Groups of boars

[Elizabeth Beadle]

Hi everyone. Some of you may know that I lost my Jerry last week. Our Cheeky little boy . Percy his partner is doing well he lost his sparkle for few days but he has been eating and seems to be coping really well. We are responsible pet owners and have our Piggies in their own room please see attached their pens they live in them permanently. We have Ollie 2.5 and Peanut 1 in one pen. We have two brothers nearly two in another and then Percy now on his own who is also nearly two. Our nearest rescue is at least 80 plus miles away. We have always wanted them to live together ( when we were new to looking after Piggies) but was advised to keep them in pairs which was working well. We don't really want to get another piggy from a pet shop. Our piggies are all quite chilled. We was thinking of taking the walls down and letting them live together but is 5 still too small a number for a group and would Percy be ok with two established pairs? They would be living in almost a whole room. I am so worried I just want to do the right thing. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

 

[Claire W]

I am very sorry for your loss of Jerry Sadly, having 5 boars living together in a group is a recipe for disaster. They will fight and bonds will be broken. Worse case scenario, you will end up with 5 singles. Boars do better in pairs.

Your best bet would be taking Percy to a rescue for boar dating or if you really don’t want anymore piggies, have him living alongside your other boars so he can interact with them through the bars.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

Space is an important factor when it comes to boars and you would need at least one square metre of territory per boar. However, character compatibility is the most important part. It would be a risk to try to get them altogether and trying it could disrupt the bond between the pairs, so you could end up not being able to put them back as they were after an attempt.

It does sound like it is a long way to your nearest rescue, but it would most likely be a trip well made.
If this isn’t an option, then could you make the bars see through rather than the solid wood, so he can actually see them through?

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone. Some of you may know that I lost my Jerry last week. Our Cheeky little boy . Percy his partner View attachment 195417is doing well he lost his sparkle for few days but he has been eating and seems to be coping really well. We are responsible pet owners and have our Piggies in their own room please see attached their pens they live in them permanently. We have Ollie 2.5 and Peanut 1 in one pen. We have two brothers nearly two in another and then Percy now on his own who is also nearly two. Our nearest rescue is at least 80 plus miles away. We have always wanted them to live together ( when we were new to looking after Piggies) but was advised to keep them in pairs which was working well. We don't really want to get another piggy from a pet shop. Our piggies are all quite chilled. We was thinking of taking the walls down and letting them live together but is 5 still too small a number for a group and would Percy be ok with two established pairs? They would be living in almost a whole room. I am so worried I just want to do the right thing. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Hi!

I am ever so sorry for your loss!

Five is the very bottom end of what can be constituted as a boar group and not necessarily to be recommended to attempt in a big merger with teenagers or several boars in their prime in the mix.
Boar groups generally work better with all adults and much better with older boars (where the hormones have run out and they behave more like sows as the comfort of company of other piggies becomes more important than social standing - but again, it won't work for every boar) or in boar groups with a very different disability/carer companion dynamic. It is however even then still very much dependent on the actual character mix and how many dominant/submissive boys are being socialised; that is why you can never make any prediction on the individual situation; our recommendations rely on trends.

It may well not work out because it all comes ultimately down to as to whether the boars want to live together or not and can decide on just one leader (not every boar, especially in their prime around 2-4 years, is willing to give up their status - it all depends on the mix of how dominant they are in outlook and how personality compatible, too).

Alternatively and with a lot less risk, you could move Percy in an adjoining pen with grid separators that allow full social interaction and stimulation through the bars but still give him his territory. Quite a few members have this kind of 'can't live together but can't live apart' system with a separator where the 'neighboars' are actually still sharing a bond. I would recommend that you see first how Percy is doing next to your older pair and then take it from there in due time some weeks or months down the line when you can try them in a neutral herd feeding setting on the lawn - never rush these things. If he can make friends through the bars, then an adult trio that has chosen themselves can and does work out.

