Should I get a neutered boar for my group?

[MollythePiggylover]

First I would like to apologize if I put this in the wrong section of ¨daily care and travel¨ so please forgive me if I got that wrong. Our piggies will be getting a new cage this year! Therefore they will all live together instead of separately (we still let them have floor time together). Anyway, I thought that we should get a male to be the new boss pig for our four females, should we?

 

[Piggies&buns]

First, any piggies who are not properly bonded and don’t live together should not have Floor time together. To them each meeting is a bonding session which then gets interrupted meaning they never complete their process and have to start all over again Each time you put them together. This is stressful for them. unless they can all be in the same together and properly bonded, then don’t have them out at the same time.

is your cage big enough for five piggies? That is a 7x2 c&c cage or a cage measuring 240cm x 60cm.
do you have the ability to cope with five?
adding a neutered boar to your females will not necessarily mean he is the boss though, usually it’s still the sows who are in charge.
if you do decide to get a neutered boar, then the safest way is via dating at a rescue centre. The sows will still need to accept the boar into the herd so if you get a boar on spec then you won’t know if he will in fact be accepted.
if you were to take on a boar who hasn’t been neutered he will need to live alongside the girls in a very secure cage, he will have to be neutered and have his six week post op before you could attempt any bonding (And as it will be a bonding without prior dating, you will need to keep a plan in mind for him to live separately in case the girls don’t accept him).

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

 

[MollythePiggylover]

Okay, thank you! I'm confused that you said they are not properly bonded.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Okay, thank you! I'm confused that you said they are not properly bonded.

How are they living? do they each have their own cage or do you have two pairs living together?

 

[MollythePiggylover]

two of the piggies are in a cage together and the other two are in the same room but in separate cages

 

[Piggies&buns]

two of the piggies are in a cage together and the other two are in the same room but in separate cages

then only the two who live together are bonded to each other and have a functioning hierarchy of one dominant and one submissive in each pair. Each pair is not bonded to each other and all four of them do not have a functioning hierarchy between them. Therefore, if I’ve read it right And you let all four of them out together at the same time, then they attempt to bond as a quartet at every meeting which is then cut short when you put them back into their own cages so they never form a hierarchy between all four.

when you intend to have all four of them live together in one cage, then you will need to put them all into a bonding pen and leave them for several hours. The dominant piggy in each pair will then need to come to an agreement over which one of them is going To be the dominant of all four of them, and the one who was the dominant will have to agree to step down. It will then take a further two full weeks of living together before they properly form their relationship as a quartet. If they don’t agree and neither of them want to relinquish their position as dominant and to step down to be number 2 then you will not be able to have all four of them living together.

 

[MollythePiggylover]

Now I see. We have done this before (meaning we have put them in a bonding pen together), the oldest piggy is the leader, and the more dominant one in the pair is number 2. We still have to build the cage before we can take the next step.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Now I see. We have done this before (meaning we have put them in a bonding pen together), the oldest piggy is the leader, and the more dominant one in the pair is number 2. We still have to build the cage before we can take the next step.

did you not have the space to keep them together when you tried to bond them before then? once you start bonding it needs to be a one time thing to see it through to conclusion and once successful, they shouldn't be separated again. things would have reverted back now so you will have to see how it goes. you dont say how old they are, but as sows age they become less likely to adapt so there is not necessarily a guarantee that they will be so willing to give up their leadership .

 

[Siikibam]

If they’re not yet bonded into a quartet then don’t re-introduce until you have the cage that can house them all together. Hope it goes well when you do it

 

[Tara95]

I have a neuteured boar who is living with my sows from yesterday. I definitely think he adds something different to my herd and he is full of character. He was the only male in the litter and the brother to two of my youngest yet largest sows. I have a total of 5 in my herd and all the females are in love with him and he is very much in love with them all. When he was originally introduced he caused some friction amongst the sows as they had to sort out the hierarchy again. But now he's settled in the herd they all seem so much calmer and happier now- not just him. I really like it as I feel this is how nature intended it to be and it's better to work with nature rather than working against it. This is how they'd live in the wild one male to numerous females. I would say getting a male neuteured yourself is very stressful- so much can go wrong and there is a higher chance of death compared to most animals when they go under anaesthetic. My male had to be syringed fed for a few days and then he had a nasty infection which required a few different antibiotics and lots of vet trips! If you are going to go for it make sure you have atleast half a week off to monitor/syringe feed if necessary. It's amazing when it works out but it is an expensive and stressful procedure and you definitely need to have the time available to deal with it. I'm so happy that he's happy though and I think it was worth it but you just need to be prepared. And as said you'll need a big cage. I'm currently building a cage slightly bigger than a 6 by 6 for my guinea pigs. I've gone for a bigger but cheaper option and I'm pleased to say the whole thing came to about £17 to make as I didn't use my grids in the end. I'll be posting some pictures soon If you want some ideas . Best of luck!
EDIT: and also I was surprised to discover than my Rumbling boar is not the boss of the sow group he is very gentle and kind to all of the girls! The girls boss* him! But I wouldn't say he's bottom pig either