Hello! I have two adult females that do not get along and have done much better living separately. However, long story short, but I ended up with a 6 week old male today. I would love to see if one of the girls would get along with him after a slow introduction, but seeing as he isn’t neutered yet, I’m concerned. I feel awful if he has to be by himself for another couple months though. I’ve heard that males can be fertile as early as 2 months old, so I definitely don’t want to risk anything, but I feel bad if the little guy is lonely. Would it be enough to let them have supervised time together a few times a week? After he’s neutered, I plan to fully move him in with one of them if all goes well. But until then, I guess the safest option is to keep them separate when I’m not around. Does anyone have any suggestions for a situation like this? I also have the option to get another male, but I’d rather him be with one of the girls once it’s safe.
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- Thread starter GuineaBro
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Male piggies are fertile from 3 weeks old.
As he is 6 weeks old he is most definitely very fertile so please do not let them have any physical contact with your sows, not even supervised, as a mating would take place very quickly and you would not be able to stop it.
He will need to live in a very secure cage next door to the girls for companionship through the bars only. Make sure he cannot escape - boars in the presence of sows can be very determined to escape cages. Being side by side with them (presumably the girls are already living side by side) will be enough interaction for him in the meantime.
He can be neutered once his testicles descend at around four months of age. He will still then need to be kept away from the girls for a further six weeks after neutering as he will still remain fertile for those first six weeks. After that, you can carry out the neutral territory bonding with one of the girls.
Do note, a slow introduction is not how bonding is done. It is a one time event on neutral territory which either ends in success or failure there and then.
If you were to choose to get another male friend for him, then ensure a boar pair are ideally kept in a separate room to your girls. At the very least and if they need to be in the same room, make sure they are as far apart from each other as possible and that you always handle the boar pair first so you don’t risk transferring sow amells onto the boys.
For a bonded boar pair who are not used to sow pheromones, smelling sows can break a bond and cause the two boys to fight over the girls even if they cannot physically get to them.
A boar pair need a bigger space so a cage of 180x60cm is recommended (150x60cm as a minimum).
To ensure a successful bond, the best way to find a compatible boar friend is with the help of a rescue centre to ensure character compatibility and a long term bond. If you were to try an on spec bonding with another boar, then do ensure you have a plan b for them living separately should the bonding fail (or also fail down the line when the baby becomes a teenager)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
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