A single full boar can also live happily next to sows as he hasn't got anybody to fall out with, by the way if you also have sows. You have to make sure that he cannot get at them (cable tie the grids and nothing that helps him to climb/jump over the grids, but generally it is not the worst long term alternative and gives him the opportunity to express a lot of entirely different social behaviours and interactions that he doesn't have as a 'bachelor'.

What doesn't work and why we have put in the strong warning about boar groups are baby boar trios and quartets that have been chosen for their looks and not who they hang out with and that all hit teenage at the same time - a perfect recipe for disaster unless you are very lucky and have ended up with a perfect personality balance; but that is rather a minority and not a majority, unfortunately.
If you find a firmly bonded boar trio or quartet in a good welfare standard rescue, then you are always on much safer ground because character compatibility and stability of the bond has been taken into consideration.

More information on next door living alternatives:
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (read both chapters on age and companionship)

PS: Unfortunately, you have to wait until May until my current article series 'The Herd, the Group and I' for Guinea Pig Magazine about social identity and the complex multi-levelled society and social interaction that they have as a species ends with a look at boars from a species perspective and gets a bit deeper into the 'why' of their specific dos and don'ts rules, including a bit more of a differientated look at our pet boar social options (planned issue 68).
I have so far dealt with how guinea pigs identify themselves, self- and social perception (issue 63); herd behaviours (64); and group aspects (65+66). My new instalment out in March is about territorial group interaction and territorial behaviours that we see (but all too often misinterpret) in our pet piggies (67).

 

[LollyJJ]

I just wanted to say "hi" and how much I love your set up- it looks great and fantastic you can have a whole room for them. You have a lucky bunch of boars!

Very sad that you lost Jerry, but looks like Percy would do well to be able to interact with his room mates through the bars as a first step. Have they ever seen each other, I'm sure they can smell and hear!

I look forward to some updates and all the best with Jerry.

 

[Elizabeth Beadle]

Hi everyone, I do hope that everyone on this thread gets to read this ( still need to learn how Forum works sorry). Firstly my apologies for not replying sooner. Just an update we went with the living long side route and Percy does seem happy and his brothers next door pay him alot of attention and they seem happy too. So thank you for your help we are hoping when its time for them to beable to go back on the grass that they can go out together. When the time comes is it ok for them to go on the grass together but then go back to their own pens in doors? Will this mess up bonding? I will send a picture but its complete bedding change today so will take when done. Ttfn

 

[Elizabeth Beadle]

Hi!

I am ever so sorry for your loss!

Five is the very bottom end of what can be constituted as a boar group and not necessarily to be recommended to attempt in a big merger with teenagers or several boars in their prime in the mix.
Boar groups generally work better with all adults and much better with older boars (where the hormones have run out and they behave more like sows as the comfort of company of other piggies becomes more important than social standing - but again, it won't work for every boar) or in boar groups with a very different disability/carer companion dynamic. It is however even then still very much dependent on the actual character mix and how many dominant/submissive boys are being socialised; that is why you can never make any prediction on the individual situation; our recommendations rely on trends.

It may well not work out because it all comes ultimately down to as to whether the boars want to live together or not and can decide on just one leader (not every boar, especially in their prime around 2-4 years, is willing to give up their status - it all depends on the mix of how dominant they are in outlook and how personality compatible, too).

Alternatively and with a lot less risk, you could move Percy in an adjoining pen with grid separators that allow full social interaction and stimulation through the bars but still give him his territory. Quite a few members have this kind of 'can't live together but can't live apart' system with a separator where the 'neighboars' are actually still sharing a bond. I would recommend that you see first how Percy is doing next to your older pair and then take it from there in due time some weeks or months down the line when you can try them in a neutral herd feeding setting on the lawn - never rush these things. If he can make friends through the bars, then an adult trio that has chosen themselves can and does work out.

A single full boar can also live happily next to sows as he hasn't got anybody to fall out with, by the way if you also have sows. You have to make sure that he cannot get at them (cable tie the grids and nothing that helps him to climb/jump over the grids, but generally it is not the worst long term alternative and gives him the opportunity to express a lot of entirely different social behaviours and interactions that he doesn't have as a 'bachelor'.

