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Neutering/Spaying Will spaying a female and letting her join a herd of boars work?

pandaloki

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My friend is giving me away her sow. I think she picked me because she still wants to get updated on her guinea pig. Where I'm from, the idea of not breeding pets is still not widely accepted, hence it's hard to find people who wouldn't breed (and she knows I won't do that) she doesn't want anyone to breed her female after her last pregnancy when all the pups died. Her sow is satin, one of the favorites among breeders, so it's hard for most people to resist not making copies of her.

My problem: I already have three boars, I can still make room for one more pig but the one I'm adopting is a sow, and the only way I can think of solving this is spaying, but I'm also scared because I've read it's really risky.

Has anyone experienced this? I really want to help out. Any other ideas out there?

Thank you.
 

pinky

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You don't want to house a single spayed female with more than one male. I'd neuter one male and house he and her separately and house the other two males together or I'd get a female friend for her and house the females together. Spaying is riskier than neutering.
 

pandaloki

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I was thinking about neutering my youngest pig, but I feel sad for breaking up their trio family :(... Then again, it's for the best. Is it still possible for the trio's to play together if I get him neutered and paired up with a sow? It feels so sad if I separate them.
 

pinky

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Once you separate them, you'd probably have to do the introductions again. One of my cages is a double decker. I have three guinea pigs on the top level and two on the bottom. You might be able to add to your cage by building up, instead of across to allow for a second cage. If you don't have grids, you can build a wooden base or use a table to hold the top cage. I've attached a photo of my double decker.

IMG_8942.jpg
 

pandaloki

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OHH!! That's what I've been looking for! :D I thought about adding one more sow instead, to make everyone (the pigs) happy. I was thinking that if I stack one more cage it would be depressing for the ones living at the bottom because there's no light and human interaction. I like how there's a hole in the middle!

I've been using cube substitutes because I couldn't find those here when I got my pigs. I've recently saw cubes at this shop and thought about using those instead because it looks neater, but my current cage is working fine so I didn't push through with the idea. But now that I'll have two new editions to the family I guess it's time for some full on renovating :)

Thank you!
 

pinky

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OHH!! That's what I've been looking for! :D I thought about adding one more sow instead, to make everyone (the pigs) happy. I was thinking that if I stack one more cage it would be depressing for the ones living at the bottom because there's no light and human interaction. I like how there's a hole in the middle!

I've been using cube substitutes because I couldn't find those here when I got my pigs. I've recently saw cubes at this shop and thought about using those instead because it looks neater, but my current cage is working fine so I didn't push through with the idea. But now that I'll have two new editions to the family I guess it's time for some full on renovating :)

Thank you!

My pigs on the bottom cage get plenty of light. They're next to the patio door and I open the shades to get more light. The sun shines from the direction of the corner so sun never shines on them. It hits the opposite wall but brightens up the room. The extra grids that separate the two levels allow for a good amount of light to come in and enough space for you to get into the bottom level to clean it. I added two pieces of coroplast on the two sides on the bottom level that face the wall to keep the walls clean.

IMG_8945.jpg


I have grids under both levels to support the sides and added an I-beam under the bottom of the second level so it wouldn't sag. My top level is a 2 x 5 and the bottom is a 2 x 4 because I didn't want to cover the heater duct; otherwise they would have both been 2 x 5's. I added the diagonal grid to support the overhang. This cage has worked out really well. I think the zip ties make it sturdier than the connectors but I had to use some because my coroplast base was being reused from my old cage and I had to make it fit the grids.
 

foggycreekcavy

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I thought about adding one more sow instead, to make everyone (the pigs) happy.


You mean to keep the females separate from the males, correct?
 

pandaloki

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yes! It was either that or getting one of my males neutered. :)
 

kananaka

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yes! It was either that or getting one of my males neutered. :)

This sounds like the best option getting 2 females instead of breaking up the trio. Love it!
 

CritterLuvva

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I know the point is relatively moot (sp?) to the original poster, but there's a reason one sow shouldn't go in with many boars. Boars are territorial and putting in a female amongst a bunch of boys would cause fights.

In the wild, one boar rules over a harem of females while the other boars are all chased off as soon as they reach sexual maturity. So, in captivity, while it may be good to put in one male with a few females, it isn't ok to put one female with a bunch of males- there would undoubtedly be a blood battle!

That's what I think about that and I'm sticking to it!

I'm glad you'll be able to keep the trio together and get another female instead. It'll be another sow rescued and two sows happily living together, with the boars still content in their current arrangement! :)
 
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