Housing males and females

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ivegotpiggies

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Hi, I just bought 3 females and they have each had babies since. I want to keep all of them as I have the ability to do so and I didn't want them to go to a home where they're not cared for. I have an area for them but obviously to prevent mating I need to separate the males and females.

I have 3 boys and 7 girls. My question is can I house them next to each other?
So that they can see and smell eachother but can't get together. And if I do will the boys fight when the girls are in season?
 
How old are the boars now?
If they are 21 days or 250g in weight, then separation needs to occur immediately

First, its not likely you will be able to keep three males together in one cage long term - boar trios almost always fail once they become teenagers and most wont make it to adulthood, as they find it very difficult to form a hierarchy. Boars do best in pairs (plus the cage size required to attempt a boar trio is much larger than normal sizing to give them all enough territory (even so, a large cage isn’t a guarantee of success) - a 300x100cm cage is needed to give them all a square metre of territory each, plus still a back up plan for separations)
As youngsters you will be able to keep the three of them together to work out which two get on best but they need to be separated out into a pair of boars and a single when they are around 16 weeks old to not risk wider problems.
The single boar will need to be kept alongside the other boar pair for companionship through the bars.
If you have the option to neuter the single boar, then when he is old enough and had his six week post op wait to become infertile, he can then be bonded back in with the sows.
If the boars aren’t separated and do fight, while hopefully you would still be able to make a pair and a single out of them, there is the potential for all three of them to fall out, so you would then end up with all three boys being single and having to live in separate cages permamently (still with one having the option of being neutered and bonded back in with the sows)

Boars who grow up around sows tend to be less affected by sow pheromones but it’s not a guarantee - yes they can fight over sow pheromones - so you would need to be prepared for the bonded boar pair to potentially have issues. It’s safest to house bonded boar pairs and sows well away from each other and ideally in separate rooms.
Stacked cages is the alternative - with the sows at the bottom (Still ensuring the single boar is kept alongside other piggies) so sow pheromones dont drift so easily towards a bonded pair of boars.

Also to clarify cage size, to have the 7 sows potentially with a neutered boar, so 8 piggies, the cage size will need to be 340x60cm (11 foot by 2 foot) on a single level (Or measurements covering the equivalent square metres)
For two boars, the cage size is 180x60cm on a single level

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Last edited:
Piggies&buns said:
How old are the boars now?
If they are 21 days or 250g in weight, then separation needs to occur immediately

First, its not likely you will be able to keep three males together in one cage long term - boar trios almost always fail once they become teenagers and most wont make it to adulthood, as they find it very difficult to form a hierarchy. Boars do best in pairs (plus the cage size required to attempt a boar trio is much larger than normal sizing to give them all enough territory (even so, a large cage isn’t a guarantee of success) - a 300x100cm cage is needed to give them all a square metre of territory, plus still a back up plan for separations)
As youngsters you will be able to keep the three of them together to work out which two get on best but they need to be separated out into a pair of boars and a single when they are around 16 weeks old to not risk wider problems.
The single boar will need to be kept alongside the other boar pair for companionship through the bars.
If you have the option to neuter the single boar, then when he is old enough and had his six week post op wait to become infertile, he can then be bonded back in with the sows.
If the boars aren’t separated and do fight, while hopefully you would still be able to make a pair and a single out of them, there is the potential for all three of them to fall out, so you would then end up with all three boys being single and having to live in separate cages permamently (still with one having the option of being neutered and bonded back in with the sows)

Boars who grow up around sows tend to be less affected by sow pheromones but it’s not a guarantee - yes they can fight over sow pheromones - so you would need to be prepared for the bonded boar pair to potentially have issues. It’s safest to house bonded boar pairs and sows well away from each other and ideally in separate rooms.
Stacked cages is the alternative - with the sows at the bottom (Still ensuring the single boar is kept alongside other piggies) so sow pheromones dont drift so easily towards a bonded pair of boars.

Also to clarify cage size, to have the 7 sows potentially with a neutered boar, so 8 piggies, the cage size will need to be 340x60cm (11 foot by 2 foot) on a single level.
For two boars, the cage size is 180x60cm on a single level

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Click to expand...
Lovin your knowledge! Xx
 
Okay
Piggies&buns said:
How old are the boars now?
If they are 21 days or 250g in weight, then separation needs to occur immediately