What doesn't work and why we have put in the strong warning about boar groups are baby boar trios and quartets that have been chosen for their looks and not who they hang out with and that all hit teenage at the same time - a perfect recipe for disaster unless you are very lucky and have ended up with a perfect personality balance; but that is rather a minority and not a majority, unfortunately.
If you find a firmly bonded boar trio or quartet in a good welfare standard rescue, then you are always on much safer ground because character compatibility and stability of the bond has been taken into consideration.

More information on next door living alternatives:
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (read both chapters on age and companionship)

PS: Unfortunately, you have to wait until May until my current article series 'The Herd, the Group and I' for Guinea Pig Magazine about social identity and the complex multi-levelled society and social interaction that they have as a species ends with a look at boars from a species perspective and gets a bit deeper into the 'why' of their specific dos and don'ts rules, including a bit more of a differientated look at our pet boar social options (planned issue 68).
I have so far dealt with how guinea pigs identify themselves, self- and social perception (issue 63); herd behaviours (64); and group aspects (65+66). My new instalment out in March is about territorial group interaction and territorial behaviours that we see (but all too often misinterpret) in our pet piggies (67).

Thank you so much for your help and apologies for my really late reply I went with your advise and Percy is living along side his brothers next door it is working well he seems happy and so do his brothers next door. I just wanted to ask you how do I get to read your articles? Sorry really am new to forum stuff. Thank you.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for your help and apologies for my really late reply I went with your advise and Percy is living along side his brothers next door it is working well he seems happy and so do his brothers next door. I just wanted to ask you how do I get to read your articles? Sorry really am new to forum stuff. Thank you.

Hi

Glad that it has worked out for you and that your boys are much happier!

Sorry, I forgot to add the link to the Guinea Pig Magazine website but if you click on the green link in my signature underneath every post, you will also get there.
Here is the direct link to the website; you can order back issues or take out current subscriptions via the subscriptions: Home

If you want to have a little look at the quality of my articles, you may find my article series from 2020 interesting, in which I follow a piggy's life from birth to death through the different stages of development.
The Magazine has allowed me to share the series on the forum some time after the end of it: Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

I mostly write about guinea pig social interaction amongst their own species or with humans and related ownership aspects in the widest sense.
But we also always carry a great medical/welfare article and a highly qualified Q&A section with nurses and vets with a guinea pig interest; have a funny column from guinea pig themed comedian Elf; guinea pig stars from social media; a column from Saskia from Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue; a rescue story from around the world; reader letters and a centrefold reader piggy gallery (so you can find your piggy very quickly in the new issue); plus the story of the piggy/piggies on the title page, which is generally a reader picture. The magazine comes out every two months, is professionally made and has won awards. The newest issue #67 is just out now.

If you are interested in learning more about guinea pigs or want to look something up quickly, you may find our pretty comprehensive information collection helpful. It is for owners of all levels. You may want to bookmark the link: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

But of course we are always welcome to ask any questions in our Care sections or hang out for a chat or pictures in our Chat sections. We are a supportive place with a friendly community.

PS: The green links in our posts are always to information/practical how-to guides on a certain subject with more details and in-depth information than we can pack into every post; so you get the general tips and info in the post and all the little practical how-to details or in-depth background information to put the problem into context in the links.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi everyone, I do hope that everyone on this thread gets to read this ( still need to learn how Forum works sorry). Firstly my apologies for not replying sooner. Just an update we went with the living long side route and Percy does seem happy and his brothers next door pay him alot of attention and they seem happy too. So thank you for your help we are hoping when its time for them to beable to go back on the grass that they can go out together. When the time comes is it ok for them to go on the grass together but then go back to their own pens in doors? Will this mess up bonding? I will send a picture but its complete bedding change today so will take when done. Ttfn

No, they must remain separate at all times.
If you out them together for lawn time then to them it is a full on bonding session which can never be seen to conclusion - this is stressful for them and may result in fights and potentially upsetting your established bonds

 

[LollyJJ]