2 boars and a sow

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Pandorica

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
31
Reaction score
0
Points
120
Location
New York, USA
Hey everyone,

OK for those whom don't know (since I doubt everyone read my other thread, hehe) I ended up with a boar and sow from a petshop...and two mornings later I had me a surprise baby!

We are coming up on week two for the baby and I am 99% we have a little boy. Now, I know I have to take him away from mommy before week 4 due to mating possibilities, but my concern is...I used C&C to make the cage and they are side by side so the daddy & mommy could still see each other and interact.

The baby has been in with the father a lot and they get along fine, but I am worried about if both boars are that close to the female...will they end up fighting? Will the cage divider be enough to keep them friendly even though she will be that close? From what I had read it is very hard (actually didn't see any success stories yet) to have 2 males and a female in the same cage, and since this is almost the same minus actual physical touching beyond noses...I am very worried this would end up being a problem.
 
Hi and welcome!

It will become a problem as soon as the boy gets older and his hormones wake up. Boars can live next to sows if they don't know other (they certainly do at some smaller rescues), but they should never be in direct line of sight, so you will need to put in a cage divider that is not see through. However, if they can be further away, that would be better.

Eventually, it would be great if you found company for mummy, too, since for all ends and purposes she will be on her own without direct contact to other guinea pigs.

Here is a link to the best website for sexing piggies of all ages. Baby boars should be separated from 3 weeks: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
Otherwise, you can post a picture of the baby's privates in our pregnancy section, the clearer the better. We have quite a few very experienced rescue people and owners who can give their verdict.
 
Yup, that is the site I was using! It wasn't 100% clear but since he is near two weeks now it really does make me believe he is a male despite wishing he'd be a female haha (in order to get another female I have to travel to the next state).

I may end up posting a picture there later today just to be even more certain...would hate to get the wrong sex!

My other problem is that since I didn't know mommy was...well, a female there is a high chance she got pregnant again after giving birth. I did notice her belly feeling harder in the past couple days...I don't know how soon after being pregnant that this would happen though.

If she is indeed pregnant this will of course lead to the concern of whether to wait until she has the next baby (or babies if a full litter) and see if one of them is a female...boy am I going to end up with a house full!

Good thing C&C cages are easy to build, haha.

Since the mother and father had been together for at least six months, will it hurt them to be seperated to where they cannot see each other at all and be given new housemates?

In the end it would mean mommy losing her mate AND baby...I could see that depressing her quite a bit.
 
Pandorica said:
Yup, that is the site I was using! It wasn't 100% clear but since he is near two weeks now it really does make me believe he is a male despite wishing he'd be a female haha (in order to get another female I have to travel to the next state).

I may end up posting a picture there later today just to be even more certain...would hate to get the wrong sex!

My other problem is that since I didn't know mommy was...well, a female there is a high chance she got pregnant again after giving birth. I did notice her belly feeling harder in the past couple days...I don't know how soon after being pregnant that this would happen though.

If she is indeed pregnant this will of course lead to the concern of whether to wait until she has the next baby (or babies if a full litter) and see if one of them is a female...boy am I going to end up with a house full!

Good thing C&C cages are easy to build, haha.

Since the mother and father had been together for at least six months, will it hurt them to be seperated to where they cannot see each other at all and be given new housemates?

In the end it would mean mommy losing her mate AND baby...I could see that depressing her quite a bit.
Click to expand...

Sows come into season within hours of giving birth, so there is sadly a good likelihood that she is pregnant again. However, you won't be able to see any signs until 4-6 weeks the earliest.

Please weigh all piggies weekly anyway - it is one of the best ways to notice health problems early on. If you find that she gains an increasing amount of weight every week (instead of an even or diminishing gain), then she will be most likley pregnant again. Increased thirst is another of the first signs. I would recommend that you wait with looking for a possible mate for her until you are sure one way or another!

Please make sure that mummy gets good quality food (but not loads of it - you don't want to create a flabby girl with potentially huge babies); especially vitamin C rich veg and fresh herbs to build up her body and supply it during a pregnancy, so as little of it has to come from her own precious stores, especially so close after another pregnancy. Make sure that all piggies have unlimited hay and good quality, hay based pellets.

The only way daddy can ever live with her again is by having him neutered. Guinea pigs NEVER lose the ability to father babies/get pregnant throughout their whole life - and as you are learning quite fast at the moment, due to their comparatively long pregnancies and low number of babies, sows are basically constant breeding machines. However, for the time being, I would keep neutering only as an option if father and son happen to have a fall out or once you know what is going to happen down the line. Plenty of space should help the two boars to get along, even through the stroppy months.

Here is more info on pregnancy:
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html, also see links faq and labor
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

PS: This forum is mainly UK based, so you may find that most people won't be back on until tomorrow and your posts may not be answered as quickly.
 
Last edited:
Hello

As you have most likely father and son to pair up they will bond more easily and with less aggression if they cannot see and interact with a female. I house males and females in the same, but opposite sides of the room; normally there are no problems with males becoming aggressive with each other. If I housed them side by side it would be a different story.

If you cannot house them apart from each other then one cage above the other can work well. Boys always at the top so bedding etc that carries the female's scent doesn't drop into the boys cage and set them off. Boys need extra space for their testosterone so a miminum of 4 ft by 2 ft - ideally double that if you can.


As it is very likely that she is pregnant again it's worth waiting to see if she has a female this time and allowing any daughters to remain with mum.

