor our advice .

Here is a link to help you do this …

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/

 

[Deleted member 114675]

... and to answer you question about mounting . Yes, he will mount sows - but this is perfectly natural .

 

[PiggieNinja]

to the forum .

It sounds like you have a well bonded herd of guinea pigs so there is a lot of truth in the saying "if it ain't broke - don't fix it ". Conversely , there are a large number of boars in rescues waiting to find their forever home . If you are considering getting a neutered boar, I strongly recommend you contact your local rescue to get some assistance in finding a good match . If you are in the UK, there is a rescue locator on the top toolbar to help you find your local rescue .

Are you happy to add your location to your profile ? We have members from all over the world and it is really helpful to know whether you are based in the UK/US – or elsewhere. Having an idea of your Country + location can sometimes help us tailor our advice .

Here is a link to help you do this …

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/

Thanks very much on your information about it and I was only thinking of getting a male in the most dire of circumstances as I love my girls and the more space the better . I did get them all from a rescue about an hour away from me and the more I cn help them the better so anymore information on male guinea pigs would be welcome . Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

I have 3 female sows who get along fine, they have been living together to about 6 months and I have sensed no problems . Two of them are now 1 year old and one is 1 and a half and although they have never fought I wanted a plan just in case they did.
If they fight (and I'm not talking a small tiff) then I would think about introducing a neutered boat to the herd as I have heard this would help stop it (and I have plenty of room) . However as I have no knowledge of Male guinea pigs I have some questions :

• How old would a good age be for him - would he have to be older than my oldest sow or is that not a problem?
• Even if he is neutered will he still occasionally mount the girls?
• When introducing him , is it likely he will fight with the most dominant sow ?
• Is it even true this will help stop the fighting?

Thanks for your help!

Hi and welcome!

Fights between sows are very rare; unlike boars even if they have fall-outs, they manifests as mouthfuls of hair rather than full-on bites or as rather sneaky, but systematic bullying. If your girls are getting on well after all that time, you are however VERY unlikely to end up with a fall-out or an outsider problem.

If there are problems, the introduction of a neutered boar will not mend them. A boar is part of the overall group and has got his place in it, but he is not part of the (separate) sow hierarchy; a boar is in many ways a natural outsider. If for whatever reason a sow decides that another one is no longer part of "US" (which, as I have said is RARE), then it is much wiser to split the group and find the single piggy a new companion. Once piggies have made up their mind as to who is "US" and who is "NOT US", they don't change their mind.

Neutered boars only lose the ability to make babies, but they do not lose their natural behaviour. You still see plenty of rumblestrutting and mounting when sows are in season (but it can also be the sows mounting the boars). Boars can still generate an amazing amount of boar stink with their testosterone laden urine, with which they generally spray sows during an introduction. However, what neutered boars (we call them "husboars") bring to a group, is that they can act as a kind of glue. In order to mate with a sow in season, he has to get on with them all. The hanky panky during a season is acting as a kind of emotional purge for the group as a whole; it keeps the bitching between the sows down more. Fall-outs between bonded husboars and sows are extremely rare.

However, if you want to add a husboar to a group of sows, the big hurdle is the initial acceptance, mostly by the top sow. For that, I very strongly recommend dating your girls at one of our recommended rescues that has got neutered boars, so the piggies can decide whether they gel or not, and you do not run the risk of ending up with a boy that doesn't get on.

I have and have had a number of mixed gender groups with a husboar each; both dominant leaders of a group and submissive lads, depending on how dominant the top sow is. The main thing is that they work out, and that is something you have to try, you can never predict it (and I say that after about a half century for successful and failed cross gender bondings). I currently have got four husboars living with 1-5 sows each, but at one point, I had up to 13 sows living with a husboar. And yes, I have taken my sows to a rescue for husboar dating on several occasions to make sure that they were working out.

Age is not an issue compared to mutual acceptance. Husboars and sows of all ages can live happily together. As a point in case, my 3 year old Carwyn was first bonded with a frail 7 year old lady who he was very kind with, but after her demise, he was then introduced to a 5 week old baby girl and her 6 months old companion; it was instant love on first sight between Heini and Carwyn, and that has not changed 6 months later; they still have regular snogging and popcorning sessions together!

Carwyn with old lady Ffraid


Carwyn with his new "wifelet" Heini


You may find these links here helpful:
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

 

[PiggieNinja]

Hi and welcome!

Fights between sows are very rare; unlike boars even if they have fall-outs, they manifests as mouthfuls of hair rather than full-on bites or as rather sneaky, but systematic bullying. If your girls are getting on well after all that time, you are however VERY unlikely to end up with a fall-out or an outsider problem.

If there are problems, the introduction of a neutered boar will not mend them. A boar is part of the overall group and has got his place in it, but he is not part of the (separate) sow hierarchy; a boar is in many ways a natural outsider. If for whatever reason a sow decides that another one is no longer part of "US" (which, as I have said is RARE), then it is much wiser to split the group and find the single piggy a new companion. Once piggies have made up their mind as to who is "US" and who is "NOT US", they don't change their mind.

Neutered boars only lose the ability to make babies, but they do not lose their natural behaviour. You still see plenty of rumblestrutting and mounting when sows are in season (but it can also be the sows mounting the boars). Boars can still generate an amazing amount of boar stink with their testosterone laden urine, with which they generally spray sows during an introduction. However, what neutered boars (we call them "husboars") bring to a group, is that they can act as a kind of glue. In order to mate with a sow in season, he has to get on with them all. The hanky panky during a season is acting as a kind of emotional purge for the group as a whole; it keeps the bitching between the sows down more. Fall-outs between bonded husboars and sows are extremely rare.

However, if you want to add a husboar to a group of sows, the big hurdle is the initial acceptance, mostly by the top sow. For that, I very strongly recommend dating your girls at one of our recommended rescues that has got neutered boars, so the piggies can decide whether they gel or not, and you do not run the risk of ending up with a boy that doesn't get on.

I have and have had a number of mixed gender groups with a husboar each; both dominant leaders of a group and submissive lads, depending on how dominant the top sow is. The main thing is that they work out, and that is something you have to try, you can never predict it (and I say that after about a half century for successful and failed cross gender bondings). I currently have got four husboars living with 1-5 sows each, but at one point, I had up to 13 sows living with a husboar. And yes, I have taken my sows to a rescue for husboar dating on several occasions to make sure that they were working out.

Age is not an issue compared to mutual acceptance. Husboars and sows of all ages can live happily together. As a point in case, my 3 year old Carwyn was first bonded with a frail 7 year old lady who he was very kind with, but after her demise, he was then introduced to a 5 week old baby girl and her 6 months old companion; it was instant love on first sight between Heini and Carwyn, and that has not changed 6 months later; they still have regular snogging and popcorning sessions together!

Carwyn with old lady Ffraid
View attachment 41741

Carwyn with his new "wifelet" Heini
View attachment 41743

You may find these links here helpful:
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

Thank you do much for your information and I have now decided that if they do fight I will instead separate them and find another sow for the lone piggie! but obviously only as a last resort

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you do much for your information and I have now decided that if they do fight I will instead separate them and find another sow for the lone piggie! but obviously only as a last resort

Personally, I am very fond of my "husboars". I have currently got four of them and wouldn't want to be without them! Single rescue sows are often not quite easy to find, so a neutered boar is a good option if one of your girls dies or you decide at some point you want to add a new piggy to your group. When you have got groups, adding guinea pigs that don't upset the existing hierarchy is always a good idea.