I've got a lone boar at the moment, he was castrated 2 weeks ago as he's very dominant and there are no bonding services near me. The vet mentioned that it might be best to get two sows instead of just one, would this work or would I be setting myself up for chaos?
Is two sows to a boar better than one?
- Thread starter rozzish
- Start date
Hi and welcome to the forum. We have lots of useful guides that might help you in making that decision. A couple of things spring to mind - first of all, unfortunately, castrating a boar will not change how dominant he is or any other personality traits he has, the only thing it does change is that he won’t be able to get any sows pregnant. He’ll also need to wait 6 full weeks from the date of castration until you introduce him to any sow/s - otherwise there’s a risk of live sperm in his tubes that could still result in a pregnancy. Another consideration is the size of your cage/enclosure. We do have a list of recommended rescues also - I’m not sure if all of them provide a ‘dating service’ or not but it’d be a good place to perhaps start a search when you’re ready. Two sows to one boar can work very well but it does depend on each piggy’s personality and if they like/get on with each other. Again, piggy dating is the best way to go if you can find within travelling distance, as your boy will have a say in who he likes or not.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/
Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/
Behaviour, Bonding & Bereavement Guides
Welcome to the forum
I completely agree with Janey.
Technically any number of sows is fine, it comes down to what space you have and the compatibility between all the piggies.
A boar isn’t part of sow hierarchy so the sows need to get on well to begin with and then be prepared to accept him into their pairing.
The best chance of a successful bonding is to get baby/young sows as they are most likely to be accepting of a boar.
But as any bond comes down to compatibility between all the piggies so if you cannot date them at all, then you will still need to make sure you have a backup plan for living arrangements if any bonding doesn’t work out.
I’ve added the ‘what works’ guide to help with further information on this
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
I have also added the bonding guide Which explains the full neutral territory bonding process you would have to follow
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
I’ve also added our cage size guide
For two piggies you need 150x60cm or a 2x4 c&c, for three you need 180x60cm or a 2x5 c&c.
Cage Size Guide
And do make sure you wait out the full six weeks before you put him wirh any sows.
Let us know how things go
I completely agree with Janey.
Technically any number of sows is fine, it comes down to what space you have and the compatibility between all the piggies.
A boar isn’t part of sow hierarchy so the sows need to get on well to begin with and then be prepared to accept him into their pairing.
The best chance of a successful bonding is to get baby/young sows as they are most likely to be accepting of a boar.
But as any bond comes down to compatibility between all the piggies so if you cannot date them at all, then you will still need to make sure you have a backup plan for living arrangements if any bonding doesn’t work out.
I’ve added the ‘what works’ guide to help with further information on this
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
I have also added the bonding guide Which explains the full neutral territory bonding process you would have to follow
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
I’ve also added our cage size guide
For two piggies you need 150x60cm or a 2x4 c&c, for three you need 180x60cm or a 2x5 c&c.
Cage Size Guide
And do make sure you wait out the full six weeks before you put him wirh any sows.
Let us know how things go
Hi and welcome
In my own experience, as long as the sows are good friends and accept the boar, a mixed trio is a great combo. Any gender mixed constellation of one neutered boar with any number of sows stands and falls with initial acceptance, which is never a given and cannot be predicted. Generally, with baby and sub-adult sows you have the biological urges behind you but the older sows get; especially once they are past the ideal natural pup-bearing age of 3 years, they often become less accepting.
That said, I have had a 5 year old sow fall head over heels with a 5 months old freshly neutered 'toy-boy' that her capricious daughter had dumped within 2 hours of arriving home after a rescue dating... You can really never predict.
I have had quite a few mixed trios over the years (successful ones and failing ones) and still have a couple of mixed trios at the moment. One is my oldest 'husboar' (aged 6) living with my two 5 years old sows in my fourth Golden Oldies group but they have known each other through the bars from before; all three are widowers who have survived their previous companions and my other trio (mother with son and daughter) are a close-knit family group that has been found dumped and living rough in dog walking country, both sows pregnant by the now neutered boar. I do have the four offspring as well but as three of them are boars and none of them get on with any of the others, they have each their own (single) wives.
