Male and female guineas living in close proximity

Becci27

Becci27

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Hi
I haven't had guinea pigs for a long time, but have taken in a single unneutered male. I've heard lots of stories about it being difficult for males to bond successfully. So I'm wondering if I get 2 females could he live in a cage next to them happily or would this not work? Is this enough interaction for him? I just want him to have some sort of company so he's not lonely. Or will he be OK staying on his own?
 
Any idea how old he is?
He won’t be ok staying on his own. He either needs a live in friend or a side by side friend.
Side by side interaction is enough. However….

It’s not the case that is hard to bond males. Unfortunately boars have been give a bad but undeserved reputation.
Any bond - whether two boars, two sows or mixed sex - comes down to character compatibility: any bond regardless of their sexes will fail if they don’t have it and will be successful if they do.
If it fails they do need to live side by side (again, regardless of sexes).

I, and many of us on here, have boars in successful pairs! I have just bonded my bereaved 6 year old with one is my 2 year olds.

Personally I’d give him a chance at having a live in friend first. I would try to find him a boar friend and attempt a bonding. If it works out then that is fantastic. Having a live in friend is better than being side by side.
If it doesnt then he can live beside another boar.
Two boars need a 180x60cm cage or a 5x2 c&c cage.
If it doesn’t work and they need to be wide my side then each piggy needs a minimum of a 120x60cm or a 3x2 c&c.

Of course you may be set on having some sows as well. Could you neuter him, wait six weeks and then find him sows so they can all live in the same cage?

If you’d prefer the side by side option with two sows then that is ok but you would neee to make sure his cage is either a commercial cage with a roof or a lidded c&c cage. A boar can and will try to escape to get in with sows. While plenty do keep a single boar and sows side by side, it is worth considering that he may become frustrated by having girls beside him.

Wiebke

Thread 'Boars: Where Does The Bad Press Actually Come From?'

- 'Bachelors' and 'Husboars'
- How does natural behaviour transfer to a pet setting?
- Pet boars - the big losers
- A look at the neutering situation
- A warm word for boars
- Practical tips for improving boar bond stability
- Further links to points raised in this article


This article, which takes a closer look at the role of boars in guinea pig society and why the current pet system is failing them on pretty much all levels, is part of an article series for Guinea Pig Magazine...
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Wiebke

Thread 'A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)'

This guide is an article series that I have written for Guinea Pig Magazine issues 50-52 (May/July/September 2019).
It is the propriety of GPM and is being shared on here with the magazine's permission.

1 Introduction
2 Sexing Guinea pigs: Where to look and feel yourself
- Textbook pictures
- The hands-on sexing check
3 Boar Pairs
- Common misconceptions
- The tricky teenage months
- the 'Golden Boar...
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I didn't think he could stay on his own. I've spoken to a local exotic vet and they want £170. I didn't expect it to be that much and don't know if I can afford it. This is why I thought about living next to girls. But if he's going to try and get to them then that makes me worry that isn't the right decision either.

Maybe I should consider another boy. I'm not sure how to bond them though. Any advice is welcome?
 
His reaction to being around females will be rather a dramatic one, certainly to begin with but you would obviously need to be alert to escape attempts and ensure the cage is very secure at all times.

I will add in the bonding guide which explains the process.
In short, you put them together in neutral territory for several hours or even overnight to see if they get on. If all goes well, then you move them to the permanent cage together. They will continue bonding for the next two weeks.
If things don’t go well in neutral territory, then the bonding has failed. They can’t be moved to the cage together and instead go into separate side by side cages.

If you have a rescue centre you can go to to find a compatible friend for him then that is the best way to ensure success - the rescue will help find a compatible friend. If you’ve gone to a rescue and the bonding fails then they will take the piggy back and you can try another one that they have until you get a match. Just means you don’t have to be left with a side by side with no recourse.

If you buy a piggy from any other source, then you will have to have that plan b of them living side by side.

Don’t have any idea how old he is?
I’m asking because a piggy around six months of age and certainly under a year old is in the time when it is harder (not always impossible though) to bond due to hormones.

Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
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Wiebke

Thread 'A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars'

1 Common myths and misconceptions
2 The different ages (including teenage)
- Important biological facts
- The formative 'School Weeks' (3 weeks - ca. 4 months)
- The Teenage Months (ca. 4-14 months)
- The Adult Years (ca. 15 months - ca. 4-5 years)
- The Golden Age (ca. 4-5 years until end of life)
3 What do boars need? (List of boar dos and don'ts)
- Space, space and more space!
- Respecting the hierarchy
- The 'one for each...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?'

1 The hormonal teenage months
- What are the most difficult times?
- What are your boars' chances of making it together?
- What can help to boost your boys' chances?
- What does NOT work?
2 Fighting, bullying and when to separate
- What are the signs of a dysfunctional bond?
- How can I test whether a bond is no longer working?
- What to do if your boars had a bloody fight?
3 Life after...
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Sorry I didn't say how old he is. Not sure exactly but he is definitely under a year old as I know the people I had him off haven't had him for a massive amount of time. I have thought about a rescue. Is it easier to get a male older than him to bond with then as hormones may have settled? Xx
 
Becci27 said:
Sorry I didn't say how old he is. Not sure exactly but he is definitely under a year old as I know the people I had him off haven't had him for a massive amount of time. I have thought about a rescue. Is it easier to get a male older than him to bond with then as hormones may have settled? Xx
Click to expand...

This is a difficult one - you can see why bonding with an older may be easier because the older won’t be hormonal. However it can be easier to bond with a younger because a younger won’t challenge him. It does mean you will be dealing with two teenagers at the same time which can increase the risk of a fall out a bit down the line.
However it depends on your perspective - if you are happy to have the side by side living if it fails, then actually you have the bases covered. Some can’t do side by side due to space so the bonding simply has to work out!

I have a pair and a single (formerly a pair and two singles (they were a pair but fell out) one of the pair passed away so I bonded one single with the bereaved) and side by side works very well. Hugo is quite happy not having to share his space but still gets to chat through the bars
 
Hi, i have 2 boars and 2 sows in separate cage. I was going to convert a shed to have side by side enclosures but will my boars get to excited and fight smelling the sows? Thought about having the boars neutered so they can all live together but will the sows still having seasons, still enrage to boars? or should I have the sows done? Any advise would be much appreciated.
 
hward said:
Hi, i have 2 boars and 2 sows in separate cage. I was going to convert a shed to have side by side enclosures but will my boars get to excited and fight smelling the sows? Thought about having the boars neutered so they can all live together but will the sows still having seasons, still enrage to boars? or should I have the sows done? Any advise would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum.

If the boars are used to the sows and have been near them for a very long time they are less likely to be affected by the sow pheromones, but without knowing background on how long you’ve had your piggies etc we can’t comment further.

What you cannot do is neuter the boys and put all four of them together. That is a sure fire disaster and absolutely will cause fights. You can only ever keep just one neutered boar with sow(s). So if you neutered your boys you would then have to split the boys up and split the girls up and put one boy with one girl in two separate cages.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome to the forum.

If the boars are used to the sows and have been near them for a very long time they are less likely to be affected by the sow pheromones, but without knowing background on how long you’ve had your piggies etc we can’t comment further.

What you cannot do is neuter the boys and put all four of them together. That is a sure fire disaster and absolutely will cause fights. You can only ever keep just one neutered boar with sow(s). So if you neutered your boys you would then have to split the boys up and split the girls up and put one boy with one girl in two separate cages.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your feed back. Back story is I got 3 piggies in June thinking there were all boars they are siblings but turns out 1s a girl so I split them up got another girl so she wasn't lonely. I'll just keep them separate there are happy enough.
 
hward said:
Thank you for your feed back. Back story is I got 3 piggies in June thinking there were all boars they are siblings but turns out 1s a girl so I split them up got another girl so she wasn't lonely. I'll just keep them separate there are happy enough.
Click to expand...

I assume the female sister is confirmed as not being pregnant? You would need to count 10 weeks from the day you separated them.

Actually, it is a bit of a blessing because you would have been highly unlikely to successfully keep three boars together long term particularly if your piggies are youngsters. Boar trios are highly unstable and usually fail ending in fights (assuming your piggies are young, most boar trios never make it out of their teens with their relationship in tact). At worst and they had all been boars then all three of them could have fought and you could have found yourself with three single piggies in three separate cages. Boars can only be kept in pairs.

Much better to keep them as they are with a boar pair and a sow pair.
Boars who have grown up around sows tend to have less dramatic responses to sow pheromones but best not to take they for granted particularly if your boys have not yet ie are just entering teen-hood
 
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