First, its not likely you will be able to keep three males together in one cage long term - boar trios almost always fail once they become teenagers and most wont make it to adulthood, as they find it very difficult to form a hierarchy. Boars do best in pairs (plus the cage size required to attempt a boar trio is much larger than normal sizing to give them all enough territory (even so, a large cage isn’t a guarantee of success) - a 300x100cm cage is needed to give them all a square metre of territory each, plus still a back up plan for separations)
As youngsters you will be able to keep the three of them together to work out which two get on best but they need to be separated out into a pair of boars and a single when they are around 16 weeks old to not risk wider problems.
The single boar will need to be kept alongside the other boar pair for companionship through the bars.
If you have the option to neuter the single boar, then when he is old enough and had his six week post op wait to become infertile, he can then be bonded back in with the sows.
If the boars aren’t separated and do fight, while hopefully you would still be able to make a pair and a single out of them, there is the potential for all three of them to fall out, so you would then end up with all three boys being single and having to live in separate cages permamently (still with one having the option of being neutered and bonded back in with the sows)

Boars who grow up around sows tend to be less affected by sow pheromones but it’s not a guarantee - yes they can fight over sow pheromones - so you would need to be prepared for the bonded boar pair to potentially have issues. It’s safest to house bonded boar pairs and sows well away from each other and ideally in separate rooms.
Stacked cages is the alternative - with the sows at the bottom (Still ensuring the single boar is kept alongside other piggies) so sow pheromones dont drift so easily towards a bonded pair of boars.

Also to clarify cage size, to have the 7 sows potentially with a neutered boar, so 8 piggies, the cage size will need to be 340x60cm (11 foot by 2 foot) on a single level (Or measurements covering the equivalent square metres)
For two boars, the cage size is 180x60cm on a single level

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advice 🥰🥰
 
Piggies&buns said:
How old are the boars now?
If they are 21 days or 250g in weight, then separation needs to occur immediately

First, its not likely you will be able to keep three males together in one cage long term - boar trios almost always fail once they become teenagers and most wont make it to adulthood, as they find it very difficult to form a hierarchy. Boars do best in pairs (plus the cage size required to attempt a boar trio is much larger than normal sizing to give them all enough territory (even so, a large cage isn’t a guarantee of success) - a 300x100cm cage is needed to give them all a square metre of territory each, plus still a back up plan for separations)
As youngsters you will be able to keep the three of them together to work out which two get on best but they need to be separated out into a pair of boars and a single when they are around 16 weeks old to not risk wider problems.
The single boar will need to be kept alongside the other boar pair for companionship through the bars.
If you have the option to neuter the single boar, then when he is old enough and had his six week post op wait to become infertile, he can then be bonded back in with the sows.
If the boars aren’t separated and do fight, while hopefully you would still be able to make a pair and a single out of them, there is the potential for all three of them to fall out, so you would then end up with all three boys being single and having to live in separate cages permamently (still with one having the option of being neutered and bonded back in with the sows)

Boars who grow up around sows tend to be less affected by sow pheromones but it’s not a guarantee - yes they can fight over sow pheromones - so you would need to be prepared for the bonded boar pair to potentially have issues. It’s safest to house bonded boar pairs and sows well away from each other and ideally in separate rooms.
Stacked cages is the alternative - with the sows at the bottom (Still ensuring the single boar is kept alongside other piggies) so sow pheromones dont drift so easily towards a bonded pair of boars.

Also to clarify cage size, to have the 7 sows potentially with a neutered boar, so 8 piggies, the cage size will need to be 340x60cm (11 foot by 2 foot) on a single level (Or measurements covering the equivalent square metres)
For two boars, the cage size is 180x60cm on a single level

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Click to expand...
The boar's are 2 weeks old at the moment. What about if the boar's have been together since birth?
 
ivegotpiggies said:
The boar's are 2 weeks old at the moment. What about if the boar's have been together since birth?
Click to expand...
Makes no difference I’m afraid. A boar trio is the most unstable grouping with the highest fall out rate. If you’re determined to keep them all, you’d do best to identify which pair get on best and keep them as a pair separate entirely from the sow herd. The third one could be neutered once he’s old enough & then after a six week wait he could be introduced to the sow herd.

However, all this would be a huge undertaking. 10 Guinea pigs is a huge responsibility in terms of care, feed, health checking, cage cleaning and vets bills. I’d encourage you to think carefully about whether you can cope long term with such a large number.
 
:agr: They still won’t be any more likely to remain together. Being related sadly doesn’t mean anything
 
VickiA said:
Makes no difference I’m afraid. A boar trio is the most unstable grouping with the highest fall out rate. If you’re determined to keep them all, you’d do best to identify which pair get on best and keep them as a pair separate entirely from the sow herd. The third one could be neutered once he’s old enough & then after a six week wait he could be introduced to the sow herd.

However, all this would be a huge undertaking. 10 Guinea pigs is a huge responsibility in terms of care, feed, health checking, cage cleaning and vets bills. I’d encourage you to think carefully about whether you can cope long term with such a large number.
Click to expand...
Okay thanks
 
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