Trio Of Boars

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Tomtom123

Tomtom123

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I am a New Guinea pig owner. My name is Lin and I have a trio of boars due to the wrong advice given to me by the breeder. Two of my guineas ar at war and we have had to separate them. They are all approx 6 months old and I believe they are all hormonal teenagers! I have been in touch with a lovely lady who rescues piggies and have been given, I consider to be, very good advice. I had already separated the two who don't get on and my husband is in the process of splitting the two storey hutch. Because I really do not want to have one of them re homed we have made the decision to have one neutered so that we can asap introduce a sow. We have weighed up the pros and cons of the operation and feel this is our only choice. I have spoken to the breeder who maintains that none of her guineas, allegedly even trios, have never been a problem.
 
Hello. Welcome to the forum. Trios of boars rarely work and you are right to have separated them. Getting one neutered and finding a sow for him six weeks after is a great idea. If you go to a rescue he can choose his own sow. This will save any fall outs.

Unfortunately most breeders just want money and don't have the guinea pigs needs as a priority.

This link will show you your nearest rescue,
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
 
You are doing the right thing. Breeders unfortunately are well known for giving wrong advice. If you are splitting the cage just make sure that your pair of boys are on the top as lady smells coming down will upset your bonded pair of boys, good luck :)
 
Hi and welcome!

Sadly, far too many breeders and shops still sell baby boar trios without acknowledging the fact that up 90% of them need separation during the hormonal teenage months between 4-14 months of age until they reach a more settled adulthood. 6 months of age is a typical spike time. :(

Please be aware that if you neuter, you will need to research for a good general vet with lots of practice in piggy neutering (often for a rescue) or a small animal specialist in order to minimise especially the otherwise much higher risk of post op complications.
You also have to factor in a full 6 weeks post op wait until a boar is 100% safe to go with a sow. I have the surprise baby courtesy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post op rescue boar living with me, just to prove that particular point!
That said, cross gender bondings are the most stable once initial acceptance has happened. if you want to go cross gender, please keep the mixed pair on the lower level, safely out of sight and reach of pheromones from the boys. Unfortunately, your little boy is facing some time on his own for the sake of a happy future. We have got bonding advice as well as experience on here. You are also welcome to start a thread for ongoing support and tips before, during and after the op in our health/illness section. You will have to keep him indoors for the initial recovery period.

It would be good if you considered bringing your piggies under cover for the winter; we are getting our first frosty nights this week.

We have got a piggy savvy UK vets locator on the top bar, as well as a recommended good standard guinea pig rescues locator. Sadly, Essex is a bit of a breeder county, so we cannot list any rescues from there with good conscience and have to send you out of the county for a good rescue we can guarantee for. There is one in Chelmsford that runs to a good standard with quarantine and pregnancy watch if you don't mind that they take in unwanted breeder piggies (and are indirectly supporting breeding and - sadly to say - breeder's attitudes as the one you have encountered) and not necessarily rescues in the strict sense.
 
I have just separated my trio, and as I don't wish Whiskey to be neutered I have gone down the route of finding a baby boar as his cage mate. I found this successful with my other two pigs and so hopefully all will be well this time- Good luck with whatever you decide
 
rosie and bramble said:
You are doing the right thing. Breeders unfortunately are well known for giving wrong advice. If you are splitting the cage just make sure that your pair of boys are on the top as lady smells coming down will upset your bonded pair of boys, good luck :)
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Thank you for your advice. We have now converted the hutch and have put Buddy on the "ground floor" ready for when he has had the op and we find a sow for him.
 
Hi I have 3, 6month old boars too :) I took all three on as they are brothers and were living with sows so I didn't want one to struggle bonding had we left him. They were babies when I brought them and I did know I may have to take one of them out at some point which I had too a few weeks back after my Oreo was bitten 3 times during the night. I was going to split their hutch into two levels like you plan too but I was told this would not work as they are to close to each other and can still smell each other. I now have two hutches and Oreo is going to a great rescue centre on Monday to see if we can bond him with one of their single boars as I felt sending him for the snip ;) was too risky plus it's nearly £100 to have the op were I live.
Kell.
 
Please give Buddy a soft cuddly piggy sized toy that you have rubbed against him or some soiled hay (so it smells right) for snuggling up.
 
piggyfan said:
Hello. Welcome to the forum. Trios of boars rarely work and you are right to have separated them. Getting one neutered and finding a sow for him six weeks after is a great idea. If you go to a rescue he can choose his own sow. This will save any fall outs.

Unfortunately most breeders just want money and don't have the guinea pigs needs as a priority.

This link will show you your nearest rescue,
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
Click to expand...
I
My3cuteBoys said:
Hi I have 3, 6month old boars too :) I took all three on as they are brothers and were living with sows so I didn't want one to struggle bonding had we left him. They were babies when I brought them and I did know I may have to take one of them out at some point which I had too a few weeks back after my Oreo was bitten 3 times during the night. I was going to split their hutch into two levels like you plan too but I was told this would not work as they are to close to each other and can still smell each other. I now have two hutches and Oreo is going to a great rescue centre on Monday to see if we can bond him with one of their single boars as I felt sending him for the snip ;) was too risky plus it's nearly £100 to have the op were I live.
Kell.
Click to expand...
hi Kell
The op where I live is £40 so I am quite lucky there. I have now split the hutch with two of my boys at the top and Buddy now on his own at the bottom. We were advised to put the sow, when we get her, in the bottom part of the hutch with Buddy(he's the one going for the op). We have not taken this decision lightly as one we have no room for another hutch and we did not want to send Buddy to be re homed. All we can do now is to hope that all goes well with the op. I really can't say that we are not worried but I will let you know the outcome. Everything crossed!!
 
Yes Keep us posted, I have my fingers crossed his op goes ok too. £40 is a great price I think my vet charges a lot but she's the only exotic vet anywhere near me, she's good though (It's £25 just to see her).
I was lucky I had room for another hutch It was the rescue centre that said I could not house my boys in the same hutch together. Like you rehoming a loved piggy is a no no, so it's a case of finding what works best for you :)
kell
 
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