I'm warning you all that this is very gross

[tatals]

I have an 'issue' that is both funny and stressful - for all of us. And very, very gross. I wasn't able to find a thread about it because, to be fair, I have no idea what to look for.

One of my pigs is impossibly horny. I'm sorry to put it that way, but I just couldn't find a better one. He is ALWAYS trying to mate anything - and I mean ANYTHING - he sees before him: his mate, his toys, the water bowls, the food bowls, the ice packs, and I'm sure the list would go on if he had other available options. I mean, he doesn't try to mate his hidey just because it's too big for him.

This has been a matter of stress because he is constantly "glued" by his own semen. And it's obviously painful at times the way that the glue sticks on him, because he will chew his fur madly until it's off, even though he often hurts himself doing that. Also, he has been stressing his new partner a lot. (Note: their ages play a big role here; the culprit is 10 months old - teenage ! -, and the innocent little dude is barely a month - which has been a matter of concern, too, since I don't want to see him too stressed out.) To prevent that, I've separated an area that only he can access in the cage, but it still very annoying for him. Something that bothers me is that he often turns the bowls to do whatever he has to do, leaving the other guy with no water to drink. I thought a water bottle would solve the problem, but nope!, they prefer to be little brats and ignore it wholly - and I've tried the fruit/vegetable method.

Someone who has gone through this, PLEASE HELP ME! I've had 4 boars before him, and they wouldn't come close to this. I tried to stop him from turning the bowl again an hour ago, and he just started climbing my hand. I mean, REALLY, DUDE?! Honestly, HELP.

 

[Guinea Slave]

wow, poor lad, he must be exhausted! Not had this before with any boars but it’s probably best to speak to your vet. I have a sow who we spayed for similar reasons, nothing helped and we tried everything. The spaying made a huge difference for her and she calmed right down, her and her lovely sister were extremely grateful! I dont know if this is the same for boars and neutering impacts their hormones as much but I would have thought so?

 

[Wiebke]

I have an 'issue' that is both funny and stressful - for all of us. And very, very gross. I wasn't able to find a thread about it because, to be fair, I have no idea what to look for.

One of my pigs is impossibly horny. I'm sorry to put it that way, but I just couldn't find a better one. He is ALWAYS trying to mate anything - and I mean ANYTHING - he sees before him: his mate, his toys, the water bowls, the food bowls, the ice packs, and I'm sure the list would go on if he had other available options. I mean, he doesn't try to mate his hidey just because it's too big for him.

This has been a matter of stress because he is constantly "glued" by his own semen. And it's obviously painful at times the way that the glue sticks on him, because he will chew his fur madly until it's off, even though he often hurts himself doing that. Also, he has been stressing his new partner a lot. (Note: their ages play a big role here; the culprit is 10 months old - teenage ! -, and the innocent little dude is barely a month - which has been a matter of concern, too, since I don't want to see him too stressed out.) To prevent that, I've separated an area that only he can access in the cage, but it still very annoying for him. Something that bothers me is that he often turns the bowls to do whatever he has to do, leaving the other guy with no water to drink. I thought a water bottle would solve the problem, but nope!, they prefer to be little brats and ignore it wholly - and I've tried the fruit/vegetable method.

Someone who has gone through this, PLEASE HELP ME! I've had 4 boars before him, and they wouldn't come close to this. I tried to stop him from turning the bowl again an hour ago, and he just started climbing my hand. I mean, REALLY, DUDE?! Honestly, HELP.

HUGS

Teenage alert indeed!

Since the baby must be very new (separation age is ca. 3 weeks), the mounting and over-excitement is is not at all unusual for that age. It should settle down again but can take several days to weeks.

