Naughty Boy Will He Be Ok With A Girl?

[Elisabeth]

I wish I had found this forum 5 months ago. I got 3 boars from babies and they have all gotten along until last week. I have separated the dominant one as he was taking chunks out of the other two.
I also have 4 sows who get along lovely.
I don't want my naughty piggy to live alone for the rest of his life but feel he has upset his two brothers and they cant be trusted together.
If i got him castrated would he be ok living with the sows? Thanks xx

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Obviously no one can say for certain that they'd definitely get along though usually a boar will get along with sows. Are the boars and sows nearby each other? Because if the boars know that sows are around that may be the case of the fall-out as the dominant pig is fighting for them. Neutering a boar will not change his behaviour but perhaps with the sows he won't be as aggressive. The only way to find out is to have it done and see. However if you wait a little while then you could try the boars all together again- inless you've done so already and they still aren't getting along- maybe they just had a fallout and will be alright again? Hope this helps and I'm sorry I couldn't say for sure that it'd work.

 

[Elisabeth]

Thanks for your reply.
Yes they are nearby for the 1st time. I put them in the outhouse 2 weeks ago when the weather turned so they are in their own hutches but can hear each other. I don't want to separate them but Tyrone has drawn blood on Teddy and little Charlie has some chunks of fur missing. Tyrone looks a picture of health so guessing he is the one doing the dominant act. Do you think I should wait until they go outdoors again and try bonding them gradually. They are too young to live life alone. xx

 

[Wiebke]

I wish I had found this forum 5 months ago. I got 3 boars from babies and they have all gotten along until last week. I have separated the dominant one as he was taking chunks out of the other two.
I also have 4 sows who get along lovely.
I don't want my naughty piggy to live alone for the rest of his life but feel he has upset his two brothers and they cant be trusted together.
If i got him castrated would he be ok living with the sows? Thanks xx

Hi and welcome!

It depends on how your top sow is getting along with your boy when you bond, but as he is not yet fully grown, he cannot compete for leadership yet. It is the sows that choose a boar. My own husboars are in part dominant and in part submissive, so it can work both ways, but it all comes down to the individual character mix. At the worst, you can always consider putting one or two of your more submissive sows with him or find him a new sow companion that will accept him.

What you need to consider when neutering:
- be careful to choose either a general vet with plenty of experience in guinea pig neutering or an exotics vets with practice in small furries operations in order to minimise the otherwise still rather common risk of post-op complications.
Guinea pig castration explained
Tips For Post-operative Care

- you need to factor in a full 6 weeks post-op wait, which your boy can spend right next to your girls in order to further acceptance during bonding. I have the unplanned daughter of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op boar (not one of mine), just to prove that particular point. It can really happen that late, and I have since heard of a few more cases.
Good UK guinea pig rescues practise a 6 weeks with all their own neutered boars or when bonding rescue sows with an owner's neutered boar, but I have yet to hear of an accident.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

We have a recommended UK vets locator on the top bar, but can provide a link for recommended vets in some other countries if wished. You can help us by adding your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can always tailor any advice to what is suitable and relevant for you straight away. Click on your username on the top, then go personal details and scroll down to location so it appears under your username whenever you post. Thank you!

 

[Elisabeth]

Hiya and thank you for your reply.
I have just added my location and found a vet close to me. Thank you.
Keeping them apart for 6 weeks wont be a problem. Ideally I wanted him back with the other two boys once he has been castrated but reading through the forum I don't think this is going to happen. He has been quite nasty with them.
I know where I got him from would take him back but I really have grown attached to the the little tinker and he is great with humans.
My 4 girls live happily together and they are not related. Do you think it would be ok to divide the girls and let him bond with the 2 submissive ones then let them live as a trio ( 1 boar & 2 girls ) or get a new older lady for him? xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hiya and thank you for your reply.
I have just added my location and found a vet close to me. Thank you.
Keeping them apart for 6 weeks wont be a problem. Ideally I wanted him back with the other two boys once he has been castrated but reading through the forum I don't think this is going to happen. He has been quite nasty with them.
I know where I got him from would take him back but I really have grown attached to the the little tinker and he is great with humans.
My 4 girls live happily together and they are not related. Do you think it would be ok to divide the girls and let him bond with the 2 submissive ones then let them live as a trio ( 1 boar & 2 girls ) or get a new older lady for him? xx

I would try him first with all four girls as plan A. If that doesn't work, I would consider pairing him up with one or two girls that have accepted him during the failed group bonding as plan B. If all fails, I would try rescue dating. When bonding it always pays to have a plan B or even a plan C at the ready - that is the one lesson I have learned from 50+ bondings of my own!

 

[Elisabeth]

Thank you Wiebke I will call the vets in the morning and get him booked in. Hopefully plan A will work. Oh I will have to look up rescue dating. No idea what that is.
Hopefully one of my girls will like him if he doesn't bond with them all. I can see me turning into mad guinea pig lady and ending up with lots of rescue ones. 50+ wow xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you Wiebke I will call the vets in the morning and get him booked in. Hopefully plan A will work. Oh I will have to look up rescue dating. No idea what that is.
Hopefully one of my girls will like him if he doesn't bond with them all. I can see me turning into mad guinea pig lady and ending up with lots of rescue ones. 50+ wow xx

Most of our recommended rescues allow you to bring your own guinea pigs to meet rescue piggies at the rescue for bonding, so you come home with a new (healthy) companion only if acceptance has happened. It means that you do not have to buy a guinea pig on spec, but can let the guinea pigs decide whether they want to get on or not.
I am a great fan of dating and have made use of this service repeatedly whenever I have ended up with bereaved or fallen out single piggy or even a new neutered "husboar" for a group of mine.
Here is our rescue locator. Your closest rescues would be probably Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue or or Barnsley Animal Rescue (BARC); it always depends on what piggies are in rescue and adoptable at the time.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

PS: My Hywel was a very dominant boar who ended up bullying any companion he was tried with by his previous owner and then in rescue. He had a great 5 years as the Tribe patriarch with up to 13 sows at one time. So you can never tell...