Boars Versus Sows-pros and cons?

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kayemerton

kayemerton

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Hi all

Well I am new to this forum and have been picking a few brains about housing as have been looking at getting 2 boars. Don't really know why I have aimed for boars and now having read all about the lovely mounting and gunk they produce and their dominance etc beginning to wonder whether as a novice I should have aimed for sows?!
What are people's experiences and opinions on keeping boars or sows?

Many thanks!:)
 
I have 2 sows.
I originally intended to have 2 boars as I'd read they were generally more easy to handle (and I had a boar as a child). Then I read about the problems that boars can have when going through puberty and decided I didn't have room if I ended up having to house them separately. I got petshop piggies (in my pre-forum days rolleyes) so girls seemed the best option in the end. It's worked out very well for me and I love my girls to pieces. x)

Now I know more about guinea pigs and rescues I would be happy to have boars or sows. I'd probably go for an already bonded pair though:
- neutered boar and sow
- an older and a young boar
- sows

In the future ( a looong way off) when I have space, I would like to have a neutered boar and the option to establish a little herd with him in charge. :(|)
 
I started with two sows but then I started fostering too, I have had sows and boars and have found generally they are just the same really for looking after. The boars I have fostered (gave in and adopted one!) were more cheeky and had bigger personalities.

Now with my adopted (Neutered) boar in with the sows I think it is the best!

they all interact more, create the funniest piggie trains and are a lot more vocal.

What ever you end up getting you will be as much a slave to yours as I am to mine xx>>>
 
Gosh it's fascinating all the different set ups that people have! I have a feeling I may well end up with more than 2 in the long run! Like my life isn't busy enough being a teacher, mum to a 20 month old, 2 collies and a man to look after! I think the Guineas are going to be my replacement for a horse that I have gone without for many years-aside the fact I can't ride a Guinea Pig they seem to be very similar! lol
 
I have a pair of boars, 2 single boars, a neutered boar/sow pairing & a herd of 5 girls but up until yesterday they lived with a neutered boar (RIP) :(

I've always had boys but the past couple of years almost all boars i've had have fallen out but i've also had girls who have been as bad :))

The best combination, for me, is a neutered boar with one or more sows :)
 
kayemerton said:
I think the Guineas are going to be my replacement for a horse that I have gone without for many years-aside the fact I can't ride a Guinea Pig they seem to be very similar! lol
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Well they do about the same amount of poo! LOL :))

I was a beginner with two boars who I bought two weeks apart and bonded myself (with the help of a friend who used to work in a pet shop) and I don't know if I've just been lucky, but they have both been an absolute dream x) No mounting, no dominance behaviour, and only a bit of gunk and filth on one - Milo :))
 
I think it depends on the space you have. If you've got room for a herd then a neutered boar and lots of sows is fab. If you go for boys you are limited if you decide to expand the family. I know some people have managed to bond more than two boars but we weren't so lucky and ours ended up being neighbours.
My first pair when I was a child were sows. I adopted two boars a couple of years ago (Spike and Gizmo) and they squabbled much more than the ladies. We adopted a third boar (Stripes) and tried to get the three of them together but Gizmo and Stripes just didn't get on. When Gizmo died earlier this year we introduced Stripes and Spike and they have been the best pairing of them all. Both laid back piggies, a little bit of nipping and chasing to start with but no mounting and both get on really well, although they prefer their own space.
I think it's as much about personalities as the sex of the pig. The best thing would be to get a bonded pair from a rescue. This goes for boars or sows. Much less chance of having to seperate them.
 
I just prefer female animals in general, dunno why! I like male animals too, but most of my animals are female.

I started off with two sows and they were lovely, I now have 2 new sows and they're lovely too. One of them turned out tok be pregnant when I got her and the baby was a boar so I got another boar to keep him company. My sows are pet shop pigs, and the boars have been handled loads since birth so my boars are way friendlier. But that's just because the sows weren't handled enough. I would still prefer to keep sows though because when you get two, you WILL want more! And with sows you can have a group (which I plan on having!)

I also wouldn't mind getting another boar, but not sure how three would get on. I'd say they'd be fine though . . .
 
Thanks all

I have heard a lot about keeping neutered boars with sows but the whole neutering process worries me really. At what age are they being neutered? I guess it may well be pot luck with the boars but I do plan to have a rather large home for them so at least they get their own space. Those of you that have boars do you give them 2 of each?
 
