How Many? Sows? How Many? Boars?

All pigs should be together. Males, if they are dirty, do require anal sac cleaning. In general sows are easier to care for temperament and cleaning wise. For a first time owner I always suggest sows but never a single one no pig does better alone unless they are aggressive. Also sows are fine in pairs, trios, and herds and males do better in pairs sometimes trios.

I'm not sure why @Pawesomepet said sows have any easier to care for temperament.
The temperament and personality has nothing to do with gender.

Really, I would just see if there are more boys or girls at your local shelter or rescue. I know we have more boys as not many people want them...most likely due to fake myths said about them.

I have an amazing boy trio and they get along better then my herd of 4 girls a de-sexed boy. They NEVER squabble and don't smell. They are amazing boys and I wish more people didn't judge boars so quickly.

I think the only consideration in gender is how many pigs do you want? If it is only two then go for either if you want a big herd (4+) then go for females.

I do believe boars are just as sweet as sows - I just don't have too much extra room. If boars do need the room, I just don't have it. I'm only leaning towards sows is because I have also heard that they are better for first time owners.

Please don't feel bad about your boars @ RodentCuddles!!!! I love ALL guinea pigs!!!!

I have 4 sows and my friend has 3 boars, while my other friend has 1 boar (in the process of finding a buddy). I cannot tell a smell difference.

My one sow, Pumpkin, is the biggest lover EVER! She loves snuggles and kissing you is her favorite thing to do. She also loves chin and behind the ear scratches. My other girl Nala is ok with lap time, as long as there is food or constant snuggling, no petting though. Butternut just sits there frozen on your lap, but she likes pets, the stroking kind. Sarabi is totally anti-attention. She likes to be wrapped up into a piggy burrito and then snuggled. No pets or kisses for her. She likes to burrow and sleep in the blanket(like a hedgehog). You cAn see how their behaviors differ. Their weights are also different, so don't judge if you want boars or sows by size.
Sarabi: 1,090 grams
Nala: 1000 grams
Pumpkin-880grams
Butternut- 810 grams.

All my friends boars are all generally snuggle muffins. My one friends boar is around 3,000 grams(!!!!) and one of her other boars is 1500 grams. Boars do typically tend to be bigger, but that's just in my experience.

I only chose sows because my rescue was at a 3:1 sow:boar ratio. I got Nala and Pumpkin from there, while Sarabi&Butternut were from @nibbler100. If I could, I would definitely get a pair of boars, but I cannot afford any more, and I don't have the time nor space for more! You really just have to click* with the pigs. It could take a while, it took me 6 months to get Sarabi and 3-4 months for Butternut.

Also, PLEASE go to a rescue. Don't buy from petstores or breeders. When rescuing you get to save a life and watch them bloom and flourish under your extreme piggy attention giving! Petstores are just mass breeders that typically don't know much, small/local or huge/chain stores. Breeders are also really bad because giving birth can be fatal in some cases and it's really stressful on momma pig.

Best of luck on your search for a piggy and make sure to post pictures of them! Sorry if I hijacked or rambled in your thread, I was trying to cover as much as possible because I asked a very similar question when I first joined.

* By click, I meant that you feel a connection with the pigs. When I got my first two, they immediately snuggled into me and I got a light and fuzzy feeling in my tummy. When I get really excited, I don't breathe... It's this wierd thing where I hold my breath, but it has a lot of pressure and I cannot exhale and inhaling is really hard. It only lasts for a few seconds but I was so excited, that happened to me for 30 seconds!!! I knew I had to get Nala and Pumpkin. When I saw Sarabi's story, I just had this super strong pull. It felt like my heart pumped really slowly and everything was "slow mo". Getting Butternut was just a lot of dancing and raw excitement. Each click will be different, but you WILL know when you click... Trust me.

When I got my gp (from Petco before I knew better..) I didn't know the difference between keeping a sow vs a boar. Luckily I got a sow without knowing it. I don't know about cleaning anal sacs. That may be too much for me.

Temperament wise as far as dominance issues when the males go through their "puberty" phase a new owner can become quite intimidated by that.

Thank you all so much for replying!!!! It has all helped so much!!!!

@Pawesomepet: I'be heard about boars being a bit more temperamental during puberty but I would most likely get an adult pig. Thank you for thinking about this from a new owner's perspective!

@Artista: I'm sure you would have taken care of a boar as well as you take care of your sow.

@YourSoJelly: Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This reply is exactly what I needed!
Yes I would adopt from our local humane society- actually the one I volunteer at with my mom!
And no you did not hijack my thread! This was perfect!!!!!!!
Lastly I know EXACTLY what you mean by the "click". It definitely happened when we got our kitty off of Petfinder! He was/is adorable!

Again thank you to EVERYONE who commented!!! You guys have helped me a TON!!!

@RodentCuddles I'd also like to say I was not judging any male guinea pigs I've got 5 of my own.

