Neutered Males With Female Guinea Pigs. Honest Replies Please.

Louise's Zoo

Louise's Zoo

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I am considering contacting a rescue about getting 2 neutered boars to pair up with my now 2 single sows (Eileen and Edna). In all honesty, I have mostly been put off boars due to the bums and bits, the boar glue and the increased smell.

My piggies are in a spare bedroom room. If I add boars I am worried the room is going to smell. Is it really that bad?

Those of you that have males and females indoors, do you find the males smell more? My girls don't really smell. just a bit when the hay trays need cleaning.

Do you get a lot of boar glue in the cages or on the females?

If you could pick, would you have a mixed group or just stick with females in future?

No right or wrong answers. I'm just trying to get a genuine response to help me with my decision.
 
I'm presuming that you mean to bond each female with a neutered male & keep as 2 pairs. 2 males living with 2 females is a no go.

Males that have been neutered and are living with females in my experience are not likely to have impaction that is more often associated with males living on their own. A lot of the male smells are associated with males living together & their sometimes-aggressive behaviour x
 
Well based on our experience, we have never attempted to clean Astro's grease gland and have never had a problem in the 5 1/2 years we have had him. Normal smells no, nothing more than the girls. Boar glue, from a neutered boar, no, would be worried if there was (basic biology - no sperm in the semen). However, one caveat, certain veggies - cabbage, kale etc may result in Astro farting worse than any dog I have smelt. He doesnt get bloat or anything like that, its just good old wind like a good friday night curry.

Our group is one boar (neutered) and 3 females and as we take them caravanning with us if there was a great smell about males we wouldnt cope in the van.
 
Stewybus said:
I'm presuming that you mean to bond each female with a neutered male & keep as 2 pairs. 2 males living with 2 females is a no go.

Males that have been neutered and are living with females in my experience are not likely to have impaction that is more often associated with males living on their own. A lot of the male smells are associated with males living together & their sometimes-aggressive behaviour x
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Hi, yes, that's exactly what I'm aiming for. 2 pairs as my girls have ended up being split after falling out and wont mix with my other trio of sows :(

karonus said:
Well based on our experience, we have never attempted to clean Astro's grease gland and have never had a problem in the 5 1/2 years we have had him. Normal smells no, nothing more than the girls. Boar glue, from a neutered boar, no, would be worried if there was (basic biology - no sperm in the semen). However, one caveat, certain veggies - cabbage, kale etc may result in Astro farting worse than any dog I have smelt. He doesnt get bloat or anything like that, its just good old wind like a good friday night curry.

Our group is one boar (neutered) and 3 females and as we take them caravanning with us if there was a great smell about males we wouldnt cope in the van.
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Hahaha I have to put up with my dogs farts and they can be lethal!

I was sure I read that neutered boars still produce glue :hmm: If not, then great, that's one less thing to worry about!
 
I love my boars(now have 4) I don't really notice any smell, just like you said wet hay smells. As for the Boar glue I only had one Boar "Fudge" who was terrible for covering his cagemate in Boar glue. Occasionally I find some Boar glue on liners etc but it's not a massive amount and it doesn't bother me, I've had some of my liners 2 years and I wouldn't say it's ruined them. It just dries like hard clear superglue. Lol. All my boars are not neutered. As far as I'm aware neutered boars can still produce Boar glue.
 
I’ve had 3 boys and 1 girl in my time of owning Guinea pigs so I’ve never really noticed the smell. However I love how well Zazu and Peaches get along. The other boar pairs I’ve had never really liked each other so I’d definitely go for more mixed sex groups in the future. I’ve never really noticed much boar glue from the three males I’ve had so it hasn’t been a problem. I did find that the boys took more time to get used to me. Peaches loved me straight away but the boys always took some work. The bond I’ve had with my male guinea pigs is unbelievable once they do get used to you. I have a soft spot for boy piggies :xd:
 
My boys are still young 3 and new 2. I've never had a bad smell, I've always felt any smell was just the hay. I brush up poo every morning and empty two litter trays, and then a full clean every 4 days. There is a bit of a smell when they have more veggies now that grass is in short supply, but nothing offensive. I've never had any boar glue or had to clean their bits, and I check every time I pick them up. I've had to pull out some hair that's got stuck with the new guys, but their hair is exceptionally long and I will be trimming it once they're settled. I certainly wouldn't let those things put you off.
 
i have a two floor custom cage i built and i have my girl on the top cage and the boys on the bottom cage. They are currently in my living room and I'm not sure if its because its two boys but their cage always smell terrible i have to keep changing the fleece. For my girl, her cage barely smells.
 
I loved having my NB Mr Ted. He never smelled. He kept his own bits nice & clean. Never needed his grease gland cleaning. He was a real character. Would have another one in a heartbeat if I felt I could afford to have another piggy. He was less trouble than his ladies!
 
I had 2 sows for a few months then added a boar (neutered and 6 weeks post op). I did notice a slight smell at first but all is fine now. He has not yet produced any boar glue. I keep his fluffy fur nice and short to avoid trouble!

He is great fun and spends a lot of time popcorning. I like having a mixed gender group.
 
I have 2 girls (Ruby and Lucy) in one cage, and a mixed pair (Eddi and Oreo) in the other cage.
To be honest I find the female pair smellier and messier than the mixed pair!
Eddi and Oreo seem to have a less 'fraught' relationship - it just seems more stable.
Of course that could also be due to their personalities, and I am sure that living with Ruby is no picnic, so that could account for the girls getting all hormonal with each other on a regular basis.
A neutered boar can still produce boar glue. It is the same principle as a human who has had a vasectomy - the ejaculate is still there, just minus the sperm.
I can't really comment about boys from that perspective as Eddi was neutered before sexual maturity, so he doesn't have the same hormonal drive as most other males (but is still very manly of course).

