Three guinea pigs - introducing a boar to two sows

[Bracken49]

We have two sows who are about eight months old. They get along very well but are both quite shy around us. Happy to take food from us but not keen on being picked up and held. Our local pet shop has a boar that has been returned to them as it fought with its brother (who was injured). He is about five months old and my daughter has fallen for him. I was toying with getting a third anyway and wonder if anyone has any advice about a boar in these circumstances, as I am a bit worried that he may be aggressive if he has fought with his brother. The pet shop say he has a warm character and sometimes boars do clash (they have been very open about the reasons for the return), but I don't want to upset our happy pair of sows. Poor thing looks quite sad on his own!

I know we would need to get him neutered (I do not want any babies!), but wondered if anyone had any advice. Is it easy to introduce a boar to an established pair of sows?
Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

We have two sows who are about eight months old. They get along very well but are both quite shy around us. Happy to take food from us but not keen on being picked up and held. Our local pet shop has a boar that has been returned to them as it fought with its brother (who was injured). He is about five months old and my daughter has fallen for him. I was toying with getting a third anyway and wonder if anyone has any advice about a boar in these circumstances, as I am a bit worried that he may be aggressive if he has fought with his brother. The pet shop say he has a warm character and sometimes boars do clash (they have been very open about the reasons for the return), but I don't want to upset our happy pair of sows. Poor thing looks quite sad on his own!

I know we would need to get him neutered (I do not want any babies!), but wondered if anyone had any advice. Is it easy to introduce a boar to an established pair of sows?
Thanks

Hi!

Sadly pet shop piggies are generally chosen for looks and not for who they hang out with even though character compatibility and mutual liking. Add to that a too small cage that doesn't allow the boars to get away from each other so they are forced to fight and you have the perfect conditions for the teenage hormone storm...

Several of my own 'husboars' past and present have been failed pet shop boars; they have or are currently having the happiest of boar lives in the company of one to several sows. My biggest unbondable teenage bully boy had 5 1/2 years of a dream life being the charismatic patriarch of a group of sows that numbered up to 13 in his heyday...
Here is Hywel defending a plate of grass against his wives!

Please be aware that finding a good neutering vet is key to keeping the risk of post-op complications down. You also have to factor in a full 6 weeks post-op safety wait. The little baby in my avatar picture on the left was in fact the unplanned legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op boar (not one of mine); just to prove that particular point!
You can find all the information on neutering operations and what neutering does and does not via this link here: Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

The ages sound good; your girls are at an ideal age for accepting boars but ultimately it very much depends on how dominant the leader and the boy are. I would recommend to keep him in a traditional cage next to the sows during his post-op wait so they can get used to each other and make friends through the bars. Please be aware that boars can be amazingly athletic and determined when they get a full dose pf pheromones from a sow experiencing a strong season. Teenage boys at the height of their testosterone production (5-7 months) can go into kind of humping overload and lose the connection to the their brain for couple of days when they gonads take over.
Here is our bonding guide with a chapter on mixed gender bondings: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

I hope that the information and our in-depth guides do help you?

 

[Bracken49]

Thank you, that is all very helpful. I guess my real fear is that the bonding will fail and I'll end up with the two sows and a lonely guinea pig boar - I don't really want more than 3 guinea pigs. I think though from looking through the advice, that there is no real way of knowing that in advance.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, that is all very helpful. I guess my real fear is that the bonding will fail and I'll end up with the two sows and a lonely guinea pig boar - I don't really want more than 3 guinea pigs. I think though from looking through the advice, that there is no real way of knowing that in advance.

No, unfortunately you can never predict the outcome. If you want to play it safe, then the best place is rescue dating a neutered boar at one of our recommended good standard rescues that offer this service; you are guaranteed to adopt a fully quarantined/vet cared/healthy, properly sexed, not pregnant piggy that has had regular friendly human interaction at the rescue.
Dating under expert supervision means that you come home with a piggy only if acceptance has happened. If you do the bonding at home, then you'd better have a plan B in case things don't go quite to plan.
Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues

The tips in my first post are there to help acceptance as much as much as possible. Familiarity through the bars is one of the measures that can help quite a bit once your boy has passed his quarantine.
Importance Of Quarantine