Female bonding/friendships and eventual bonding of neutered male to 4 sows advice

[Tara95]

I'm hoping to bond my neutered boar in 3 weeks time with my four sows after the recommended 6 week wait time. He will be just under 4 months old (15 weeks) when he starts living with them after living alone (but next to) his two sisters and two slightly older 5-6 month old sows for the past two months, would've been seperated for nearly three months at the time of introduction. For the past 2 months, the two sets of sows have bonded nicely, with a few minor territorial issues at the start. Since they have got quite a generous cage upgrade there have been relatively no issues over territory and will happily share a big hidey together, whereas a month before (in a previous smaller cage) there would've been issues. One of the newer members (the sister of the neutered boar) has formed a really nice relationship with one of the older sows and has gone from the most nervous skinny runt who would always get bullied by every pig to one of the most confident, larger pigs of the heard possibly even the leader. However, as nice as this has been to see her respected and most liked by the older sows who used to bully her this new hierarchy has caused the bond between her and her other sister to be damaged. The last week I have noticed that she expresses dominace towards her sister (who is actually the biggest guinea pig of the herd and the most submissive now) I understand that this is normal behaviour but I feel that the other sister is the most least liked member of the herd, I wouldn't say she's bullied, and they'll often all eat together and share territory without issues but she doesn't seem to have the "friendship" that the other three guinea pigs have. Luckily, the "left out guinea pig" seems to have one of the best relationships with her brother (they're the only teddies of the herd and she will often run to him and squeak snuggling him against the bars when her sister yesterday pretended to bite her over some lettuce so I'm hoping that him being introduced to the herd will help her fit in more or at least have a "friend" as after all they were the original "bonded pair since birth".

I am aware that bonding is a tricky thing, as I imagine Winston will be quite humpy as he has been trying to get to the females for a long time and some of the females may not like this as they have been used to him being behind bars for the last few months. Apart from that they all seem to be very interested in him and will sit by the bars laying next to him at times. I have been reading various threads and will introduce them at neutral territory. How big should this be for 5 guinea pigs during the introduction? Don't want to make it too big if I can help it as I will need the spare grids to create their main hutch which will be 6 x6 (210cm x 210cm) which I will be completely cleaning and replacing the old laminate with new corr-ex at the same time as it's got a bit manky already. Many thanks

 

[Wiebke]

I'm hoping to bond my neutered boar in 3 weeks time with my four sows after the recommended 6 week wait time. He will be just under 4 months old (15 weeks) when he starts living with them after living alone (but next to) his two sisters and two slightly older 5-6 month old sows for the past two months, would've been seperated for nearly three months at the time of introduction. For the past 2 months, the two sets of sows have bonded nicely, with a few minor territorial issues at the start. Since they have got quite a generous cage upgrade there have been relatively no issues over territory and will happily share a big hidey together, whereas a month before (in a previous smaller cage) there would've been issues. One of the newer members (the sister of the neutered boar) has formed a really nice relationship with one of the older sows and has gone from the most nervous skinny runt who would always get bullied by every pig to one of the most confident, larger pigs of the heard possibly even the leader. However, as nice as this has been to see her respected and most liked by the older sows who used to bully her this new hierarchy has caused the bond between her and her other sister to be damaged. The last week I have noticed that she expresses dominace towards her sister (who is actually the biggest guinea pig of the herd and the most submissive now) I understand that this is normal behaviour but I feel that the other sister is the most least liked member of the herd, I wouldn't say she's bullied, and they'll often all eat together and share territory without issues but she doesn't seem to have the "friendship" that the other three guinea pigs have. Luckily, the "left out guinea pig" seems to have one of the best relationships with her brother (they're the only teddies of the herd and she will often run to him and squeak snuggling him against the bars when her sister yesterday pretended to bite her over some lettuce so I'm hoping that him being introduced to the herd will help her fit in more or at least have a "friend" as after all they were the original "bonded pair since birth".

I am aware that bonding is a tricky thing, as I imagine Winston will be quite humpy as he has been trying to get to the females for a long time and some of the females may not like this as they have been used to him being behind bars for the last few months. Apart from that they all seem to be very interested in him and will sit by the bars laying next to him at times. I have been reading various threads and will introduce them at neutral territory. How big should this be for 5 guinea pigs during the introduction? Don't want to make it too big if I can help it as I will need the spare grids to create their main hutch which will be 6 x6 (210cm x 210cm) which I will be completely cleaning and replacing the old laminate with new corr-ex at the same time as it's got a bit manky already. Many thanks

Hi!

