Two Boars with a Sex Problem

[Cavy chaos]

I have two 18 month old boars that are good friends and dont fight. I also have two females housed above. The two boars get pretty humpy with each other at times and I have found boar glue stuck to one repeatedly. This boar glue is stuck under his chin and I have noticed it because it has hardened and pulled his lip down. I have had to trim it out with a clipper that (doesnt cut skin) I use for face and paw of my dog. I have just worked out that he maybe engaging in self satisfaction. They like to perfume the place as well. He is bald from chin to chest now. I wonder if I should have them neutered as they seem to work themselves up to some humpy frenzy a lot.

 

[ScrufflesRules]

I think lots of us with boars have experienced similar problems unfortunately, but as far as I'm aware neutering won't change things at all.
From personal experience, things do tend to calm down after the teenage years- 18 months to 2 years is often the most energetic period.
If you haven't read it already, this article is well worth a read regarding general boar care: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths.

Beautiful boys though

 

[Piggies&buns]

That is very normal for boars. Neutering won’t change it I’m afraid. As above, they will call down as they age

 

[Wiebke]

I have two 18 month old boars that are good friends and dont fight. I also have two females housed above. The two boars get pretty humpy with each other at times and I have found boar glue stuck to one repeatedly. This boar glue is stuck under his chin and I have noticed it because it has hardened and pulled his lip down. I have had to trim it out with a clipper that (doesnt cut skin) I use for face and paw of my dog. I have just worked out that he maybe engaging in self satisfaction. They like to perfume the place as well. He is bald from chin to chest now. I wonder if I should have them neutered as they seem to work themselves up to some humpy frenzy a lot.

Hi

As long as the boys don't fight, please leave them. Over time, they will produce a calming compound in the constant presence of sow pheromones; especially when the girls are in season. Your boys have just entered adulthood and are only just starting to come up to the prime of their lives.

Please be aware that by housing the sows above the boars, pheromones from sows in season drift down each time. For this reason we usually recommend to house the boys above the sows, as it takes a really strong strong season for pheromones to create a proper cloud.

However, in the absence of fights, you have to weigh up whether it is better to leave your boys as they are or risk it with a change of territory and a re-establishment of the group in their new territory with all the attendant dominance behaviour. Personally, as far as boars are concerned, my advice is to please not to rock a boat that is not in any danger of capsizing.

The overproduction of semen fluid will also gradually settle down once they get further into adulthood. Neutering won't change semen production, masturbating into their own mouths or social dominance behaviours. All that neutering does is remove the ability to make babies.

You may find these links here helpful and thought provoking:
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (see especially chapters 2 and 3)

Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

 

[Cavy chaos]

Hi

As long as the boys don't fight, please leave them. Over time, they will produce a calming compound in the constant presence of sow pheromones; especially when the girls are in season. Your boys have just entered adulthood and are only just starting to come up to the prime of their lives.

Please be aware that by housing the sows above the boars, pheromones from sows in season drift down each time. For this reason we usually recommend to house the boys above the sows, as it takes a really strong strong season for pheromones to create a proper cloud.

However, in the absence of fights, you have to weigh up whether it is better to leave your boys as they are or risk it with a change of territory and a re-establishment of the group in their new territory with all the attendant dominance behaviour. Personally, as far as boars are concerned, my advice is to please not to rock a boat that is not in any danger of capsizing.

The overproduction of semen fluid will also gradually settle down once they get further into adulthood. Neutering won't change semen production, masturbating into their own mouths or social dominance behaviours. All that neutering does is remove the ability to make babies.

You may find these links here helpful and thought provoking:
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (see especially chapters 2 and 3)

Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

Thank you for your advice. I will swap the boars and sows over today, I was thinking the hormones would rise upwards. I have bought some coconut oil for his dry skin and applied it to the semen and it has loosened. This is the first time I have had a bonded pair of boars,I have only had a neutered boar and group of sows before. I lost a lot of guinea pigs last year and when I went to the rescue this pair was very sweet and I think the lady needed someone to take boars. The information on boars is very helpful as the they are a mystery to me.
Happy New Year.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your advice. I will swap the boars and sows over today, I was thinking the hormones would rise upwards. I have bought some coconut oil for his dry skin and applied it to the semen and it has loosened. This is the first time I have had a bonded pair of boars,I have only had a neutered boar and group of sows before. I lost a lot of guinea pigs last year and when I went to the rescue this pair was very sweet and I think the lady needed someone to take boars. The information on boars is very helpful as the they are a mystery to me.
Happy New Year.View attachment 279971

Hi

Please don't swap your piggies.

They have proved that they are fine as they are and that you clearly don't have to worry about fall-outs or fights between the boys. You are lucky to have a couple of non-aggressive and not very dominant boys and that they have started to produce the calming compound.

You can think about a cage swap when one boy dies.

It will only spark dominance behaviours as they have to re-establish their group in their new territory, not speak about the remnants of all those pheromones in the new location.

 

[Cavy chaos]

Hi

Please don't swap your piggies.

They have proved that they are fine as they are and that you clearly don't have to worry about fall-outs or fights between the boys. You are lucky to have a couple of non-aggressive and not very dominant boys and that they have started to produce the calming compound.

You can think about a cage swap when one boy dies.

It will only spark dominance behaviours as they have to re-establish their group in their new territory, not speak about the remnants of all those pheromones in the new location.

I had already swapped them before I saw your message. I havent noticed any difference whatsoever. I did rub some coconut oil into their dry ears and skin dry patches maybe the coconut smell helped (they have dry skin being Teddies). They are currently sleeping side by side as usual, they are very sweet. I cleaned the cage area really well before swapping. I seem to have dodged the fighting. X

 

[Wiebke]

I had already swapped them before I saw your message. I havent noticed any difference whatsoever. I did rub some coconut oil into their dry ears and skin dry patches maybe the coconut smell helped (they have dry skin being Teddies). They are currently sleeping side by side as usual, they are very sweet. I cleaned the cage area really well before swapping. I seem to have dodged the fighting. X

You know, I would not worry - your boys seem to be very much on the laidback side and seem to have a very strong and stable bond. The semen overproduction is going to settle down with age. They are currently in their biological prime und their bodies react to that.

As long as you have treated against fungal and mites and have been able to exclude those, then dry skin and patchy hair loss is acceptable in teddies but it can only ever be a default and not a primary diagnosis.
My Nerys (the teddy in my avatar picture on the left) did suffer from teddy skin as well, as did my Nye; so I have personal experience. By far not all teddies get it, though.