Given what a tough time you have had @Eileen's Mum it might be worth seeing if you can find a local rescue who will date your girls to find their perfect mates.
 
All my piggies are in neutered boar/ sow groups. It's the best grouping in my opinion and the boars tend to have great personalities.
If the boars are neutered young they don't tend to have active grease glands or odours or suffer from impaction. They still need the occasional Willy wash and check of their perianal sack but they are pretty low maintenance.
Neutered boars can produce boar glue but in all my years of keeping piggies l have never experienced this.
Go for it!
 
Jet has never ever produced before ar glue (or he has hidden it well) does he smell more, generally no but you may find that for whatever reason (usually when you have guests) they will produce an almighty stink - it happens 3 or 4 times a year and I don't really mind it, my cuddly smoochy boy makes up for it.
 
In the past, I've had only boars, and I now have a neutered boar with two sows. I don't find a huge difference between them maintenance-wise, and no difference at all smell-wise. Honestly, I never understood why people feel that boars are smellier? :hmm: They do scent-mark occasionally after a cage-clean, but that really goes away in a few minutes and as long as the cage is cleaned regularly, I never had any issues. They've lived indoors, in our living room, so I really think I would have noticed any weird smells.

In my experience, the boars are sweet and mallow, especially after they're past the hormonal stage, and they very much enjoy human company. In contrast, the two girls I now have are opinionated divas and can be very wild when in season. I also think Rosie (the neutered boar) is very good at smoothing over any trouble brewing between the girls and balances the mood in the cage.

In short, I don't think I'll ever move away from keeping a herd of neutered board + sow(s). Judging from my research and personal experience, their bond is very stable and unproblematic in the long run.
 
I've got 4 unneutered boars. One pair are now 3 years old and one of them recently needed his sac cleaned. One had a sperm rod stuck once when he was younger. I think I've cleaned their grease glands twice each in the three years when they've got hair and hay caught up, but they are rarely greasy. There's a couple of very small bits of boar glue stuck on one of my fleeces and Peanut has a lump stuck on his back at the moment (first time ever). Peanut has been ill recently and I think Spike has taken advantage of him while he didn't feel up to pushing him off! They live in my living room and there is hardly ever any smell other than hay, fresh poops can smell but I imagine sows would too. I've had no problem from the younger boars, but I've only had Rusty a week so maybe time will tell. I love my boars, they have great personalities.
 
Haven’t had any problems with my boys! They keep their sows in check by ushering them back in from the garden etc! Just love watching Oliver nosing the little ones back into their area once he feels they’ve been out long enough! They are very fond of him too - always following him in and out of the door!
I think your single girls would benefit from a boars company!
I know your set up is much different from mine but I’m sure it would still work just as well. Xx
 
ive several boars,some in pairs,and some in neutered boar and 3 sows,ive not noticed any smell.i have an older boar whom occasionally has impaction.i love boars,ive a very clever and vavacious boar called Carlton and he is very friendly.
 
The only whiff I get from Colin is when he needs his impaction dealing with.

He has never tried it on with Hettie and I have to say that although she got on fine with Tilly, she seems to get along even better with Colin. They enjoy chasing around the enclosure and she enjoys being the boss!
 
My two boys are quite different to each other. Errol never really smells at all and never has any problems down below. I check him just like you'll check ladies for signs of cysts etc.
Binky is a little bit smelly occasionally but that is because he's an old man and when he sleeps he often wets himself. Unlike Errol who moves after urinating, Binky often doesn't even wake up so he smells because he's lying in wee. I give him a bum bath every week or two and that sorts it because he doesn't do it too often :)
I've never seen boar glue from either of them. They have never been impacted and the only complication has been when Binky injured his penis! See this link if you're curious but be warned, the pictures aren't pretty! Boar Penis Injury - Help!

Having never owned girls they seem more complicated and risky, but ask someone who has never had boys and they'll say the same the other way.
All piggies are lovely, regardless of what is between their legs! And things like temperament and smell depend on the individual pig, not their sex/gender!
 
Over the years I've had several boar pairings, and I now have a neutered boar with three girls.

Tbh Mr Brunel is very little trouble and I haven't really noticed a smell, although mine live outside/in the shed. He's very good at keeping his girls in order, and given the antics of my two youngest, I'm really glad he's there as I think the bond of the two youngest might not work very well without him.
 
I've had 3 neutered boars.

Peter I had him neutered and he lived with me for 6 years. I never had to clean his Willy or deal with impaction. Never had to clean his grease gland and he didn't smell.

Buddy - I had him neutered. He had a bit of impaction problems afterwards but we found a deep seated abscess that probably caused that. It was in his abdomen and by the time it was palpable etc it was so large and he passed shortly after the op to remove.

Donald - my current boar doesn't smell. He has however been left with an "outey" following his neuter. It's safe but it does collect a bit extra dirt and a damp cloth cleans him up easily - I find I need to do this less than once a week at present. It also means he tends to pee down one leg so being long haired I need to keep him bum hair nice and trim
 
I have 2 neutered boars no problem with impaction. They very rarely need their willies washed and no sperm rods either (probably with 3 wives between them they get a lot of 'action'!) I have never had to clean either grease gland. I keep them outside in a hutch but there is no smell to the hutch in the morning when I lift up the blanket and the hutch hugger.
 
Betsy said:
I have 2 neutered boars no problem with impaction. They very rarely need their willies washed and no sperm rods either (probably with 3 wives between them they get a lot of 'action'!) I have never had to clean either grease gland. I keep them outside in a hutch but there is no smell to the hutch in the morning when I lift up the blanket and the hutch hugger.
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What is a hutch hugger? Is it like a tree hugger?!
 
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