Yes, the reason being he is still recovering from his neutering, so they can go together on 19th, that's okay then, just was worried it was a bit excessive to be doing it all the time, I knew it was a dominance thing but can also be because they're not comfortable x
Hi and welcome
I am very sorry; a twisted gut is one of the most painful and horrible things a piggy can die from. And one of the most upsetting experiences for any loving owner.
Rumbling in neutered boars is perfectly normal, especially when meeting a sow for the first time. I call the constant rumblers my 'rumble-singers' and prefer them to the boars that introduce themselves to sows by mounting them repreatedly to incessantly. That often doesn't go down all that well with the ladies, especially the dominant ones. Some of my rumbling husboars have a phase when anything they have to say outside a food wheek seems to come out as a rumble... It is actually very endearing!
Rumble-strutting can have a big range of meanings. Between boars it can be anything from peaceful measuring up against each other (he who has the most sonorous rumble wins), doing it through the bars also denotes a territory. With sows, a boar is showing off his assets in the hope to be chosen as her husboar by them. Sows (even spayed ones) will dominance rumble or mount if there is a question in the hierarchy establishment or continuation. But you also see increased and more aggressive rumbling when it is sparked by a hormone spike or a season.
Rumblestrutting is a very mild everyday dominance behaviour. Please keep in mind that all guinea pigs have to establish a working hierarchical group as the very foundation of their social life; it is how they identify, first and foremost. There is no such thing as a bonding without dominance behaviours, although you call yourself lucky in the case you have one with the barest minimum where companionship surpasses the need to lead. Somehow I don't think that this is going to happen with yours...
You can find the list of dominance behaviours in ascending order in this link here:
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Adult/older sows, especially dominant ones, will generally play it cool when it comes to new boys on the block in my own experience. They will show interest only when in season.
Whether acceptance happens or not you will only find out during the intro. A cross gender bonding is not a given; it relies on mutual liking and personality compatibility and can fail at any stage of the bonding process, including several days in when the crucial leadership cannot be settled. While younger sows are generally very accepting of boars, sows coming to the end or past the ideal pup bearing age for which nature has engineered them (2-3 years; which is also the normal life span of their wild ancestors with the odd long-lived exception), this is much less the case with older sows as they have biologically no longer the incentive to procreate (although of course they still can, but at much greater risk for them and any pups).
You may find our step-by-step bonding guide helpful, which takes you through all stages of the complex bonding process that lasts a lot longer than just a few hours. It also has a chapter on specific aspects and dynamics of cross gender bonding.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Please be aware that boars can make babies until after 5 weeks post neutering op. The little baby in my avatar picture on the left is the surprise legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks boar (not one of mine, I hasten to add). Just as proof that it can really happen, and happen to anybody; the same as when playing lottery...
Our forum recommendations of 6 a weeks post op wait follow RSPCA welfare practice since 2012 when Tegan's birth settled the then ongoing discussion amongst rescues. I have verifiable second-hand knowledge of more 5 weeks post-op babies, but I have yet to hear of a post-6 weeks baby despite of literally thousands of boars having been neutered by the RSPCA or other rescues in the UK in the intervening years - and believe me, it would make the rounds like wildfire!
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
I hope that this helps you?
