Introducing neutered boar to 4 sows

Rykat

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Good evening. I have 4 girls, all aged approx 4 yrs. Approx 2 months ago I bonded the 4th girl to the group.

I was fostering 2 boars but sadly one died so I am left with a single boar who I have now adopted (approx 2 yrs old.

I am thinking of neutering him and trying to bond with the 4 girls .. all advice welcome please. Thank you.
 
Provided your cage is big enough for five piggies (that is 8ft x 2ft, or equivalent square footage if the dimensions aren’t the same) then bonding him with them is a good idea to try.

Once he is neutered, he will need a six week post op wait to become infertile for you attempt to bond them.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
 
Thank you for your reply. The vet we will use is one who neuters males for local rescue so whilst I know there is a risk, hopefully it will be an uneventful surgery. There is no guarantee it'll work but I don't know if fair to keep him single although he is in same area as the girls now (wasn't when I had the 2 as I was aware it could cause them to fall out). He comes out for cuddles every night but still think he should be with others (but obvs will worry when he's neutered).

The space the 4 girls are in is 7.87 ft x 2 ft with 2 'mezzanines'
 
Hi, I have a neutered boar and 3 sows My boy, Edward lived with two others before they sadly died. I adopted him a friend, Elizabeth (why one of my past piggies was still alive) and then adopted two more, Ella and Esme when Ellen died. The bonding to Ella and Esme was a bit eventful as Elizabeth who my top sow was picking fights but it all soon settled down and here we are.

I would say that providing your girls accept him and your cage is big enough, neutering him and bonding him with your girls is a wonderful idea. Having a neutered boar living with girls is so much fun.

Edward is 6 and a half now and is enjoying his retirement with his ladies to the full :D
 
Hi
I am very sorry about your loss. Move your remaining boar next to the girls for interaction through the bars but masure that he cannot get at them until 6 weeks post-op. The little baby in my avatar picture on the left is the unplanned legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post neutering op boar (not one of mine, I hasten to add); just to prove that particular point.
This will prevent him from pining and will also allow them to make friends through the bars (if they want to) and will take out a lot of the initial over-excitement in a mixed gender bonding and promote acceptance; especially if you have sows with fear-aggression issues.
In the end, it will still come down to to whether the the girls want him and if they can come to an agreement re. hierarchy. Sows past the natural ideal pup bearing age (ca. 3 years plus) are often much less accepting of a boar while younger sows very much have the biological urges pushing them towards acceptance.

Please take the time to read our very practical and informative step-by-step guide links in previous posts. You should find them very helpful. The bonding guide contains several videos and information on group bondings. 15 years of experience on this lively forum and owner experience of up to half a century have all gone into our guides.

You may also find this link here useful; what I am saying about mixed gender pairings largely also goes about group acceptance: A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)

All the best! I am very fond of my neutered 'husboars' and have/have quite a number of them over the years. I currently have 6 of them, aged between 1-6 years.
 
So sorry for your loss.
Having a husboar with a group of sows can make life very exciting.
When I rescued Micah I had him neutered and he lived next door to my 3 sows until it was safe for him.
That time meant they had a chance to meet through the bars and so bonding was easy.
I hope all works well for you.
 
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