- Please follow the tips in our boar baby bonding chapter to help your little one; especially a safe refuge with two exits that the big boy cannot get into (make sure that the exits are too small for him): Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

- Please also follow the tips in our teenage guide (it has a chapter dedicated to practical measures for stabilising a relationship).
Sprinkle-feed veg and pellets but only in amount that can be eaten in one go, so no bowls left out. Keep in mind that they only replace the supplementary wild forage and that over three quarters of what a piggy eats in a day is hay, hay and more hay. Many owners rather overfeed pellets (just 1 tablespoon per piggy per day over 4 months and 2 under) and veg - but this takes away from the hay they should be feeding and ultimately shortens their life span instead of prolonging it. Sprinkle feeding around the cage reduces food spoilage, bowl hogging and encourages natural foraging behaviour.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

- Don't be surprised by your baby picking up his cues from your boy - he is now school age and your teenager is the teacher he is going to model himself on. More on guinea pig development throughout their life time from borth until death: Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

- Boar glue production will settle down after teenage; those are the 'juiciest' months in terms of semen fluid production but a new bonding can still get somewhat exciting: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
PS: If you need to clear a table space quickly for your mates in a busy pub, we strongly recommend getting into a detailed discussion about boar glue and boar impaction (even grosser). It really works like a treat - we never have a problem at our forum meets!

 

[Mousey24]

I'm having a similar problem with one of mine except he only humps his cage mate. Badger will not leave Bodger alone until he has, ahem, finished and we then have to cut boar glue out of Bodger's hair. It's obviously not pleasant for Bodger. I've tried separating them and giving him a decoy but as soon as they're back together it continues. It seems to be getting more frequent, probably every few weeks. They're both about 18 months old, have been together since they were babies and generally get along well. Is this something he will grow out of or any suggestions for stopping it?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm having a similar problem with one of mine except he only humps his cage mate. Badger will not leave Bodger alone until he has, ahem, finished and we then have to cut boar glue out of Bodger's hair. It's obviously not pleasant for Bodger. I've tried separating them and giving him a decoy but as soon as they're back together it continues. It seems to be getting more frequent, probably every few weeks. They're both about 18 months old, have been together since they were babies and generally get along well. Is this something he will grow out of or any suggestions for stopping it?

This is entirely normal boar behaviour. You can’t stop it nor should you try to. Please don’t separate them because of it as there is no need to do so. In fact separating them and then reuniting will cause them to reassert dominance so it will actually make them do it more.

 

[Ruth1]

. Oh man I had a narrow escape. While at the rescue I looked around the pairs of piggies and before definitely settling on my two little ladies I asked about boars, because I had heard they can be more affectionate. The fellow in charge of the small animals just looked at me and said - “the boars are gross - they hump all the time” Dominance? I suggested. “ No they just like it, he said!”

I hope you get sorted tho - that sounds not very nice for the piggy or you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

. Oh man I had a narrow escape. While at the rescue I looked around the pairs of piggies and before definitely settling on my two little ladies I asked about boars, because I had heard they can be more affectionate. The fellow in charge of the small animals just looked at me and said - “the boars are gross - they hump all the time” Dominance? I suggested. “ No they just like it, he said!”

I hope you get sorted tho - that sounds not very nice for the piggy or you!

Well it’s an awful shame a rescue centre said that. Poor boars get an undeserved reputation. No wonder there are so many more of them left in rescues, if a rescue centre are saying that to prospective owners and putting them off incorrectly
My 4 year old pair don’t hump anywhere near as much as they used to, and they absolutely are affectionate now they are older

 

[Ruth1]

Well it’s an awful shame a rescue centre said that. Poor boars get an undeserved reputation. No wonder there are so many more of them left in rescues, if a rescue centre are saying that to prospective owners and putting them off incorrectly
My 4 year old pair don’t hump anywhere near as much as they used to, and they absolutely are affectionate now they are older

Well that’s good to know. Yes - perhaps not the best thing to tell me, although I had pretty much decided on my two anyway! I must defend him tho - he loves his animals and they are very well looked after!

 

[Tnoz]

I love my boars all 4 of them, they cute funny and full of character, cheeky and love their piggie mum

 

[Wiebke]

I'm having a similar problem with one of mine except he only humps his cage mate. Badger will not leave Bodger alone until he has, ahem, finished and we then have to cut boar glue out of Bodger's hair. It's obviously not pleasant for Bodger. I've tried separating them and giving him a decoy but as soon as they're back together it continues. It seems to be getting more frequent, probably every few weeks. They're both about 18 months old, have been together since they were babies and generally get along well. Is this something he will grow out of or any suggestions for stopping it?

