Why are sows more popular?

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Iceax

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As above peeps, i see most people have lots of sows is there a reason for this?

Thanks

Andy
 
I think they smell less and are more likely to get on.

I have 3 boars living together though and have never had any girlies so I'm probably not the best person to answer your question!
 
They are often prettier, smell less, smaller and you can have them in large groups and they're less likely to fight I guess.

A lot of people say that boars are better pets though, and more relaxed and friendly. :)

I'm not sure if that's true, because my girls are from pet shops so quite skittish, but my boys aren't so they're laid back and friendly. But I'll see what I think when I get some more girls from somewhere else. :)
 
I only have boys and they have such characters! They are so much more vocal too compared to my sister in laws five girlies who never seem to have much to squeek about , but i suppose its down to personality of the piggies :) my boys are quite house tidy too and will always go to loo in their toilet area, and unlike my sister in laws they both very friendly and much more braver in exploring! :) But then saying that they do get in their squabbles and i suppose girls can be much more relaxed around one another and you can keep them in larger groups :)
 
Thanks,

I was starting to worry that id made the wronge decision going for boars.

I'm sure most people will agree that boys are always less maintenance and cheaper/easier to please ;)

Oh yes and less catty of course ;)

Andy

/ill get my coat!
 
I have sows purely by accident really. I got Amber thinking she was a boar and was going to pair her up with Bailey, when I got her home I thought I'd double check the sex against Guinea Lynx and realised she was a sow.
Bailey was 4 at that point and I didn't want to risk neutering, so I put them in cages side by side.
When Bailey went to Rainbow Bridge I wanted a companion for Amber and got her a little sow friend.
 
It's easier to add more pigs to your herd with sows. Boars who work in larger constellations than pairs are not very common.

One of my girls is definitely smellier and messier than my neutered boar. The boar is the tamest, but I don't know if that's because he is a boar or because he is he.

If you know you only want two, get boars, if you think you may want to add onto the heard get a neutered boar and a sow or two sows. All sows will not happily accept a boar though, so if you know you'll want one you may want to get him from the beginning.
 
I know boars and boys in general animal/ pet keeping have always had a bit of bad press for fighting and getting into disagreements/ being harder to keep etc but i always think that if you give them plenty of room, lots of mental stimulation through toys and food, and lots of tlc they'll live quite happily side by side.

I was given a guinea piggy book by my neighbours, and it was wrote a very long time ago (1980's lol) and in bold letters it stated that boys should not under any circumstances be kept together but i guess it just shows how times have changed and how guinea pig keeping has shown that boys can be kept together :) I have heard of girl piggies fighting too, just like some boys but you cant just catagarise a behaviour to one sex, all piggies are different just like us people!

Anywhoos you havent made a wrong decision, most boys get along just fine you may just have to watch for any disagreements becoming more than a disgruntled squeek , theres a great thread of boar behaviour (Id suggest having a read through it its very helpful!)

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949

Hope your boys are settling in well and enjoying their new home! :)
 
I have 3 boys and 3 girls. Having sows is new to me, because i have just had boars for 4 years. :)
 
All 3 of my boys have completely different personalities. I went for boys as with all animals in general I find boys to be a bit nicer to people. My oldest boy Gizmo who is nearly 2 is ridiculously tame, he never runs away when I pick him up and he loves his cuddes. Nigel who is also nearly 2 likes to run around more than gizmo and will run away when I pick him up but I have always got the impression that he thinks of it as a game. My youngest Christopher is extremely hyperactive and popcorns all day long. He didn't have the best start in life so is still skittish but is learning fast.
 
I happened to fall for the big eyes of a sow when I started with guinea pigs again...

Sows have the advantage that you can have them in larger groups (with or without a neutered male). On the other hand, boars are often much more laid back and cuddlier...

Boars often have a bad press in terms of fall outs; often due to being kept in too small pet shop cages. That is the reason why some pet shops actively discourage people from keeping two boars together! However, the majority of boars do stay together and if you rehome a bonded pair from a rescue, you can pretty sure that you will not have many problems. malletheadmalletheadmallethead

The most stable bonding is a cross gender bonding, provided that a sow will accept a boar in the first place.

After a couple sow-sow bondings I ended up with my latest bereaved girl chosing between three neutered boars when there were no sows to be found in any of the local rescues - and everything went from there; Llewelyn has become the corner stone of my current tribe after his first lady died last summer at the age of five. :))
 
We were not bothered if we got boys or girls when we got our first pair, but Simon fell in love with Pippa at first sight and so girls it was!

We were led to believe that boys can be more loving but are prone to fall-out but it didn't really influnece our decision, we just wanted a pair of pigs

Having sows has, however, allowed us to add two more piggies (another little girl and most recently a neutered boy) to our little group.

As for character, I think it depends less on the sex and more on the individual pig. All my four are completely different, although Boris is most happy to sit on your lap and will happily be stroked for hours. Willow is not far behind though and loves a good fuss too :)
 
Well I have

A pair of girls aged 4
A pair of boys aged 8ish months
A lone boar...but hopefully not for much longer... ;-)

I had only ever had girls having been fed the usual 'two boys will fight' line by pet shops (we weren't aware of rescues back then!) until earlier this year my blokey and I popped into P@H (sorry) for some supplies, and there was this little boy on his own at the back in the adoption centre...next morning Dodge came home...

I do agree with what people say that boars are often more cuddly than girls. As for more personality, I disagree - I think it's just different personality. My girls definitely know their own minds and have their own little ways, but you need to know them more to see them. It's like when Whiskey was ill, most people were like 'well she's eating and drinking, she's fine' but she just wasn't 'her'. Boys on the other hand are a bit more in your face with their little ways, I find.

Boys I have found to be a bit easier to bond with humans - Dodge was quite afraid for quite a while but I think this is due to his start in life, now he is a proper chatterbox and can really look after himself. My other two boys have been here a week now and already have the hang of when dinner is, JoJo is already getting good at nearly falling out the cage to get closer to the food I am preparing! My girls are a bit more aloof, however vocally Whiskey is THE loudest guinea I have ever had, she can literally wake me up at night.

I think really the only answer is to do what I have done and get loads of guinea pigs, hehehe!

Oh yes, best add, my lot live in the pairs mentioned above - 2 girls together, 2 little boys together, and Dodge and, erm, well, watch this space...let's just say he is making it known he misses other guineas.
 
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