If you are not 100% sure of the sex of the baby try using your thumb, applying a little pressure just above the opening to pop out any obvious boy bits, if you are still unsure post a pic on here.

HTH

Suzy x
 
Thank you both for the helpful replies.

I will start weighing all piggies today to make sure everything is going well and cut back on some of the food. They basically had unlimited, lol. She doesn't usually come out of her igloo except to eat and drink (or when we take her out for running/playtime and laptime).

I am very hesitant to neuter him due to the fact that I don't feel we have a capable vet around here and I'd be afraid something would happen. The daddy seems to be fine with the baby except (and this is why I question my gender) judgement - he will rumble around the baby and has followed it around a few times too (NEVER tried to mount though) but I have a feeling this could be due to the baby having the mother's scent on him and she is definitely in season. I know baths are not good to give often - but I think it would be wise to give the baby a bath before officially putting him in with daddy?

Here in the states I have been unable to find a rescue within even a 100 miles for guinea pigs, so info on them is a bit scarce. So...that also makes my ability to trust the vets pretty small too, haha. I am going to do some searching around to try to find one though which is competent so in case I need help I know one is available. After reading sows have a 20% chance of death during pregnancy really has me concerned about the mother now.

I can set up the cages so the daddy and baby are on top, I just need to go pick up some more cubes and we should be set. ^_^ Since the baby will need to be moved by next weekend we are going to have to pay some special care to the mommy until we know if she is pregnant or can safely go get her a female cagemate (and hope they like each other!)
 
Ah, tried to edit my post but don't see the ability here. :)

I took a pic the best we could, Suzygpr

If nobody is certain by the time I am done work I can try again and post in the pregnancy forum ^_^

photo0012q.jpg
 
If mummy is in season and alone - as you say - she can't be pregnant right now! :))

Very often, daddy and son go well together; ask Suzy - she has rehomed quite a few pairs! Your daddy is currently rumbling at mummy's pheromones, not his son. There will be some rumblestrutting and mounting later on when the baby becomes a hormonal teenager and daddy needs to establish the hierarchy. Bathing the baby won't be necessary as he is accepting his son; any rumbling will be dominance and happen independently of any scent.

An ideal diet should be:
- unlimited hay - up to 80% of the daily food intake; hay is the best way to keep the teeth in the back nicely ground down and the guts moving. Timothy hay is best, but I would vary with other varieties, just for interest.
- good quality pellets; topped up bowl until a piggy has most of its weight between 6-9 months old, then slowly reduced to 1 or 1/2 handful for adult from 12-15 months old.
- 50g/1 cupful of mixed veg per piggy per day in as many servings as you like. Please include one high vitamin C veg everyday; bell peppers, broccoli, dill and parsley have the highest content. Other fresh herbs like cilantro, basil and mint are also a good source of trace elements. A sprinkling with the dinner is always welcome! If you give dried herbs, be aware that the calcium content is much higher. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
- fresh water daily. Please do not add anything - you can't control the intake; it goes off very quickly and just helps the growth of algae. Most piggies are actually not keen on additives and will drink noticeably less.

If you are planning two cages on top of each other, I would strongly recommend to leave a good gap between the bottom cage and the top cage, simply for the reason of light and accessibility to the bottom cage; you will be greatful for that at cleaning time!

It is great that you are thinking rescue, and it is frustrating when you do not have got any near you! If at some point you think of rehoming a piggy from a place like Craigs List, for example, please be advised that any piggy needs 2-3 weeks quarantaine first, as you never know what state it is in, and you do not want anything transferred to your others! Sadly, shop piggies as well as freeads piggies are not rarely pregnant - many people do not know or care that baby girls can get pregnant as early as 4 weeks old!
 
She can't be pregnant even though daddy was with her after she gave birth up until I woke up and saw the baby (and realized she certainly wasn't a boy haha)?

I had recalled reading a guinea pig has two uteruses (would be nice if that is false!) so I thought she could still be in season even if pregnant in one.

Would be nice if this isn't so! Then I could certainly make plans quickly to get her a new cagemate. :)

Annnd thank you for that dietary help as well, will be very useful :D
 
Pandorica said:
Ah, tried to edit my post but don't see the ability here. :)

I took a pic the best we could, Suzygpr

If nobody is certain by the time I am done work I can try again and post in the pregnancy forum ^_^

photo0012q.jpg
Click to expand...

I would agree with your thoughts- it's a boy.

Suzy x
 
I agree - it's looks like a boy!

Two uteruses are a very rare thing; most sows just have the normal one. It all depends on how quickly after the birth you separated; mummy won't come into season until her body told her that the birthing was over and the womb had started to contract again, which means that you have a few hours grace.
 
Yay it's a boy!

So since she is in season and I am pretty positive I got mommy away from the daddy before he could fully mount her (he tried once when I first checked in on them but she was running away...so if he managed like THAT, he has some serious skills, lol)...we can safely say she is most likely not pregnant <3

Thank you all for the help! I am going to look into proper caging so I can get it all set up by next week (hopefully this weekend). And begin a search for a cagemate for mommy.

(And yup, I will keep the new guinea quarantined first!)
 
The uterus is split into two horns, and a separate pregnancy in both can happen but is quite rare.

If you are certain that mum is in season that's great news for her, if you are basing it on the male's behaviour then that is not reliable as they will often rumblestrut and show off just because they can, not due to the females hormones setting them off.

HTH

Suzy x
 
Ah. I thought they only rumbled when the girl was in heat (and tried to ride them of course).

I will keep a close on eye her then just to be positive :)

Once again THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. Very very helpful!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top