Could 2 boars live with multiple sows?

ZenexPiggies

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Hey there, as some of you may know, 3 of my sows are having babies soon (oops) and I wasjut wondering if multiple boars could live with multiple sows? I've seen some people beingablr to put multiple boars with sows and the bosrs became best friends. Is the chsnce just really low?
 
No. Guinea pig boars do not share sows and I cannot think of even one instance where multiple boars have shared an enclosure with sows and become best friends; instead, you are almost 100% likely to get some dramatic fights and boars now mortal enemies. This includes my own experience following a pet shop litter in more ignorant times (the outcome was two herds and a father and son who managed to become tolerant of being neighbours... just about).

You might have heard of some boar pairs who are used to living around sows (in a separate enclosure but in the same room), though, so the smell doesn't cause fights. However, it's definitely not a risk-free set-up.

Without knowing the full backstory and the advice you've already received, I recommend you have a read of forum behaviour and pregnancy guides. From your choice of an anti-intentional breeding forum I'm assuming that you're looking to avoid further oopsies and these guides can be invaluable for that - I personally found it shocking just how young they can become parents, and how quickly after birth they could become pregnant again... at nearly 38w pregnant myself that last one is particularly terrifying at the moment! :)
 
You'll need a really big enclosure (like a full room) that encompasses basically several territories and triggers a herd situation rather a than a group situation and even then it doesn't necessarily work out. We have one member with a large enclosure and several neutered boars in with sows, which resembles more of a herd setting than the territorial small group setting that our usual pet cage situation evokes.
In a normal cage situation, you have to go with one 'husboar' per cage per bonded sow group for a long term stable situation. The various mixed gender groups can live in adjoining cages. Positive outcomes of two boars with a sow group are rare; they need to be very closely bonded and very laid-back. What you are aiming for falls basically into the gap between group and herd in socially interactive terms.
If you want to experiment, you very much need to have the necessary cage back-up/extra grids if you have to split very, very quickly when a smouldering situation suddenly blows up. Interpersonal conflicts are very stressful for the group and for the whole herd from my own experiences.

Boars growing up in a room with sows produce a calming compound and do generally not overreact to sow
pheromones the way when you introduce sows into a previously boars-only space but all the other considerations still apply - personality outlook re. dominance, character compatibility, teenage hormone spikes etc.

Then there is the phenomenon of 'mega-seasons', which you see only in a room with lots of sows where the pheromones from a strong sow season can trigger all other sows close enough in their own oestrus/estrus cycle to come into a strong season as well in a kind of domino effect over the course of 3-4 days with a really palpable cloud of female pheromones that can set off even well bonded boar pairs in the same room. Over time, the sows will group into one larger group having their season at a similar time and then the smaller countergroup having theirs at the counterpoint of the larger group's cycle.
Mega-seasons were the times I had to do a short term separation for my teenage bachelor boys and one pair which was just about hanging in the balance over a personality match ended up parting ways in an 'amicable divorce' (a split without fighting after the dynamics headed firmly into the wrong direction and fronts were firming up). These are my personal experiences in a room with lots of sow or mixed gender pairs and groups and the very odd boar pair.

I have done my own fair share of experimenting over the years but the two boars group has never worked out for me. Even with the most laid back boys and sows, the stress level between all piggies involved was too high; telling me that they were not happy with the situation even without any outright aggression.
 
The answer to your question is a big no. I had a herd of 5 piggies when I started on this latest piggy journey 6 years ago. I bought Velvet and Betsy from PAH and Velvet was pregnant. She had 3 pups. 2 boys and 1 girl. Not knowing any different, I separated the boys and waited until they were neutered and after the 6 week wait, bonded both of them with the girls (following the advice of the vet). It only worked because Velvet was :yikes: :yikes: DA BOSS:yikes::yikes: and was very dominant and stopped trouble before it even started. After around a year to 18 months, Christian decided he didn't like sharing "his" girls with his brother Dennis, staged a coup and became boss piggy and started to subtlety bully Dennis by not letting him eat (jumping in front of the food bowl, nipping Dennis etc). Christian didn't do anything too obvious as he was still a little scared of what Velvet would do. In the end I had to split the herd into a trio and a pair. Dennis perked up a lot and lived the rest of his life with the love of his life The Ever Beautiful Betsy.
 
You'll need a really big enclosure (like a full room) that encompasses basically several territories and triggers a herd situation rather a than a group situation and even then it doesn't necessarily work out. We have one member with a large enclosure and several neutered boars in with sows, which resembles more of a herd setting than the territorial small group setting that our usual pet cage situation evokes.
In a normal cage situation, you have to go with one 'husboar' per cage per bonded sow group for a long term stable situation. The various mixed gender groups can live in adjoining cages. Positive outcomes of two boars with a sow group are rare; they need to be very closely bonded and very laid-back. What you are aiming for falls basically into the gap between group and herd in socially interactive terms.
If you want to experiment, you very much need to have the necessary cage back-up/extra grids if you have to split very, very quickly when a smouldering situation suddenly blows up. Interpersonal conflicts are very stressful for the group and for the whole herd from my own experiences.

Boars growing up in a room with sows produce a calming compound and do generally not overreact to sow
pheromones the way when you introduce sows into a previously boars-only space but all the other considerations still apply - personality outlook re. dominance, character compatibility, teenage hormone spikes etc.

Then there is the phenomenon of 'mega-seasons', which you see only in a room with lots of sows where the pheromones from a strong sow season can trigger all other sows close enough in their own oestrus/estrus cycle to come into a strong season as well in a kind of domino effect over the course of 3-4 days with a really palpable cloud of female pheromones that can set off even well bonded boar pairs in the same room. Over time, the sows will group into one larger group having their season at a similar time and then the smaller countergroup having theirs at the counterpoint of the larger group's cycle.
Mega-seasons were the times I had to do a short term separation for my teenage bachelor boys and one pair which was just about hanging in the balance over a personality match ended up parting ways in an 'amicable divorce' (a split without fighting after the dynamics headed firmly into the wrong direction and fronts were firming up). These are my personal experiences in a room with lots of sow or mixed gender pairs and groups and the very odd boar pair.

I have done my own fair share of experimenting over the years but the two boars group has never worked out for me. Even with the most laid back boys and sows, the stress level between all piggies involved was too high; telling me that they were not happy with the situation even without any outright aggression.

Yes, I do have plans on turning an unused room in my new house to a 25x10 cage (and some extra space for the supplies and healh check station next to it)
 
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