Hi and welcome

This is an old thread from somebody else.
For the sake of avoiding confusion, can you please start your own threads in the future. There is a big Post Thread button when you go to the top of the section. We will answer any questions of yours no matter how gross or inconsequential you consider them to be; we are a friendly and supportive place.

If you want to upload pictures, please use the Attach files button underneath your post as you write it and if you want to post a video, you need to upload it on a public setting on a service that doesn't require a membership sign-in (youtube is a good one) and then copy the video across into your post. Our forum is not part of social media - which has some real advantages - but since we run entirely on voluntary member donations not all formats are supported.

I hope that this helps you navigate our forum and its quirks better.

 

[Sweet Potato]

. Oh man I had a narrow escape. While at the rescue I looked around the pairs of piggies and before definitely settling on my two little ladies I asked about boars, because I had heard they can be more affectionate. The fellow in charge of the small animals just looked at me and said - “the boars are gross - they hump all the time” Dominance? I suggested. “ No they just like it, he said!”

I hope you get sorted tho - that sounds not very nice for the piggy or you!

Wow that's crazy that a rescue said that! Boars are definitely underrated and far to often overlooked. I love my boys

 

[Lauraarse03]

Wow that's crazy that a rescue said that! Boars are definitely underrated and far to often overlooked. I love my boys

I have two girls in a boy and my boy is definitely way more affectionate than the girls I love them all the same but my boar follows me every where an loves to cuddle un my arms as much as he can

 

[Wiebke]

. Oh man I had a narrow escape. While at the rescue I looked around the pairs of piggies and before definitely settling on my two little ladies I asked about boars, because I had heard they can be more affectionate. The fellow in charge of the small animals just looked at me and said - “the boars are gross - they hump all the time” Dominance? I suggested. “ No they just like it, he said!”

I hope you get sorted tho - that sounds not very nice for the piggy or you!

Boars are just boars... You love them for what they are; and after a while you actually stop perceiving things as gross; just the same as you just get over it and get on with your own children or the older generation when they are start struggling.

But how sad they said that at the rescue - yes, boars can be a little gross at times and hormones can take over during teenage or intros; but they are not as cranky as older sows (unlike boars, their hormone production never settles down; hence all the ovarian cyst issues and the uptight personalities) and they do not deserve their bad reputation by any means.
Especially as that reputation is only due because of the way we sell/buy and keep guinea pigs as pets is failing boars badly on several levels. Rescues are stuffed to the rafters with boars failing to get any interest at all, and comments like these are really not helpful at all.

To be honest, I've liked nearly every of my own boys better than the majority of my girls because the boar things are amply weighed up by a generally more accessible personality.

 

[Lauraarse03]

Boars are just boars... You love them for what they are; and after a while actually you stop seeing things as gross; just the same as you get on with your own children or the older generation when they are start struggling.

But how sad they said that at the rescue - yes, boars can be a little gross at times and hormones can take over during teenage or intros; but they are not as cranky as older sows (unlike boars, their hormone production never settles down; hence all the ovarian cyst issues and the uptight personalities) and they do not deserve their bad reputation by any means. Especially as that reputation is only due because the way we acquire and keep guinea pigs as pets is failing boars badly on several levels. Rescues are stuffed to the rafters of boars failing to get any interest at all, and comments like these do are really not helpful at all.

To be honest, I've liked nearly every of my own boys better than the majority of my girls because it is amply weighed up by a generally more accessible personality.

LOVE MY BOAR !

 

[Ruth1]

Boars are just boars... You love them for what they are; and after a while you actually stop perceiving things as gross; just the same as you just get over it and get on with your own children or the older generation when they are start struggling.

But how sad they said that at the rescue - yes, boars can be a little gross at times and hormones can take over during teenage or intros; but they are not as cranky as older sows (unlike boars, their hormone production never settles down; hence all the ovarian cyst issues and the uptight personalities) and they do not deserve their bad reputation by any means.
Especially as that reputation is only due because of the way we sell/buy and keep guinea pigs as pets is failing boars badly on several levels. Rescues are stuffed to the rafters with boars failing to get any interest at all, and comments like these are really not helpful at all.

