Girls and Boys living in the same space.

WWDrew

WWDrew

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I have three girls that live together upstairs and two boys that live separately down stairs. My knees have gotten bad so I’m avoiding the stairs and want them at the same level. What are the chances of my girls breaking their bond over having boys in the same room. Will this affect the girls at all?
 
You say the boys live separately - I’m reading this that the boys do not live together in the same cage. If this is the case then it is ok for you to bring the girls downstairs. It’s if the boys live together in one cage that you can’t bring the girls downstairs. The risk isn’t to the girls bond, it is to the boys bond (you should not bring sows into a boar room as it will cause the boars to fight with each other), but if the boys do not live in the same cage, then the boys will obviously not be able to fight with each other.
However, bringing the girls downstairs is still going to cause a reaction in each of the single boys. You must make sure the boys cages are both secure so they can’t escape their cages to get in with the girls (it can and does happen).
 
Piggies&buns said:
You say the boys live separately - I’m reading this that the boys do not live together in the same cage. If this is the case then it is ok for you to bring the girls downstairs. It’s if the boys live together in one cage that you can’t bring the girls downstairs. The risk isn’t to the girls bond, it is to the boys bond (you should not bring sows into a boar room as it will cause the boars to fight with each other), but if the boys do not live in the same cage, then the boys will obviously not be able to fight with each other.
However, bringing the girls downstairs is still going to cause a reaction in each of the single boys. You must make sure the boys cages are both secure so they can’t escape their cages to get in with the girls (it can and does happen)
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Piggies&buns said:
You say the boys live separately - I’m reading this that the boys do not live together in the same cage. If this is the case then it is ok for you to bring the girls downstairs. It’s if the boys live together in one cage that you can’t bring the girls downstairs. The risk isn’t to the girls bond, it is to the boys bond (you should not bring sows into a boar room as it will cause the boars to fight with each other), but if the boys do not live in the same cage, then the boys will obviously not be able to fight with each other.
However, bringing the girls downstairs is still going to cause a reaction in each of the single boys. You must make sure the boys cages are both secure so they can’t escape their cages to get in with the girls (it can and does happen).
Click to expand...

The boys live on their own and their cage in on the floor. The girls cage in built off the ground for easier cleaning. I don’t thing the boys could climb that high. Does having boys scent around the same room make sows go into heat more often?
 
Hi

It is usually the boars that can fall out when sows are introduced into their environment and they are confronted with female pheromones when in season. Sows will often have a stronger season initially in the presence of male pheromones but they won't come into season more often; they remain on a roughly fortnightly cycle.

Please be aware that pheromones don't rise but spread horizontally for a certain distance. For this reason it is generally better to keep boars-only pairs or groups on a higher level than any sows in any combination or at a distance.
Make sure that you have a divider at hand for the boar cage in case there are problems during a season and you need to put in a temporary divider quickly; especially the first few ones.

Boars that have lived around sows for a longer time produce a calming compound but that won't apply to yours initially. Age and infirmity also plays a role - older boars don't produce as much testosterone or much at all anymore.

You can find the full rules re. boars and sows in chapter 3 of our boar guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
 
WWDrew said:
The boys live on their own and their cage in on the floor. The girls cage in built off the ground for easier cleaning. I don’t thing the boys could climb that high. Does having boys scent around the same room make sows go into heat more often?
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The girls bond is not likely to be at risk, but the boys bond is.
If your two boys live in the cage together as a bonded pair, then bringing the girls downstairs and into the same room as the boys can cause the two boys to start fighting with each other.
You will need to reconfigure the cage setup so the girls are at the bottom on the floor of a stacked cage and the boys cage is at the top
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I have boars and sows living in the same area without any issues! Here is Puck (a TEAS piggy who lives with another boar) chatting up Agnes who is boarding with her sister Betty. The perfect holiday romance 💘

View attachment 213300Very nice that they all get along. How did they end up this way? Were they all babies and grew up together? Did this cage set up happen later. How old are all your pigs?
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I have 5 boar pairs and 2 sow herds who all live in the same piggy shed without any problems. The boys Iive in raised stacked accommodation and the girls live on the floor, a little distance away, so no debris from the girls can't get into the boys and cause them to get excited. I have kept piggies this way for many years and it has never caused any problems.
 
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@WWDrew no, the piggies have arrived at various stages in their lives. We are a sanctuary who take in guinea pigs with ongoing health issues, as well as taking guinea pigs for rehome. I also take temporary residents, to allow them to access the treatment they need from the vet we use. In addition I provide holiday boarding. Therefore, the piggies in my care are constantly changing. I have never had an issue with sows causing boars to fall out. The guinea pigs who are permanent residents here range from around a year old to 7 years old.
 
@WWDrew
In addition to my first post on this thread, I just want to say that while boars in a room with sows can work out (I've had one success and one teenage failure so far in a room with mainly mixed gender and sow groups) I want to add that my boar adoptees have always been introduced into a sow space and never the other way; the same as the other posters with positive experiences.

We are however also regularly contacted on this forum by people who have ended up with a boar fall-out when they tried to introduce sows into a boars-only space. This seems to make a difference.

You can never bank on success and you will need a plan B (divider in the boar cage) in case things are not working out.

As mentioned earlier, age/infirmity do play a role additionally. Long term exposure to the presence of sows will cause boars to produce a calming compound but this won't be present when you make your move as you are planning it.the first strong sow seasons can be a real test as the sows will also react much more strongly as well when suddenly exposed to boar pheromones.
 
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