Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Is taking care of boars as easy as sows?

JennG

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Posts
4,155
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
4,155
I have five sows right now and may want to adopt two boars. Are they as easy to take care of as the sows? It's like when you have girls & boys (humans), some people think girls are easier and some think boys are. I have both and I think it depends on the age. ;)

Anyways, I'd like everyone's input so I can decide if I want to go for a few boars. Thanks!!
 

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
20,516
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
20,516
I think it is. About the only thing extra you really need to do for boars is clean their anal sac about once a month.
 

JennG

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Posts
4,155
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
4,155
Ugh! Maybe I'll stick w/ girls. :) Why do you have to do that? And how do you do that?
 

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
20,516
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
20,516
Because shavings, fur, misc. crap gets stuck up in there. They can also get impacted. You clean the anal sac with a q-tip dipped in mineral oil. It's not hard to do but it is a veryyyyyy smelly chore!
 

Mamything

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Posts
68
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
68
My guys are still doing the rumbling and he is dragging his bum across the fleece. Wheras I had aspen getting stuck up there, I now have blue fuzz and a mixture of boar glue.

Boar glue is like the bane of my existence right now. The best way I can sorta kinda get it off is with warm water and dish soap. I gotta lather it up and then comb it out. He hates it so much.
 

JennG

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Posts
4,155
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
4,155
Oh you two are making me want to just run out and adopt........more girls. :) But if they're worth it. I could probably handle two piggies. They'd be on fleece. Would this help?
 

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
20,516
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
20,516
Hehehe. Don't get me wrong, I love boars, but I am so very happy I am back to all girls now. Boar glue sticks badly to fleece and boars are really smelly, especially when cleaning anal sacs!!!
 

JiggityJig

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Posts
221
Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
221
On the other hand, boars are purported to be friendlier, and have more personality.

(I'm glad I ended up with girls too, but felt I had to say SOMETHING in defense of boar ownership! :D)
 

rabbitsncavyluv

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Posts
5,863
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
5,863
I have found that true about boys. It depends on the personalities more often than not. My boys are usually friendly than most of the sows I have met.

Plus with sows, you have to deal with hormonal problems and possibility of ovarian cysts. Spaying is hard to deal with, expensive surgery plus recovery.
 

JennG

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Posts
4,155
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
4,155
Ok now I'm really confused. Do I get more girls or adopt a few boys? Oh man, I'm going to bed. Hopefully an angel will come down in my sleep and lead me to the right answer. TeeHee! On that note, good-night.
 

Myspoiltpiggies

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 16, 2005
Posts
1,440
Joined
Apr 16, 2005
Messages
1,440
JiggityJig said:
On the other hand, boars are purported to be friendlier, and have more personality
Very true.:) I have ten girls and six boys. Two of my 'outgoing' females will stand on their hind legs and beg for food, another two will squeek... but the rest of the girls are just quiet and wait. They aren't shy, but they're just more quiet. The boars are little terrors when it comes to feeding time. Biting on the cages, making a racket. When I have them on my lap, the males will move around more. Wheras the females will just sit there. Both sexes are just as sweet as one another though!:cheerful:
 

ilovemykisses

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Posts
351
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
351
My piggie isn't very hard to take care of.. I've never had a sow so I can't compare, but they *the above* are right about the smelly anal sack. That's about the only thing that stinks on him.

He won't let me near his rump.. but he allows my hubby. All I can do is direct my hubby on how to clean it.. but I'm not sure if it's totally clean. *shrugs*

You can always opt to get a boar that fixed so you can leave him with your females. The only way to know how it is to have a boar.. is to get one :)

I find them to be very people friendly. :)
 

iLoveDusty

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Posts
462
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
462
I think boys are easier to take care of, as my friend has sows. Boars are more likely to just sit in your lap and watch a film with you, and sows are more fidgety. Boars do run a lot too.

They really like people.
 

ThreeLittlePigs

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Posts
15
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
15
I just got a Mama pig with three little pigs (hence our username ;). I was lucky in the fact that she had 1 girl and 2 boys so I ended up with 2 females and 2 males. That will be plenty of opportunity for me to learn about both genders. Good to know about cleaning the males' under bits. I've read that on some of the Guinea Pig websites.

So far I have noticed that both little boys like to sit in our laps and cuddle, where as the females want to be up and about investigating things!

-Melina
 

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
20,516
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
20,516
I love both boars and sows. I think it depends on the individual personality of the pigs as to how friendly they are. Bubba had to have been the most friendliest pig I have ever seen. Janna (Mamaroo) loves him dearly and so does her family since he was rehomed with her. My personal reason I wanted to rehome the boars I had was Janna really needed a buddy for her lone boar so I rehomed Bubba with her, after that I thought that I could get Patchy neutered to live with the girls. I searched several towns within an hour or so's drive near me but I couldn't find a vet I trusted enough to neuter Patchy and I did not want any more of those son involved accidents happening. That and the fact that Patchy kept escaping out of his cage until I fixed it where he could no longer do it. If figure if I have all sows, I know NONE of them will end up getting pregnant.
 

Funnygpigs

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Posts
786
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
786
My vet told me that if the male is neutered, there is a less chance of impaction, and he told my I did not need to clean the anla sac. I am just curiouse about the whole "cleaning the anal sac thing." who said this needs to be done? Where did the info come from? If someone is not truly educated in how to do this, could they not cause some seriouse damage? Just curiouse!! Thank you!
 

DocDolittle

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Posts
1,739
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Messages
1,739
I've really never had to clean my boys anal sacs. When there are bits up there I'll pick them out, but it's not a biggy. I do love my boys, though they are little stinkers and sometimes don't get along well. I've never had sows, so I'm not sure who are easier, but I've heard boars are more friendly, and I believe it, as I can't see my boys getting much friendlier. The only thing I don't like about my boys is their squabbling and their fidgitiness during lap time.
 

stitsy&codyPig

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Posts
755
Joined
Dec 23, 2004
Messages
755
I have only ever had males, so I can't really say.
 

Ly&Pigs

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
20,516
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
20,516
The info comes from guinealynx. Would you like to live your life with bits of odd things up your bum? If the answer is no, then boars would not like to have to either.
 

amyjane

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Posts
211
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
211
I've had no problems with my neutered boy. I think he's a real sweetie.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

DreamsInPink
Replies
7
Views
655
Guinea Pig Papa
Guinea Pig Papa
H
Replies
7
Views
813
htavares
H
Guinea_Pigs_Are_A_lifest
Replies
6
Views
838
ItsaZoo
ItsaZoo
myangelhoney
Replies
1
Views
292
bpatters
bpatters
M
Replies
3
Views
336
bpatters
bpatters
Top