To be honest, I've liked nearly every of my own boys better than the majority of my girls because the boar things are amply weighed up by a generally more accessible personality.

I’ll spread the word! I wish I hadn’t said anything tho because the person in the rescue who said it, had not long before been telling me of the rabbits he had rehomed from the rescue because he knew they would find it hard to get a new home due to their ongoing medical issues. He had also made sure that he was happy with my setup and went into great detail about how I should look after the girls. He knew every rabbit and piggy in his care in depth. I agree - not a great thro away line, but I could sense his dedication to the animals none-the-less!

I know no one knows the guy, but I just feel responsible to stand up for him! The one snippet of perhaps not his finest piece of advice shouldn’t overshadow the great work and care he puts into all of his animals - male and female alike!

 

[Tnoz]

So sad how animals get rejected due to their gender

 

[Wiebke]

I’ll spread the word! I wish I hadn’t said anything tho because the person in the rescue who said it, had not long before been telling me of the rabbits he had rehomed from the rescue because he knew they would find it hard to get a new home due to their ongoing medical issues. He had also made sure that he was happy with my setup and went into great detail about how I should look after the girls. He knew every rabbit and piggy in his care in depth. I agree - not a great thro away line, but I could sense his dedication to the animals none-the-less!

I know no one knows the guy, but I just feel responsible to stand up for him! The one snippet of perhaps not his finest piece of advice shouldn’t overshadow the great work and care he puts into all of his animals - male and female alike!

Thank you for clarifying that. He will have seen plenty of teenage boys - they are the most common ending up in rescue, for obvious reasons... It has perhaps just come across a bit awkwardly.

 

[Lorcan]

I’ll spread the word! I wish I hadn’t said anything tho because the person in the rescue who said it, had not long before been telling me of the rabbits he had rehomed from the rescue because he knew they would find it hard to get a new home due to their ongoing medical issues. He had also made sure that he was happy with my setup and went into great detail about how I should look after the girls. He knew every rabbit and piggy in his care in depth. I agree - not a great thro away line, but I could sense his dedication to the animals none-the-less!

I know no one knows the guy, but I just feel responsible to stand up for him! The one snippet of perhaps not his finest piece of advice shouldn’t overshadow the great work and care he puts into all of his animals - male and female alike!

I think, the thing to point out too is they're not a dedicated guinea pig rescue, they take in all sorts of animals and, I get it. It's easy to sit and say "well someone shouldn't say that" but, we all know it. Any decent dedicated guinea pig rescue, constantly taking in and rehoming guinea pigs should know it. But one or two people, working as part of a larger animal sanctuary taking in dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats (and possibly ponies? Pretty sure they've taken in a pony or two over the years) does not always have the wider breadth of experience a dedicated rescue will.

Guinea pig rescues aren't in Northern Ireland as they are in England, Scotland and Wales. We have to work with what we've got and that is correcting the misinformation as it comes up. @Ruth1 would it be worth contacting him and asking him about passing on the forum info for potential adoptees?

 

[Ruth1]

I think, the thing to point out too is they're not a dedicated guinea pig rescue, they take in all sorts of animals and, I get it. It's easy to sit and say "well someone shouldn't say that" but, we all know it. Any decent dedicated guinea pig rescue, constantly taking in and rehoming guinea pigs should know it. But one or two people, working as part of a larger animal sanctuary taking in dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats (and possibly ponies? Pretty sure they've taken in a pony or two over the years) does not always have the wider breadth of experience a dedicated rescue will.

Guinea pig rescues aren't in Northern Ireland as they are in England, Scotland and Wales. We have to work with what we've got and that is correcting the misinformation as it comes up. @Ruth1 would it be worth contacting him and asking him about passing on the forum info for potential adoptees?

Aye I’ll say to him - promised I’d call with a donation after pay day .( After getting all the kit ready for the piggies, I just about had enough left to pay the adoption fees ) Good idea!