Bonding Teenage Boar

[Cheshirepigs]

Hi everyone, I'm just here looking for some advice. We sadly lost our lovely agouti boar Donald three weeks ago, he was 5/6 - not sure as he was a rescue. His friend Marvin died a few months ago so we got him a baby abyssinian (Timmy) as a companion. Timmy is now five months and on his own. He's ok but I don't want the situation to go on longer than it has to. What I would really like to do is get him neutered so I can adopt either a single sow or a pair of sows, but the vet said she would do it at six months, and then it's a six weeks wait, giving him another ten weeks on his own. Would it be better to go and find another boar instead? I'd like a sow as I'd heard they were easier for him to get on with, particularly as he is a teenager, and I heard they were more cuddly?! I also like the idea of having a trio so this doesn't keep happening - one getting left on their own. Donald was very gentle and cuddly and I miss that, Timmy is very interested in interaction and very active but doesn't enjoy the contact so much, he's much more like Marvin was. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone, I'm just here looking for some advice. We sadly lost our lovely agouti boar Donald three weeks ago, he was 5/6 - not sure as he was a rescue. His friend Marvin died a few months ago so we got him a baby abyssinian (Timmy) as a companion. Timmy is now five months and on his own. He's ok but I don't want the situation to go on longer than it has to. What I would really like to do is get him neutered so I can adopt either a single sow or a pair of sows, but the vet said she would do it at six months, and then it's a six weeks wait, giving him another ten weeks on his own. Would it be better to go and find another boar instead? I'd like a sow as I'd heard they were easier for him to get on with, particularly as he is a teenager, and I heard they were more cuddly?! I also like the idea of having a trio so this doesn't keep happening - one getting left on their own. Donald was very gentle and cuddly and I miss that, Timmy is very interested in interaction and very active but doesn't enjoy the contact so much, he's much more like Marvin was. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi! There are currently not many good rescues within your reach (if you are actually in Cheshire) that do boar-boar dating, so it may be worth looking at neutering, provided you can find a general vet that is either experienced with guinea pig neutering or an exotics vet that has got lots of experience with small furries operations. The crucial point is that the risk of especially post-op complications very much depends on the vet you are choosing. it is really worth doing your research. You are allowed to ask clinics and vet as to their practices re. anaesthetics, neutering procedure, recovery and post op care befor you commit. Don't necessarily go for the cheapest, but for the best.

You will also have to factor in a full 6 weeks post-op wait to be 100% safe. My Tegan is the unplanned present from a supposedly over 5 weeks post op boar (not one of mine), so it can really happen as late as that. I have since heard of more cases.
Here is our recommended vets locator: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Guinea pig castration explained
Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Cheshirepigs]

Hi! There are currently not many good rescues within your reach (if you are actually in Cheshire) that do boar-boar dating, so it may be worth looking at neutering, provided you can find a general vet that is either experienced with guinea pig neutering or an exotics vet that has got lots of experience with small furries operations. The crucial point is that the risk of especially post-op complications very much depends on the vet you are choosing. it is really worth doing your research. You are allowed to ask clinics and vet as to their practices re. anaesthetics, neutering procedure, recovery and post op care befor you commit. Don't necessarily go for the cheapest, but for the best.

You will also have to factor in a full 6 weeks post-op wait to be 100% safe. My Tegan is the unplanned present from a supposedly over 5 weeks post op boar (not one of mine), so it can really happen as late as that. I have since heard of more cases.
Here is our recommended vets locator: Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Guinea pig castration explained
Tips For Post-operative Care

Thanks for the info! We take our pigs to Cheshire Pet who we are very happy with, so I would be very happy for them to do the operation. Do you have to date sows with boars or do they generally accept each other? What about a pair of sows?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the info! We take our pigs to Cheshire Pet who we are very happy with, so I would be very happy for them to do the operation. Do you have to date sows with boars or do they generally accept each other? What about a pair of sows?

I would always recommend to date any pairs or small groups (in fact I am going to date my Tegan at the RSPCA Walsall with one of their neutered boars soon; they are one of the few RSPCA branches that offers cross gender dating), which is a good hour from me by train, but I have gone up to the Potteries Rescue to date some sows of mine for a new husboar before to make sure that they got on.
If it is not too far for you down the M6, the RSPCA Walsall have currently got several very pretty sow pairs looking for homes and they have got very experienced fosterers that do the bonding, so you are nicely spared all the worries that usually come with having to your own bonding with guinea pigs bought on spec.
Walsall Branch - Home - rspca.org.uk

It leads to a happier relationship if you know that your piggies like each other straight away and that the dominance works out. Whether you go for a pair of well bonded sows or a single sows, is up to you, but I would make sure that any two girls are good friends, otherwise you can end up with an outsider problem. Not all sows and boars click necessarily, like with humans, they have their likes and dislikes.
Going to a good rescue that offers this service (by far not all do) makes also sure that your sows are healthy and guaranteed not pregnant, which is a persistent problem with some shop and many backyard breeder sows.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator