Poppy Le Rendu6
Junior Guinea Pig
I have been told that after 6 months boars will fight? I have 2 pairs of boars who are kept apart. Need advice
Help Boar Pairs.
- Thread starter Poppy Le Rendu6
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Boars go through a hormonal teenage period, which lasts roughly from 4-14 months of age until boars rach a hormonally more settled adulthood. During this period there can testosterone flare-ups. Peak periods seem to be typically the onset around 4 months, then a strong burst around 6 months and some usually tricky weeks between 8-10 months. "Quiet" pairings can sometimes suddenly hit a major snag after a year old, just when you thought you were out of the woods.
Thankfully, more than half of the boar pairs will make it to adulthood together, but it all very much depends on how well the adult personalites match and completement each other - any pairing can have only one dominant personality, or you are in trouble. It doesn't matter whether the boys are related; being same age is actually rather another risk factor as it means that they hit the tricky periods together.
All you can do is hang in there and hope for the best. it would be good if you had a plan B at the ready in case things go haywire, so you don't end up in a panic after a bad fight with nowhere to keep a separated piggy.
This thread here contains tips on how to minimise the risks as much as possible by removing any potential flash points:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/
This thread here is a list of dominance behaviours which can help you to judge what is going on. any mild to medium behaviour has to be tolerated:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
There are some further tips in case there has been a tussle or things have gone very touchy in here:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
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