Sexing Help! I thought I was sure, now I'm not!

[Yorkshirelass7]

I have 4 x 2-week old babies. We were given a female to keep our lonely single elderly female company after the loss of her sister.

Turns out she was already pregnant! Hence 4 babies. So, we thought we had two boys and two girls. Just rechecked them using the guide on here and now think 4 boys. Can anybody please help?

Thank you!

 

[VickiA]

Really sorry to hear of your situation. Unfortunately your photos are not clear enough for me to give a definitive answer on such an important issue although I have a suspicion with 2 of them.
Please can you obtain clear close up photos in good lighting of the slits and very gently of the insides of the slits.
Sexing is a tactile as well as visual process. You need to feel for the presence or absence of a penis ridge. And you need to look inside the slits. Sows have fleshy seals whereas boars have a straight up & down slit.
Please keep a close eye on weights as boars need removing at 250g weight or 21 days whichever comes first.


Illustrated Sexing Guide

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Thank you so much for your reply. We tried again and again for clear photos with these little wrigglers! No4, the black one's bits have always looked male, along with No3. I can feel the little rice grain too. No1 and No2 looked like female parts, but today they look more like the other two and I think I can feel rice grains in them too now!

They are all about 180g atm but we'll try again tomorrow for clearer photos. We must decide by the weekend and already have a second set up ready for any males. Thanks again, I'll be back tomorrow!

 

[VickiA]

Oh I share your pain - photographing wriggly kicky little pups is no fun even with an extra pair of hands

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

I hope these are a bit clearer, it's such a challenge! Thank you

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Really sorry to hear of your situation. Unfortunately your photos are not clear enough for me to give a definitive answer on such an important issue although I have a suspicion with 2 of them.
Please can you obtain clear close up photos in good lighting of the slits and very gently of the insides of the slits.
Sexing is a tactile as well as visual process. You need to feel for the presence or absence of a penis ridge. And you need to look inside the slits. Sows have fleshy seals whereas boars have a straight up & down slit.
Please keep a close eye on weights as boars need removing at 250g weight or 21 days whichever comes first.


Illustrated Sexing Guide

Are the newer photos any more helpful? Just weighed them and they are between 206-233g so time is of the essence! Help!

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

I can't advise @Yorkshirelass7 but when I was unsure eons ago my vet checked for me. Is that an option? Or is there no vet close enough you can trust to get this right?

 

[VickiA]

The photos are still not ideal.
Tagging @Wiebke for her input.
3 & 4 look like boars but you need to be sure. Take a good look at the slit. - is the slit straight up & down?

 

[VickiA]

I can’t see clearly what the inside of the slits look like. The photos don’t really help to show whether it’s straight up and down or whether there’s little fleshy bits inside. I can’t work out if what I’m saying is a female keyhole slit or a straight slit.

Sex is too important to get wrong so I’m not going to commit with any degree of certainty.

 

[Wiebke]

I have 4 x 2-week old babies. We were given a female to keep our lonely single elderly female company after the loss of her sister.

Turns out she was already pregnant! Hence 4 babies. So, we thought we had two boys and two girls. Just rechecked them using the guide on here and now think 4 boys. Can anybody please help?

Thank you!

#3 and #4 are definitely boys. I am leaning towards girls with #1 and #2 but am agreeing with @VickiA that the pictures are not showing enough of the slit inside to be really sure.

Could you please feel the little boys for their tiny penis shaft ridge (about the size of a basmati rice corn) under the skin just above the penis button. It is quite distinctive.
Then try babies #1 and #2. If you feel the same, you have a boy. If you cannot feel anything in that spot and it is just soft, then you have obviously girls. Your two older sows are also soft in that area. Look inside their slits for comparison as well to see whether the two babies look more similar to them or their brother when you pry the slit apart further.

 

[VickiA]

#3 and #4 are definitely boys. I am leaning towards girls with #1 and #2 but am agreeing with @VickiA that the pictures are not showing enough of the slit inside to be really sure.

Could you please feel the little boys for their tiny penis shaft ridge (about the size of a basmati rice corn) under the skin just above the penis button. It is quite distinctive.
Then try babies #1 and #2. If you feel the same, you have a boy. If you cannot feel anything in that spot and it is just soft, then you have obviously girls. Your two older sows are also soft in that area. Look inside their slits for comparison as well to see whether the two babies look more similar to them or their brothers when you pry the slit apart further.

Thanks @Wiebke

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Hi again! Today the babies are 20 days old and almost 250g so we've taken more pics in daylight, trying to hold them with tighter grips! Please could you have another look and help us the best you can!

