Young sow constantly pestering neutered boar?

[Pantalaimon]

After bringing my new little pig home on the 3rd, I waited a week before introducing her to my neutered boar. They were both very enthusiastic to meet and spent a lot of time sniffing each other and chewing the bars between them.

I introduced them last Thursday and after spending about six hours settling in the bonding pen I put them back in the main cage (deep cleaned).

After about 12 hours Spider (roughly six month old sow) started pestering Pat (nearly six year old neutered boar). She would follow him literally everywhere, whether he went to a water bottle, a different bed or just to eat hay, she was constantly right behind him. It then progressed to constant rumble strutting and mounting. This has been going on for about three days now.

Pat is the most unbelievably tolerant boar, I have never heard him rumblestrut in his entire life, he doesn’t mount or chase. But this little sow is really pushing the limits of his patience. He just squeaks loudly and turns away but she won’t back down. It takes a LOT to get him to actually react, but she’s beginning to get there. I really don’t want this bond to fail!

I can get her to the vet for a checkup, but she’s small and extremely feisty so would be near impossible for my vet to properly check over. My concern is ovarian cysts, but having had two sows with it previously, the aggression is usually cyclical and not constant.

I’m a bit lost as to why she’s doing this.

Any help would be amazing.

(This little pig is the one who I adopted nearly three weeks ago, she was called Meadow but I chose a new name for her!)

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

A vet ought to be able to check any gpig feisty or not. It's part of the job.

6 months old is generally a little young for ovarian cysts, tho not ruling out that it happens sometimes.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree, 6 months is very young for cysts to be an issue

Is this her first time with a boar?
You have most likely got a triple whammy going on - being in season (the first season after bonding tends to be a very strong one) plus she is a teenager and they are still within the two week period for establishing their bond.

The chances are this will settle down in the coming days, but he needs to be able to tolerate her until she settles down

When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

 

[Pantalaimon]

A vet ought to be able to check any gpig feisty or not. It's part of the job.

6 months old is generally a little young for ovarian cysts, tho not ruling out that it happens sometimes.

Normally, yes. But this little one is very small and extremely bitey. I have had pigs for nearly ten years and am very confident with their handling, but I struggle even!

 

[Pantalaimon]

I agree, 6 months is very young for cysts to be an issue

Is this her first time with a boar?
You have most likely got a triple whammy going on - being in season (the first season after bonding tends to be a very strong one) plus she is a teenager and they are still within the two week period for establishing their bond.

The chances are this will settle down in the coming days, but he needs to be able to tolerate her until she settles down

When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

I believe it will be her first time with a boar. Though he does not show any boar behaviours, he has not once so much as sniffed her back end!

While I agree that it is too young for ovarian cysts to be detectable (or treatable), I disagree that it is too young for them to be present. It was around this age that I realised one of my previous sows had them (due to her behaviour). It took another three years of inexperienced vets telling me “she’s fine” before I got an exotics vet to look at her and he immediately said she had huge cysts. She was spayed and her behaviour was instantly different, no longer flighty or hormonal.

I have not had an intact sow since 2020! So I forget how different they are to boars.

Hopefully Pat can keep tolerating her. I don’t think he will ever fight back, I am just concerned that the stress will make him unwell.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He is at an age where his behaviour is more likely to be sow like than boar like. Boars mellow and become more about companionship rather than dominance as they age. Some neutered boars are always very laid back

Most cysts don’t form until over 2 years old and it is due to the constant hormone output beyond natural pup bearing age - they can happen earlier but it’s unusual for it to happen.
Of course you should get a vet check done if you are worried but there are far more likely things to be causing her behaviour at this point than cysts

 

[Pantalaimon]

He is at an age where his behaviour is more likely to be sow like than boar like. Boars mellow and become more about companionship rather than dominance as they age. Some neutered boars are always very laid back

Most cysts don’t form until over 2 years old and it is due to the constant hormone output beyond natural pup bearing age - they can happen earlier but it’s unusual for it to happen.
Of course you should get a vet check done if you are worried but there are far more likely things to be causing her behaviour at this point than cysts

I’m guessing they’re probably like humans. In that the cysts will form around times of hormonal change (usually puberty) but can take a long time to get large enough to cause noticeable issues. For humans this could be a decade, but obviously guinea pigs have much shorter lifespans so it only takes a few years.

I need to take Pat to the vet as I suspect he has a bladder issue, I can get her checked at the same time. I just need them to settle enough that I can put them in a box together!

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

I just need them to settle enough that I can put them in a box together!

Two different boxes? Even I managed that once and I had to go by bus, change bus, and walk about 400 yards from the last stop.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Two different boxes? Even I managed that once and I had to go by bus, change bus, and walk about 400 yards from the last stop.

I only have one box currently. I am quite limited on space at the moment so I don’t want to get another.

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

I only have one box currently. I am quite limited on space at the moment so I don’t want to get another.

I understand having limited space (and/or limited money). But surely it's more important to take both guineas to the vet's than wait for them to get on better together?
I remember when I did my mammoth trip with two in one carrier and one in an upturned wooden guinea hut (to be precise) rather than an actual box, I was going to the Sunday on-call vet way outside town. Carrying a guinea in an upturned wooden house is a big no-no but fortunately that guinea was quite docile and didn't really try to escape.

I'm trying to suggest there must be some way to take both guineas to the vet's. If you're going by car, it should be easier. If you're going by public transport as I always am, it can be a bit trickier carrying everypig all at once.

Two separate trips?
Make a box out of cardboard with a lid and thick string handles? It will get wet and have to be thrown out anyway. I once transported 2 guineas on a 5 hour train journey in such a set up, tho it wasn't me who made the cardboard box, that was their previous owner who entrusted me with them. I must have had at least a rucksack too and must have changed trains a number of times. Long story...