Boars or Sows?

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RonnieBear

RonnieBear

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Hi there,

I am looking to adopt a couple of baby piggies in the next month or so and would love to hear peoples opinions. I have had 3 female guinea pigs in the past and would absolutely love a couple of males to be the new members of my family.

I know boars fight but will they fight if they are brought up together from babies and from the same litter? That is my only concern when it comes to adopting males. And just generally, which gender is best?

Any advice would be so much appreciated :)
 
Boars will fight for dominance whether they are from the same litter or not. It is better though if they are the young as older boars tend to be harder to bond. The younger the better if you want two boars. Once they reach sexual maturity and hormones you will witness some dominance behaviour such as teeth chattering, rumble strutting, humping, and chasing around the cage. There will always be one guineapig who is more dominant. If you really want two males or two females for that matter then you need a really large cage, x2 of everything such as sleeping areas bottles bowls. Hope this helps. I have a boar named Ditto x
 
Two boars should get on fine if they are brought up together and have enough space :) Boars are lovely and very cheeky. They do like to strut their stuff in front of each other, like most boys :)) , especially when they hit those 'teen' years but they shouldn't fight if they have enough space and they are happy with their positions in the hierarchy.
 
We've bonded two separate pairs of boars together, never had problems, no fighting. This maybe because the one boar has been at least 9 months older than the baby so he immediately became dominant. Boars are very loving, cheeky characters.

We also have 3 sows, they can be a bit 'grumpy' at times but its all part of personality. Obviously have sows if you want to add more later.

But to be honest i don't think theres really much 'difference' between sows and boars, it's all down to a individual personality!
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!

It is a breeders' myth that only litter brothers will get on; they tend to fall out as likely as unrelated youngsters once they hit the stroppy months! The key to a stable boar bond is character compatibility - and if that is taken into account, any carefully bonded pair of boars of any age is as stable as a sow bond and they can be bonded and rebonded at any age with a boar of any age. If you are planning to go rescue, look out for a devoted pair of boars that are past the big hormones (over a 12-14 months old) and you shouldn't have any problems. Boars are often cuddlier and more affectionate than girls and many people prefer them as pets for that reason.
You may find our boar guide interesting, as well as Suzy's "boar dating" rescue blog (just to show you that it really is a myth that boars cannot be rebonded if it is done carefully - and if the boars have access to several liekly candidates to find the right one!)
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233

As a rule of thumb, stay off trios of either gender unless they are already stably bonded. Otherwise, you are more likely to end up with an outsider problem of some sort than not. That is even more the case with young boars - baby boar trios VERY rarely make it intact to adulthood!

Here is a link to guinea pig rescues in your part of the world; my source (a piggy rescue in NSW Australia) was not able to give me a personal recommedation for a particular Western Australia rescue as she hasn't got personal knowledge of them.
http://guineapigsaustralia.com/recommended rescues.htm

My favourite are neutered boar/sow groups or pairs, but that very much depends on having access to a very good vet with lots of guinea pig neutering experience and a good track record. Sadly post op complications are not rare.
 
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now I have a group of both, I still say boys as a pair if you want cuddly and more interaction with are the best way to go. My girls are in a trio with a neutered boar (who is very sweet) and they are very stroppy and moody :))

My pair of boys are hillarious and much more people pigs, dont get me wrong I love my herd and their funny ways but they rather the contact is minimal and just want me to feed and be their slave. The boys will interact more with me and are much happier to put up with me.
 
I've never had 2 boars, but from reading other experiences litter brothers are more likely to fall out as they reach the hormonal stage at the same time. I found with my boar that he is a lot more confident than my 2 girls and will let me stroke him while in the cage whereas the girls just run and hide rolleyes.

The best thing to do is go to a local rescue and adopt a couple of boys that have been correctly bonded so are less likely to fall out. This may mean you can't get 2 babies, but that can be easier with less chances of falling out. Even if you end up with one baby and one adult, they are often better together than 2 youngsters.
 
Whee started off with two brothers........ and i wish i'd known more about boars then than what whee did! Whee separated them as one would hump the other one constantly and it upset him :red tho they spent most of their time beside the mesh divider chatting away! I would have tried the bonding methods advised on here!
I'm now a proud mum of two little sisters, they also have their tiffs! It's just normal, one is the dominant one and the other just has to put up with it, tho at times she does retaliate with by putting her head in the air and saying...enough is enough ;)
As you're in a very hot state you'll have to make sure you have shade and plenty of water for the piggies. What wild life have you near you guys? i can't have my girls outside cause of foxes :...

chat soon i hope
Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
I have 3 sows and a boar together, and it's definitely the boar that is more of a lap and cuddle pig. The others get really fidgety when they are being held and often nip me to say they want to go back in the cage, though they are quite happy for me to lean into the cage to fuss them, Nibbler even follows me around when she is out on the kitchen floor.

I've found the girls to be a lot more bossy and cheeky, though my boy is a typical bloke in the way he acts.

As others have already given advice on keeping 2 boars together, all I will add is that every piggies personality is different, but I'm sure your local rescue will be able to team you up with your perfect pair.
 
I have always had boars :) love my little men!

They are all really affectionate and all enjoy a cuddle. And not all of mine are litter mates and still get on like they were brothers.

I've never had sows so can't advise how I find them personally.
 
BOYS BOYS BOYS! Boars are more trusting and affectionate and have such lovely wee characters. Girls tend to be more independant and huffy.
Ive had boars and sows and this is my honest opinion.
Boars are fine together but you need an expert to match up their tempraments. Occasionally a boarly boar will only go with females, but a rescue wont give an ill mnatched pair for adoption.
 
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