Is my Boar just unbondable?

[TheGothianLolette]

I rescued a boar who (was at that time) around 7-8 months old. We got another boar who (was at that time) around 3 months old. We did the 2 weeks of side by side cages, toy swapping and then another 2 weeks of supervised play time. We noticed that the older Boar kept trying to mate with the younger one, but we know the why's and so forth. Other than that, they got along very well.

A week into letting them reside in the same double sized (we created a new, twice the size home for them) home, our bigger boar ripped two holes in the younger ones throat. He is ok and we have an awesome 24 hour Vet for all our fur babies.

The older Boar is now acting very lonely and squeals constantly. We are very afraid to even try to let him bond with our newest rescue Boar who is around the same age and size as him.

What should I do?

 

[DMS260820]

What is the situation now then? Do you have 3 boars? You might have been better with a sow and getting the aggressive boar neutered.

Dont know if i read this right, but i would try your newest boar with the one that got injured, and then get the dominant "aggressive" boar neutered and get a sow. Making two pairs of guinea pigs in seperate cages. But far apart

 

[squeaksandcarrots]

You could always put a divider in the middle of the cage. They can still see each other but the bigger boar wouldn't be able to hurt the younger one again. I have a divider in my cage as my girls didn't get along either and it's working well. Best of luck

 

[Merab's Slave]

If I understand correctly you now have 3 boars - two of whom have had a serious fight and another newer boar.
On the forum information threads you will find some excellent advice about bonding and bonds in trouble.
I’m tagging @Wiebke as she has a lot of experience in bonding and issues that can arise.
Welcome to the forum and I hope we can help you work things out

 

[TheGothianLolette]

Thank you everyone. I currently have 5 piggies.

Stan Lee (the older Boar who hurt the younger) - He is around 9-10 months

Jack Kirby (the Boar that got hurt) - He is around 4-5 months

Gandalf (the newest rescue who is a Boar) - He is around 9-10 months. He had an URI, was a "store return" and was going to be euthanized. I brought him home with me at once! We have had him in treatment and quarantine. We have an awesome Veterinarian who has helped us save this sweet baby. He is doing awesome!

Jett (as in Joan Jett) She has ringworm. I got her out of a pet store that was not treating her for it. Made me so mad! I walked by her, while there doing some shopping and I saw it..knew right away what it was and the store said they were not doing anything wrong. Grrr! She came home with me that day. She has been in quarantine for 5 weeks, still is. She is around 5 months old.

Nyx (as in Stevie Nicks) She is the 2nd newest to our home. She is intended to be a cage mate for Jett. She is around 4 months old.

Hope this clears things up.

 

[Merab's Slave]

Sounds as if you have a big heart and some very lucky piggies.
Pictures please

 

[PigglePuggle]

Might be an idea to bond the 2 boars who havent caused problems then get Stan neutered to live with the ladies? Nothing like the company of ladies for domesticating a chap and making him behave better!

 

[pig in the city]

No piggy is unbondable in my opinion, it's just that they haven't found the right friend.
I agree that neutering might be the way to go for your oldest boar (Who is very young so should cope well with surgery) he will be a happy boy with 2 ladies for company.
Make sure your boar pair are kept out of the way of the sows as this may cause them to fall out.

 

[Wiebke]

I rescued a boar who (was at that time) around 7-8 months old. We got another boar who (was at that time) around 3 months old. We did the 2 weeks of side by side cages, toy swapping and then another 2 weeks of supervised play time. We noticed that the older Boar kept trying to mate with the younger one, but we know the why's and so forth. Other than that, they got along very well.

A week into letting them reside in the same double sized (we created a new, twice the size home for them) home, our bigger boar ripped two holes in the younger ones throat. He is ok and we have an awesome 24 hour Vet for all our fur babies.

The older Boar is now acting very lonely and squeals constantly. We are very afraid to even try to let him bond with our newest rescue Boar who is around the same age and size as him.

What should I do?

Hi!

Have you considered having your 7 months old boy neutered/de-sexed so he can live with a sow or two? Neutering op fees vary enormously from country to country, though. It would be extremely helpful if you please added your country to your account details via clicking on your username on the top bar, so we can adjust any recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are. Out default is UK based.

Unfortunately your problem boy is right in the thick of the teenage months and will there for a quite a few months yet.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

PS: Please note that piggies don't do 'play time'. For them every meeting is bonding time and every separation is an aborted bonding session forcing the them to start right from scrap again next time; never allowing them to work through the whole process. This is especially important for boars. Sadly 'play time' is still widely touted as a surefire bonding tool when in fact it is extremely frustrating for the piggies and cutting right across their social instincts and interaction.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[TheGothianLolette]

Hi!

Have you considered having your 7 months old boy neutered/de-sexed so he can live with a sow or two? Neutering op fees vary enormously from country to country, though. It would be extremely helpful if you please added your country to your account details via clicking on your username on the top bar, so we can adjust any recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are. Out default is UK based.

