Girls near boys?

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I am wondering about the 'myth' that seems to be going around. I was talking to a lady the other day who had been told that if she already has 2 bonded males, she should not have females as well as the males will start to fall out. I can see why people may think that, but it's not something I have ever seen or experienced. Has anyone actually found that this has happened?
 
I have no personal experience of this but I can see where it would make sense. A bonded pair of boys who are suddenly introduced to the smell of girls in the same room or in the cage next door may possibly start to bicker and fight over who would get the girls if they could reach them. The less dominant pig may feel the need to try to assert his dominance when girls are added to the equation.
I may be adding girls to my herd at some point and have thought about this. My solution was to just keep my bonded pair of boys in a different room away for the girls just to reduce the risk that they may fight.
 
I've never had this problem with rescue pairs of bonded boars that were introduced to the shed- thankfully or I would have to stop taking them in. I did have some boarders in once that got a bit flustered when they were out in the run and smelt girls (they were living in a different shed to the girls). Most boys I've had have been too interested in the girls to take any notice of their partner and to fight him. I have friends with bonded boars in the same shed as sows too. I look upon it as a 'test' if they are OK together with sows around its likely to be a good pairing- just my opinion though :) All my seperated boars that arrive in rescue have not had sows around them, they were the sole guineas, at least around sows they can excercise their natural urges ::)
 
I have heard stories from both sides - people who keep boars near sows and they get on fine, but I have heard a couple of stories where boars fell out after perhaps being distracted by sows.

Karen, that's good to know that it seems possible to keep bonded boars around sows. What do you think about introducing a pair of single boars to each other around sows though? I just wondered if you have ever tried that? In my situation we tried this, but it didn't work.

We had always had 2 sows, then adopted a single (unneutered) boar (Max) from a rescue. We wanted him to have a friend, but because I was nervous of a neutering operation we opted to adopt another single (unneutered) boar (Toby). We tried to introduce them and it first thought they were going to be ok, but after an hour or so they went for each other and we had to seperate. They lived in a C&C with a divider between them. Max would always rumble at the Toby through the bars, Toby never seemed that bothered though and normally ignored Max! We think it might have been Max that stopped the pairing being successful, as he always seemed very "aware" of the girls eg. when it was floor time he would always run up to their cage and try and bite the bars and talk to the sows, whereas Toby just isn't interested in the girls. My poor Max passed away a couple of months ago. Since then Toby lives near the girls so he isn't alone (he really doesn't seem interested in them at all!). I would like to get Toby a cage mate, but I think I am too nervous to try introducing another boar after the experience with Max.
 
I think if the boar has mated, this will obv cause more of a problem....

I have boars and sows in the same rooms, but not next to eachother.....so couldnt really tell you....

Obviously 2 boars kept with a sow will fight over her, so I guess if there was a cage of 2 newly bonded boars next to a cage of females this could happen!
 
i have two pairs of male and female piggies ( husbands and wives) in seperate hutches.have just moved them into the utility room for the winter ( thought i might as well with the bad weather we're having), they are taking it in turns to have floor time and they are amusing to watch, the boys keep saying hello to each other through the front of the hutch,and they are rumbling at eachother, and sniffing and licking, they seem to like eachother (never had them out at same time). as soon as the girls come over to say hi, they get all posessive of them and start trying to dominate and mate with them. ::)
 
Does anyone have an experience of bonding boars whilst at the same time having cages of sows around? I am still thinking about what to do with Toby (see my post above). I would really like to get him a friend but am not sure what to do. I have tried to contact Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare in Rugby about the possibilty of a spayed sow, however I am having no luck getting in touch. I'm not keen on having him neutered. Any ideas or should I leave him on his own? He is such a friendly boy, I feel it's a shame he doesn't have a cage mate. I would get another boar, but i'm so worried about bonding them with sows around.
 
I recently bonded Iggle with a baby boar in my front room which you know has both boars and sows in it! They are fine together now and actually live right next to Possum and Flo (who are girls) without any problems. I wouldn't be as confident trying it with 2 adults but with Iggle at about 6 months old and Boo (the baby) at 4 weeks it was fine. One of my easiest boar bonding sessions so far!
 
I've bonded an adult boar (no idea of his age, previously kept singly with no other pigs in the home) and a baby and they lived next to my boar and his sows. The sows flirted with them and they gave them the attention they wanted, there was no bickering between boars though, they were more interested in the sows. I feel that its not sows that are the problem, its the boars personality. A friend pairs up her ex-breeding boars and retires them to pet homes with no problems with the majority, she also has a pair of free rangers in the shed that are ex breeding.
 
We were considering taking on two girls, but we suddenly lost a boy, and were trying to bond his dad with a new baby so we dared not risk it - we had two bonded boys (father and son) that fell out really badly after we placed a third single boar next to them (in a different housing) and they spent all their time bickering from then on. Had we know it was going to cause fights we would have not put them near him, and simply got the third boy a new friend, but unfortunately we live and learn. I know a lot of people don't seem to have a problem, but our previous experience worried us enough to not want to upset the apple cart.
 
Thanks for the replies. Kate and Karen, it's good to hear you have bonded a baby and adult boar near sows....so that's an option for me to consider. If I did so, I would need a very young boar wouldn't i?

Personality wise Toby seems very friendly and easy going. His cage is near sows now and he doesn't pay them a bit of attention - not even a rumble, so I feel from his point of view the sows don't concern him, whereas when we had our other boar Max, he would go crazy if one of the sows was around.
 
This is a topic that is interesting to me too as I was vaguely thinking about having Timmy nuetered and getting a sow as a cagemate for him. He is very highly strung and dominant and I know he wont get on with any boars. The fact that Lennie lives next to him has put me off (as well as the risks of the op itself) and my two bonded boars live above them but would smell the sow and see her during their floor time :-\
I feel that Timmy would benefit from a girlfriend as I think part of the reason he is highly strung and a bit ferocious is because he is alone, although he can interact with the others through his cage bars.
Any ideas on my situation?
 
I have the same problem LJ. I have a bonded pair of boars and two living separated. I've decided I'm definately getting Jack neutered because he's had two cage mates that have been fine for about 3 months and then he takes chunks out of them. I think I'm going to house the two paired boys where they can hear the lady pigs but not see or interact with them. So they'll all be in the same room but maybe on opposite sides. Fingers crossed it works.
 
emilyj said:
Thanks for the replies. Kate and Karen, it's good to hear you have bonded a baby and adult boar near sows....so that's an option for me to consider. If I did so, I would need a very young boar wouldn't i?

Personality wise Toby seems very friendly and easy going. His cage is near sows now and he doesn't pay them a bit of attention - not even a rumble, so I feel from his point of view the sows don't concern him, whereas when we had our other boar Max, he would go crazy if one of the sows was around.
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Hi, I think you still need to have the option of taking the baby back if it doesn't work out or have a split cage. Mine and Kate's examples mean that its possible with some not that its more or less likely :) The boar I bonded was 12 weeks approx.- a rescue.

LJ I would have Timmy castrated if he were mine but my situation is different because there are already sows around, its not a new thing for any of my pairs of boars, it'll probably be different for yours but that doesn't mean they won't be OK or settle, the new smell of any guinea can unsettle things a bit for a while. My pairs of boars are more interested in the girlies than fighting each other. Do choose a vet that castrates successfully for a rescue if you decide to go ahead :)
 
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