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

more for No.4

 

[CTWC]

I hope the experts are able to give a definite answer on your babies

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Hi again! Today the babies are 20 days old and almost 250g so we've taken more pics in daylight, trying to hold them with tighter grips! Please could you have another look and help us the best you can!

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

I've put more pics on - are you able to help? Thank you so much! x

 

[CTWC]

@Wiebke

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

@VickiA

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Baby #1 one is clearly a girl and baby #2 is a boy, as are the two already identified ones. That should sort out your remaining pups.

Please double check yourself by feeling for the penis shaft - you should be able to feel something in this area in 3 of the pups. The ridge feels like a hard basmati rice corn just under the skin in babies and is very distinctive. Sows don't have it.


PS: Please accept that I am currently dealing with several major health issues and some very strong medication playing into each other, which unfortunately do impact on my eyesight and my ability to concentrate.
I do what I can and whenever I can do it on here but I have to respect my day form and I have to put my own wellbeing first.

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Thank you for your input, I'll have another feel for the basmati rice penis! One time I thought I could feel it on just the two dark ones, another time I thought I could feel it on all four!

This evening we will decide and separate them xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your input, I'll have another feel for the basmati rice penis! One time I thought I could feel it on just the two dark ones, another time I thought I could feel it on all four!

This evening we will decide and separate them xx

As far as I can see you have most definitely got one girl and the other are all boys.

For what to do with three boys once they hit puberty and a potential fall-out see the last chapter:
Baby sexing - Boar separation and moving on

 

[VickiA]

Sorry - can only pop in periodically at the moment. Glad you’re sorted.

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

Right, we have been out today and have followed the very kind and freely given advice on here which we are SO grateful for! I hope to repay the compliment by being a good contributor on this forum as I go on this accidental piggie journey!

I had a niggle about the penis ridge as I was sure the other day I could feel it on all four. We have had a good look and a very gentle feel and their little willies popped out! Our No.1 also had a little rice bump but is also our smallest. Turns out...we have 4 boys!

I'll attach pics here. The penis ridge was a lot more obvious today as they've grown quite a lot in 48 hours.

Thank you again for your help, we wouldn't have had the confidence to keep checking without the help and guidance on here.

Off to move them into the batchelor quarters now!

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so pleased you’ve managed to figure out their sexes. It’s such a hard job. More than just looking at photos. That’s why we let the experts answer. I must admit these 4 were very tricky. I usually have a go and then see if I’m right once the experts have answered.

 

[CTWC]

That's wonderful news so you can pair the boys off so to speak no one is left out

 

[Yorkshirelass7]

We are now in the process of building a lovely outdoor enclosure for them with boys' area and girls' area. I can't quite believe that we've gone from one elderly female needing a companion to 7 piggies and building Piggington Palace!

Funny how they steal your heart.

Thanks again all, much appreciated xx

 

[Wiebke]

Right, we have been out today and have followed the very kind and freely given advice on here which we are SO grateful for! I hope to repay the compliment by being a good contributor on this forum as I go on this accidental piggie journey!

I had a niggle about the penis ridge as I was sure the other day I could feel it on all four. We have had a good look and a very gentle feel and their little willies popped out! Our No.1 also had a little rice bump but is also our smallest. Turns out...we have 4 boys!

I'll attach pics here. The penis ridge was a lot more obvious today as they've grown quite a lot in 48 hours.

Thank you again for your help, we wouldn't have had the confidence to keep checking without the help and guidance on here.

Off to move them into the batchelor quarters now!View attachment 266549View attachment 266550View attachment 266551View attachment 266552View attachment 266553

I must admit that I did struggle with yours; that is why I have insisted so much on the hands-on check. With all of the same it is always extra difficult. Babies can be sometimes really difficult to sex just from pictures. At least your 4 boys will hopefully divide into two pairs once they come up towards teenage at 3-4 months of age.

Quartets are the most unstable of boar groupings, whether they are litter brothers or not. I would recommend that you plan the boar enclosure so you can split it if needed. Try to work out which two boys would go together best in pairs before they hit the big teenage hormones.
In our long term experience on this forum (which is coming up towards 20 years) the most common result is a 2-1-1 constellation (i.e. one pair and singles resulting from a dysfunctional quartet) but we have also had a few cases where owners have ended up with four singles.

 

[weepweeps]

I’ve had four single boars before. But mine was the result of a pet shop telling me two pairs of already bonded piggies would live together.

 

[VickiA]

It’s always very difficult to tell from a photo alone unless it’s an adult pig. But well done for checking and double checking. The hands on tactile check is the best way to be certain, and paid dividend with your boys today. Please do be ready to separate them into 2 pairs as they won’t be able to live together in the long term.