Hi

I have six boys. They are kept in pairs in there own individual penthouses. If they were put together, it would be fisticuffs at dawn. When they are out in the garden, we have a 9foot run which is divided into 3. If we let one of the pairs out for a run around, the two that are out tease the 4 that are in so we move the wanderers to the other side of the garden :))
 
kayemerton said:
Those of you that have boars do you give them 2 of each?
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No, my two boys just have one of everything and share it nicely. It's so cute how I'll look and there will be one in the snuggle bag and one in the bed, then I'll look back a minute later and they've swapped places! :))
 
My two boys have 1 of everything. 1 food bowl, 1 veggie/grass bowl, 1 water bottle, 1 bed, 1 tunnel, 1 hidey house . . . yeah they share everything nicely. :)

I was worried about getting my boar neutered too so I just got a second boar. Also, I kinda wanted a second boar! But getting boars neutered is a lot less risky than getting sows neutered. If you have a mixed pair or group, then you only need to get the male done. And if you find a good vet then there should be no problem hopefully. :)

Btw, does anyone know if you can keep 2 neutered boars with a group of females? Just wondering in case I ever decide to get mine done.
 
elle100 said:
Pretty sure this is a no-no and will lead to a major falling out :(
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Aww, thanks for letting me know anyway. I thought it might be ok because they'd be neutered, but I guess not :D Why must they be so complicated? :)
 
Hi,
I must say, I've only ever had boars, and I've never had any problems at all.

Poco and Figgy play-fight a lot (I'm sure it's play-fighting because neither of them have EVER had any injuries and they are not scared of each other) but they are very bonded and "love" each other.
They also love love love cuddles, I'm not sure how sows are though, so I guess I can't give you advice, but I can say that boars aren't bad.
 
Thanks everyone-looks like boars it is then! Although if I wanted to get some other Guineas further along the line would it be ok to get sows (housed separately obv) or better to get more paired boars. Just wondered if the scent of the females in other hutches would make them more aggressive towards each other?
 
I have kept guineas for years and I have always found that boars live in pairs quite happily UNTIl they can smell girlies.

When I've had paired boars, they've been fine but all my boars fell out when there were girls in the vacinity.

I now have 3 seperately housed boars that can still see and smell the others. And I have 1 neutered boar with 8 girlies ! Oh and I have one little girly that's housed seperately until we know whether the poor thing's pregnant.
 
I have sows and boars that can see and smell each other and not had any problems with fighting at all :)

Obviously can't generalise and say it doen't happen, just that it's been ok for mine :)
 
The rescue I got mine from says that if you know you really only have time/money/room for two, get boars. Because adding to a boar pair is a lot more difficult than to a sow or a mixed heard this will help you keep the number to two.

I have a boar and two sows. Bo (boar) is definitely the more forward one, but this may have more to do with his background than his sex.
 
So is your boar neutered then as you have 2 sows? Or so you keep them separately?
 
kayemerton said:
Thanks all

I have heard a lot about keeping neutered boars with sows but the whole neutering process worries me really. At what age are they being neutered? I guess it may well be pot luck with the boars but I do plan to have a rather large home for them so at least they get their own space. Those of you that have boars do you give them 2 of each?
Click to expand...

I have adopted boars already neutered but the ones that i had neutered were aged 11 months & 22 months. The 22month old was because he needed company, wouldn't live with a boar (i did try) & then he fell in love with an older girl i had.

All pairs (whatever combination) i've had/have, have 2 of everything except a hayrack; they share that. :)
 
I have always had boys, not sure why but I just prefer them! at the moment I have two bonded and a third who is currently on his lonesome, they can chatter away at each other but no other issues :)
 
I have kept 3 boys together and they have been perfectly fine - though they all came together from birth.

Having said that I have also had 2 boys that have tried to kill each other and had to be separated.

We neutered our boys and had them with girls in herds.

At the moment are girls are battling for number 1 spot so hopefully that will settle down and we don't need to separate them too!

I think it depends on individual personnalities as to how they get on (just like humans) and it doesn't make a difference if its boys or girls they can get on really well or fight to the death!

Hope that helps and good luck with your pigs.!
 
Thanks for all your opinions, I shall just have to see what happens when I get them! Gosh its like planning for a baby-probably would have been easier to have a baby but with a 20 month old already I am quite happy without thank you! lol
:))
 
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