Unfortunately your problem boy is right in the thick of the teenage months and will there for a quite a few months yet.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

PS: Please note that piggies don't do 'play time'. For them every meeting is bonding time and every separation is an aborted bonding session forcing the them to start right from scrap again next time; never allowing them to work through the whole process. This is especially important for boars. Sadly 'play time' is still widely touted as a surefire bonding tool when in fact it is extremely frustrating for the piggies and cutting right across their social instincts and interaction.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Yes, definitely going to have him neutered. It was actually hard to find a Veterinarian that would do it, but we did find one. We live in Washington, USA.

Well, we tried to introduce the two sows today and they started jumping at each other and bodies were flying and teeth were nashing. Sigh....are all my piggies just going to be loaners?

We have had INSTANT harsh teeth chattering with the two oldest boars, near fatal fight with one of the older boars and youngest boar and now the two sows was a very bad meet. I don't know what to do except neutering and spaying and see what happens when we try all combos.

 

[Siikibam]

If you’re going to have a sow and boar live together, you only have to neuter the boar. I think sows are only neutered for health reasons, and it’s a more complicated surgery...don’t quote me!

Did you do the introductions in a neutral area? Sorry, I’m not sure what your previous setup was like.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes, definitely going to have him neutered. It was actually hard to find a Veterinarian that would do it, but we did find one. We live in Washington, USA.

Well, we tried to introduce the two sows today and they started jumping at each other and bodies were flying and teeth were nashing. Sigh....are all my piggies just going to be loaners?

We have had INSTANT harsh teeth chattering with the two oldest boars, near fatal fight with one of the older boars and youngest boar and now the two sows was a very bad meet. I don't know what to do except neutering and spaying and see what happens when we try all combos.

You don't want to meet my collection of difficult to bond piggies...
For the first time in about two years I don't have a single piggy that is not tolerating any other in space has finally given in and accepted a meek widow after about 1 1/2 years of trying her with about every combination of piggy from groups, neutered boars, single sows and even baby girls (the latter of which she was literally scared stiff)!
At one point in January 2017 I had four bereaved sows, none of which would go with any of the others. Two moved in after about 10 months of becoming friends through the bars, one went to live with her sister and her sister's neutered toy boy after attempt #3 and the third (a spayed sow) ended up living next to two boys she was quite friendly with.
Older sows, widows and piggies that have lived alone for most of their lives are particularly hard to bond.

If you can get as far as Portland with your boy, Portland Guinea Pig Rescue in Beaverton have a sow spaying policy, so all their sows are de-sexed. It is still a lot less what you pay for taking your boy on a journey there (and piggies travel surprisingly well) than what you'd pay for the neutering operation with none of the apprehension attached!
Portland are taking in quite a few piggies from Washington as there is sadly no decent rescue in the Seattle area. There is also a small rescue in upstate Washington, but they don't de-sex.
Website: PGPR
Facebook: Portland Guinea Pig Rescue

Here are our travel tips: Travelling with guinea pigs
I have personally travelled for 6 1/2 hours each way piggies on meds for a holiday break when care cover was cancelled due to an accident at the last minute and several times over 3 hours on several trains. The trip from a rescue in Kent at the southeastern end of England through London last November took nearly 5 hours door to door although the two train journeys were only about 3 1/2 hours as I had to leave extra times for potential delays and the journey from one station to another in London. Breila and Cerian survived their ordeal well!
My specialist piggy vet is about an hour's journey from me, so I have not rarely returned with a freshly operated piggy on the train as well as by car...

You could help us a lot by adding your state and country to location in your account details (via clicking on the username on the top bar); this would ensure that we can always tailor any advice to what is available and relevant within your wider area, including rescue and vet access, US medications brands and taking the climate/general background into account straight away.

 

[TheGothianLolette]

You don't want to meet my collection of difficult to bond piggies...
For the first time in about two years I don't have a single piggy that is not tolerating any other in space has finally given in and accepted a meek widow after about 1 1/2 years of trying her with about every combination of piggy from groups, neutered boars, single sows and even baby girls (the latter of which she was literally scared stiff)!
At one point in January 2017 I had four bereaved sows, none of which would go with any of the others. Two moved in after about 10 months of becoming friends through the bars, one went to live with her sister and her sister's neutered toy boy after attempt #3 and the third (a spayed sow) ended up living next to two boys she was quite friendly with.
Older sows, widows and piggies that have lived alone for most of their lives are particularly hard to bond.

If you can get as far as Portland with your boy, Portland Guinea Pig Rescue in Beaverton have a sow spaying policy, so all their sows are de-sexed. It is still a lot less what you pay for taking your boy on a journey there (and piggies travel surprisingly well) than what you'd pay for the neutering operation with none of the apprehension attached!
Portland are taking in quite a few piggies from Washington as there is sadly no decent rescue in the Seattle area. There is also a small rescue in upstate Washington, but they don't de-sex.
Website: PGPR
Facebook: Portland Guinea Pig Rescue

Here are our travel tips: Travelling with guinea pigs
I have personally travelled for 6 1/2 hours each way piggies on meds for a holiday break when care cover was cancelled due to an accident at the last minute and several times over 3 hours on several trains. The trip from a rescue in Kent at the southeastern end of England through London last November took nearly 5 hours door to door although the two train journeys were only about 3 1/2 hours as I had to leave extra times for potential delays and the journey from one station to another in London. Breila and Cerian survived their ordeal well!
My specialist piggy vet is about an hour's journey from me, so I have not rarely returned with a freshly operated piggy on the train as well as by car...

You could help us a lot by adding your state and country to location in your account details (via clicking on the username on the top bar); this would ensure that we can always tailor any advice to what is available and relevant within your wider area, including rescue and vet access, US medications brands and taking the climate/general background into account straight away.

I updated my account. Thank you so much for the information. And I will travel for my babies. I would do anything for them. They even have their own sort of "insurance". $7,000 of Care Credit set aside for them. Wow! You have 26? So lucky you are! I would love to build a colony space on our land. We have 5 acres of privately gated property with our own surrounding woods. However, it rains here all the time and that would be bad for their health. Right now I have a piggy room. What sort of set up do you have?

I did a larger neutral area for a longer period of time, yesterday for the two sows. They did better. Apparently they need a 3X6 C and C instead of a 2X5 and needed our entire living room and 7 hours. They did well overnight and so far, so good. First time we tried was our large bathroom for 2 hours.

Now, we tried our two bigger boars and they instantly were loud teeth chattering at each other. We got nervous and stopped it immediately. Should we have done that?

 

[Wiebke]

I updated my account. Thank you so much for the information. And I will travel for my babies. I would do anything for them. They even have their own sort of "insurance". $7,000 of Care Credit set aside for them. Wow! You have 26? So lucky you are! I would love to build a colony space on our land. We have 5 acres of privately gated property with our own surrounding woods. However, it rains here all the time and that would be bad for their health. Right now I have a piggy room. What sort of set up do you have?

I did a larger neutral area for a longer period of time, yesterday for the two sows. They did better. Apparently they need a 3X6 C and C instead of a 2X5 and needed our entire living room and 7 hours. They did well overnight and so far, so good. First time we tried was our large bathroom for 2 hours.

Now, we tried our two bigger boars and they instantly were loud teeth chattering at each other. We got nervous and stopped it immediately. Should we have done that?

No, you were right to stop. It doesn't sound promising when boars do it pretty instantly.

I have currently got 29 and it is a LOT of cage cleaning! They have the biggest room of the house for themselves...
And I had to wait 30 years before I could realise my childhood dream of having a group of guinea pigs.

Please consider that guinea pigs are not frost hardy, can suffer heat stroke quite easily and need protection from wind, weather and ground as well as aerial predators...

I can recommend Portland Guinea Pig Rescue most warmly.

 

[TheGothianLolette]

No, you were right to stop. It doesn't sound promising when boars do it pretty instantly.

I have currently got 29 and it is a LOT of cage cleaning! They have the biggest room of the house for themselves...
And I had to wait 30 years before I could realise my childhood dream of having a group of guinea pigs.

Please consider that guinea pigs are not frost hardy, can suffer heat stroke quite easily and need protection from wind, weather and ground as well as aerial predators...

I can recommend Portland Guinea Pig Rescue most warmly.

Oh no, I did not mean they would be outside. I have seen on different videos and websites where people have actually built huge enclosures for their colonies and then had a fenced in area outside of it to come and let them out everyday to graze that area. But the area they live in is fully enclosed. But these are areas that have enough good weather to do this. Unfortunately, we do not. The space, we have plenty of, but we would hardly ever be able to let them out into their fenced in area. Hope that makes sense.

I did not know my love of piggies until last year. I saw one, in passing, that was not being properly treated. I use to be a veterinarian technician and I instantly recognized that she had ringworm. I adopted her, with the intention to rehab and rehome. But I fell head over heels and knew I needed more. I, personally, love cleaning cages and being their personal chef. I love spoiling them and caring for them as much as my 2 kids. Thank you so much, again, for the great help! I love this board!

 

[Black piggies]

I got a boar who I was told couldn't live with other pigs and when I tried to pick him up he went wild and bit chunks out of me so he was obviously scared by past experience, and he's been living happily with 2 sows for the past couple of years.

 

[TheGothianLolette]

I got a boar who I was told couldn't live with other pigs and when I tried to pick him up he went wild and bit chunks out of me so he was obviously scared by past experience, and he's been living happily with 2 sows for the past couple of years.

You are a lot like me. You like a challenge. Lol Or at least you dont want to see the babies, who seem like they may not be adopted, to be left behind. I will never give up on any of my babies. That is why I will pester all of these experienced people here and educate myself continuously.

 

[Black piggies]

You are a lot like me. You like a challenge. Lol Or at least you dont want to see the babies, who seem like they may not be adopted, to be left behind. I will never give up on any of my babies. That is why I will pester all of these experienced people here and educate myself continuously.

Yes exactly I couldn't leave him where he was. I love him to bits!