If the sows are not getting on that well, then the boar will have to side sooner or later with one of them and create the classic 2+1 outsider problem that trios are particularly prone to. However, with a trio you can absorb one loss before you need to think about new companionship again; which in my own experience is a distinct advantage.
As for the particular challenges with pairs, you may find a more in-depth discussion of the challenges and advantages in this link here. Most what is said about mixed couples also goes for a mixed trio with the proviso that the sows have to get on well. A boar cannot heal an exisiting rift.
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
In my own experience, as long as the sows are good friends and accept the boar, a mixed trio is a great combo. Any gender mixed constellation of one neutered boar with any number of sows stands and falls with initial acceptance, which is never a given and cannot be predicted. Generally, with baby and sub-adult sows you have the biological urges behind you but the older sows get; especially once they are past the ideal natural pup-bearing age of 3 years, they often become less accepting.
That said, I have had a 5 year old sow fall head over heels with a 5 months old freshly neutered 'toy-boy' that her capricious daughter had dumped within 2 hours of arriving home after a rescue dating... You can really never predict.
I have had quite a few mixed trios over the years (successful ones and failing ones) and still have a couple of mixed trios at the moment. One is my oldest 'husboar' (aged 6) living with my two 5 years old sows in my fourth Golden Oldies group but they have known each other through the bars from before; all three are widowers who have survived their previous companions and my other trio (mother with son and daughter) are a close-knit family group that has been found dumped and living rough in dog walking country, both sows pregnant by the now neutered boar. I do have the four offspring as well but as three of them are boars and none of them get on with any of the others, they have each their own (single) wives.
If the sows are not getting on that well, then the boar will have to side sooner or later with one of them and create the classic 2+1 outsider problem that trios are particularly prone to. However, with a trio you can absorb one loss before you need to think about new companionship again; which in my own experience is a distinct advantage.
As for the particular challenges with pairs, you may find a more in-depth discussion of the challenges and advantages in this link here. Most what is said about mixed couples also goes for a mixed trio with the proviso that the sows have to get on well. A boar cannot heal an exisiting rift.
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Thanks both. I've read through the bonding guides, so I was really hoping to use a bonding service but unfortunately, the nearest ones are over an hour away.
I've got a 5x2 c&c cage so I could, in theory, have three. If I needed to split it to keep boar and sows separate would that be enough space? I've been given some more c&c parts, so could probably fit a 6x2 in the space.
I'm definitely not going to mix him with anyone until the 6 weeks have passed, I definitely don't want babies. I'm just planning for when the time comes
I've got a 5x2 c&c cage so I could, in theory, have three. If I needed to split it to keep boar and sows separate would that be enough space? I've been given some more c&c parts, so could probably fit a 6x2 in the space.
I'm definitely not going to mix him with anyone until the 6 weeks have passed, I definitely don't want babies. I'm just planning for when the time comes
If you are able to make the journey for a bonding service, then it is the best way to go about it if possible. Piggies tend to travel well.
If it was needed to split the boar from two sows, then no unfortunately it is not enough space.
Two sows would need a 4x2 c&c and a single boar (or any single piggy) would need a 3x2 (as a minimum) so you would need a 7x2 space to provide everyone with enough room.
Hi
A 6x2 would provide minimal space for two singles.
There is nothing wrong with planning ahead; we very much prefer those who do their research and ask for practical experiences than help with sorting out a failed bonding. There are no silly questions and we are happy to help you work out the best solution/way forward for your individual circumstances.
It can help to have a sow living alongside a neutered boar during his post-op wait because they can get to know each other and become friends through the bars, which - while it is not a fail-safe - can up acceptance rates because you take quite a bit of the extraneous stress factors out of an introduction. Any newbie also has time to settle into a new home.
Any baby sows (sub 4 months) should however be bonded directly as they are not wired to be on their own and they are desperate to be taken on by an elder and to 'belong'. Acceptance in those cases is pretty much guaranteed.