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Keeping a group of male pigs together

  • Thread starter Thread starter nattyone
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nattyone

Can it be done ?

I've read that you can keep a large number of females together but how do you keep males , I've only ever had 2 at time and they were brothers who arrived togther . I heard that the males fight but if * can't keep them alone what do you do. I thought keeping them alone was cruel .

Also do the males an females have different personalities , I mean is one sex easier to handle less skitish etc or are they the same . The two males I got came together but one was always much easier to handle than the others.
 
I have a third boar we recently aquired, I am going to expand my cage and have a go at introducing once I move house so its as neutral a territory as can be, they are caged next to each other at the moment and are always chatting away to each other. I dont hold out much hope though!
 
it can be done with good care and a little boar experience, i have 22 boys now and i havent been on here much so noone yet knows that i now have 4 boys together, i also have a trio and am working on a few other trios too, plenty of cage room is needed, one bowl and hidey per pig, bathing and then introducing over veg and hay in a large grassy run ;)
 
I would say that it depends on their personalities. As long as they do not all want to be boss and are happy for one of them to be boss then it should be fine. However, it does take time to discover personalities so I would say that two boys would get on well but keeping a group could be a risk.

Normally,boys tend to be louder and more territorial. Many also want to be boss and that is why it is suggested that boys are kept in twos.

I have often wondered though, why male domestic guinea pigs tend to be more territorial than wild guinea pigs. I am sure that in the wild, they would get along fine. Does anyone know anything about wild guinea pigs?
 
As far as i know they dont get along in the wild, basically there is one male with a huge group of females, every female baby born stays in that group,the baby boys are basically banished and have to start there own herd,

The boys do one of two things, they either have major guts and try to take down the leading boar so they can be boss or they pluck off one of the weaker willed females and start there own herd, any breeding boar whether it be domestic or wild usually as a rule wont get along with another boar.
 
I would not recommend trying to keep more than three boars (youngsters) max together at a time (in a BIG hutch of a minimum of 2x5 ft, preferably more) and be aware that you still might need to separate if they have a serious fallout after blood has been drawn.

Bonding more boars takes skill and knowledge of which boar personalities might compatible in order to create a stable bigger group. If you are not careful, you can easily end up with three or more single boars who will refuse to live together ever again and will need separate quarters each.

Once piggies of any gender are fighting, your chances of getting them to live together again are pretty much gone.
 
Wiebke said:
I would not recommend trying to keep more than three boars (youngsters) max together at a time (in a BIG hutch of a minimum of 2x5 ft, preferably more) and be aware that you still might need to separate if they have a serious fallout after blood has been drawn.

Bonding more boars takes skill and knowledge of which boar personalities might compatible in order to create a stable bigger group. If you are not careful, you can easily end up with three or more single boars who will refuse to live together ever again and will need separate quarters each.

Once piggies of any gender are fighting, your chances of getting them to live together again are pretty much gone.
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great advice Wiebke, i should have mentioned the downsides :red,
i should also mention that even with the quad and trios i have i have a few pigs who wont even work in a duo let alone more so everyone is right when they say personality counts, i wouldnt introduce more than two unless it was and older pig and two young pigs or with careful planning 3 older piggies.
 
Well done Bonnie xx>>>
You have amazing patience and just the right technique x)
Loves to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
KingBoris&HisFollowers said:
it can be done with good care and a little boar experience, i have 22 boys now and i havent been on here much so noone yet knows that i now have 4 boys together, i also have a trio and am working on a few other trios too, plenty of cage room is needed, one bowl and hidey per pig, bathing and then introducing over veg and hay in a large grassy run ;)
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Hat off to you! That is amazing! Pics please...;)

Just to mention that you have a whole big room dedicated to your boys!
 
Wiebke said:
Hat off to you! That is amazing! Pics please...;)

Just to mention that you have a whole big room dedicated to your boys!
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i only have a few pics as i havent wanted to disturb them, i will do a full photo shoot in the next few days and post some pics;) I'm actually at mums on her pc right now lol so my most recent pics are at home on my lappy. i do however have pics of all of my piggies here which i will post but they are about a week old rolleyes, just off for some pizza that mum made and then ill post as many pics as i have taken lately lol x
 
I used to have three boys who lived very happily together for many years - Bailey, Murphy and Chutney. Murphy and Chutney were very laid back and Bailey probably had his own way a lot of the time but there was never a cross word between them.
 
I have been considering trying to bond a third boar to my pair. I am aware that in other species you cannot have a pair of males together due to fighting. However, you may have three or more males in a group. I believe the consensus is that by having three or more males together, the males fear being 'henpecked' by the other males if they attempt to dominate.

I am aware of another individual who has also managed to bond four boars together, and heard of several other individuals with three boars bonded. Therefore, it can be done. Like others have said, I believe it depends on the boars involved, the method of introducing the boars and the boars wanting for nothing. Good luck if you do attempt to introduce a third boar. :)

*SRH* said:
I have often wondered though, why male domestic guinea pigs tend to be more territorial than wild guinea pigs. I am sure that in the wild, they would get along fine. Does anyone know anything about wild guinea pigs?
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'Cavia Porcellus', as we know it, has never been existent in the wild, having evolved and been designed in captivity. As far as I am aware, it's ancestors are speculated, but unknown. Therefore, the natural behaviour of 'Cavia Porcellus' is unknown. However, is determined by the natural behaviour of closely related species.

It is believed their ancestors existed in a herd consisting of up to ten individuals, a single boar, one or several sows and their offspring. As mentioned by KingBoris&HisFollowers, it is believed that male pups would be tolerated for a period of time, before choosing to leave the herd or being chased out of the herd by the adult boar.

However, the above is much speculated.
 
I had three of my boys live together for about 4/5 months before they had a vicious fight, luckily they were all ok, but could never be together again. I now have 3 pairs and 4 singles (who live next door to each other!) I think unless you have a lot of experience with boars and a lot of room and masses of time to devote, then you are better off sticking with a pair...although, even then they could possibly fall out, as i found out, but it seems i have almost all dominant boars :(|) :(|) :(|)
 
I have 12 boars living together ,they have lots of space and have been together since they were babies.We get a bit of grumbling bottom swaying etc but no fights I think because they have established a pecking order and have lots of places to hide from each other. I would not dare to try and introduce a strange boar into the group as I am sure there would be a fight.
 
Wow, Christine! I was waiting for someone to say they have, or know of someone who has, five boars together - twelve is the largest, and will probably remain the largest, number of bonded boars I have heard of. :)) Out of interest, how old are your boars?
 
Most people have difficulty getting more than two boars to live together, but I have heard occaisionally of large groups. Part from those who have been together from birth, Some people have got a large group by starting with a nucleus of a few very undominant boars, and adding the rest of their boars, lest dominant first.

Normally in herd animals, females only live with one male, but males without a female form a 'bachelor herd' for mutual protection. I suspect that there may be a 'crtitcal mass' of boars, beyond which even dominant boars won't bother to fight, because they realise that they are in a bachelor herd. Whereas if they see only one or two other boars, they see potential rivals. Alternatively, maybe boars in larger groups release pheromones that reduce aggression.

That is only speculation; it may be that wild cavies don't form a bachelor herd; I've read in some places that the non-dominant boars just hang round the edges of the female herd.
 
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