Group dynamics are by their nature not cast in stone; they shift as the hierarchy shifts and the new rungs are firned up. The dominance behaviours between the two sister is typical for a sow moving up in the ranking past another one and is confirming her new status with dominance behaviour against the next sow down from her. This will stop as soon as the higher ranked sow is feeling confident and reassured in her position. It has nothing to do with their actual bond, which will resume once the new hierarchy is sorted. Piggies can distinguish between the hierarchy and any hierarchical dominance behaviours and their personal bonds and likings.

I am usually doing my own bondings in one of the foldable lawn run that my husband has made me; it is about 120cm square or used a panelled rabbit run of similar size. I have used it in the past to bond sow quartets with a new husboar repeatedly. Just so your piggies have got space to get out of each other's way when things are getting lively. Place a pile of hay in the middle but nothing else.
With an overexcited teenage boars, things are bound to be lively for a day or two; if necessary leave them either in the run overnight or if there are tensions, separate overnight and restart on the following day, provided that acceptance has happened and they have been able to work through a good part of the hierarchy establishment. Boars can lose their brain temporarily and go on a humping spree.

However, at this age and with his bond with his sisters still present, acceptance should not be a problem. It is more you having to sit through it and NOT interfere. Have some veg and hay ready that you can sprinkle around at stretegic moments. I find that it is worth letting the piggies get through the roughest bit of the bonding process in the pen and not transferring the piggies back to the cage too soon. That makes for somewhat calmer settling down in the cage afterwards when every pig is exhausted from the excess of pheromones, hormones and energy, especially when one of the girls is close enough in her oestrus cycle to come into season spontaneously, which makes it particularly wild. But it serves to bond the new boar more closely with his ladies, so the first few seasons are always on the more dramatic side.

Do the bonding in a room with good ventilation and that you can wipe down afterwards as cross gender bonding is a stink and pee fest. Don't clean your piggies, though - the pheromone orgy is part of the bonding process. They will tidy themselves up within a day or two.

All the best!

 

[Tara95]

Hi!

Group dynamics are by their nature not cast in stone; they shift as the hierarchy shifts and the new rungs are firned up. The dominance behaviours between the two sister is typical for a sow moving up in the ranking past another one and is confirming her new status with dominance behaviour against the next sow down from her. This will stop as soon as the higher ranked sow is feeling confident and reassured in her position. It has nothing to do with their actual bond, which will resume once the new hierarchy is sorted. Piggies can distinguish between the hierarchy and any hierarchical dominance behaviours and their personal bonds and likings.

I am usually doing my own bondings in one of the foldable lawn run that my husband has made me; it is about 120cm square or used a panelled rabbit run of similar size. I have used it in the past to bond sow quartets with a new husboar repeatedly. Just so your piggies have got space to get out of each other's way when things are getting lively. Place a pile of hay in the middle but nothing else.
With an overexcited teenage boars, things are bound to be lively for a day or two; if necessary leave them either in the run overnight or if there are tensions, separate overnight and restart on the following day, provided that acceptance has happened and they have been able to work through a good part of the hierarchy establishment. Boars can lose their brain temporarily and go on a humping spree.

However, at this age and with his bond with his sisters still present, acceptance should not be a problem. It is more you having to sit through it and NOT interfere. Have some veg and hay ready that you can sprinkle around at stretegic moments. I find that it is worth letting the piggies get through the roughest bit of the bonding process in the pen and not transferring the piggies back to the cage too soon. That makes for somewhat calmer settling down in the cage afterwards when every pig is exhausted from the excess of pheromones, hormones and energy, especially when one of the girls is close enough in her oestrus cycle to come into season spontaneously, which makes it particularly wild. But it serves to bond the new boar more closely with his ladies, so the first few seasons are always on the more dramatic side.

Do the bonding in a room with good ventilation and that you can wipe down afterwards as cross gender bonding is a stink and pee fest. Don't clean your piggies, though - the pheromone orgy is part of the bonding process. They will tidy themselves up within a day or two.

All the best!

Hi thank you for your brilliant advice Relieved to know the bond has not been damaged and that the behaviour should hopefully stop or die down considering this has not been as issue before. And thanks for the stink warning! Will leave them the run over night if things are going well as it's not worth them getting too territorial if I take them back to their cage too soon as I'm sure no matter how hard I clean their hutch, certain parts will still be their territory in their heads.