My males are more laid back than my females and never smell. It depends on the guinea pigs. My most dominant is a female and out of my three cages, it's a pair of females that has more odor than the others. My two most bonded pairs that I ever owned were males.

To everyone here rooting for sows, I have three and they love to spray each other. All. The. Time.
There is almost always a new form of political turmoil in their social order and they end up rumble-strutting and spraying each other (and all their surroundings). And there's never any real violence or fighting or even teeth chattering. I think they just like the drama .

I've heard that boars are more chilled out; I couldn't say for sure. But I can tell you that having sows isn't as easy as it seems to look.

I'd probably ask for the oldest, most unwanted pair of piggies in the shelter and take them home but I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I suppose you should just see which pigs are easiest to connect with, in terms of personality and the amount of time you are willing to spend on their care (eg. silkies and other long-haired pigs obviously require a lot more effort to groom so if you don't want to deal with that stuff, best to go for a short-haired variety).

Also, if you have limited space you should probably adopt a pair that has already been bonded; it won't be very easy if you get two pigs and they don't get along and need separate cages.

@Cavylier: I was definitely going to TRY to get a bonded pair, but if not I would just get one. Also, are your sows spayed? I know they are doing their whole dominance thing, but I am new to that. I think it makes them smell worse, but is there anyway to stop that if it does happen to me? (Which, given my luck, it probably will.)

Thank you!

rsgymjam said:

@Cavylier: I was definitely going to TRY to get a bonded pair, but if not I would just get one. Also, are your sows spayed? I know they are doing their whole dominance thing, but I am new to that. I think it makes them smell worse, but is there anyway to stop that if it does happen to me? (Which, given my luck, it probably will.)

Thank you!

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Never "just get one". Guinea pigs NEED to be in pairs or more. How would you like it if some giant wierd looking best took you to their home and you didn't know if they were going to eat you or not? To top all that off, you don't have someone to even talk to! Please don't settle for just one Guinea pig, please try to find a bonded pair or rescue two individually and eventually introduce them after the quarantine.

You shouldn't have just one guinea pig. Guinea pigs are social herd animals they need at least one other of their kind to keep them company and keep them happy. Even though you would give a single guinea pig lots of attention there will still be big chunks of its day when it was alone and bored. While you are at school or work or out with family and friends or maybe just busy with chores. This is why a guinea pig needs a friend.

I not only have 5 males but I've got 7 females I was simply stating an opinion and an 'in my experience' I've got very bonded males that do stink but I love them and they are amazing and get along great together but I've also got a trio of girls that live so harmoniously together you wouldn't even think they know each other is there.

@YourSoJelly
and
@Inle_Rabbit
Okay!!! I wont just get one!!! My only concern is my lack of space if I cant get a bonded pair and introductions don't go as hoped. Then I'm stuck.

rsgymjam said:

Hello,

I was doing some pre-research on sows vs boars. First, I know boars require more room, so this also makes me lean towards sows.

Second, does anyone know if you have to clean a boar's genitals? I read somewhere that someone did that, but their pig was a little poopy down there.

Thirdly, does a sow do better by herself, or with another? Does a boar?

Lastly, which are easier to care for in general?

Thank you all for answering!

~rsgymjam- hopefully a future piggy owner!!!!

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I originally was also leaning towards sows, but when the sows I wanted from a shelter were adopted 2 hours before I got there and I had a fully stocked cage at home all set up, I decided to adopt a boar. I have 2 boars now. All guinea pigs might fight, regardless of gender. Mine had a short spout of real fighting which has been resolved by more cage space. They get along now and they are extremely sweet. Brego is active but loves when people talk to him and will eat out of my hand, and Shadowfax loves lap time and licks people. They love all people; my room is near the front door and anytime anyone comes inside they wheek and put their paws up on the side of the cage until the person comes and says hi, they're like little dogs! lol They do not smell at all except a little bit on cage cleaning day.
So, while I definitely understand your feelings about getting sows because I felt the same, I couldn't be happier with my boars!

shc1192 said:

I originally was also leaning towards sows, but when the sows I wanted from a shelter were adopted 2 hours before I got there and I had a fully stocked cage at home all set up, I decided to adopt a boar. I have 2 boars now. All guinea pigs might fight, regardless of gender. Mine had a short spout of real fighting which has been resolved by more cage space. They get along now and they are extremely sweet. Brego is active but loves when people talk to him and will eat out of my hand, and Shadowfax loves lap time and licks people. They love all people; my room is near the front door and anytime anyone comes inside they wheek and put their paws up on the side of the cage until the person comes and says hi, they're like little dogs! lol They do not smell at all except a little bit on cage cleaning day.
So, while I definitely understand your feelings about getting sows because I felt the same, I couldn't be happier with my boars!

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A lot of the GPs at our Humane Society are single pigs when they come in. In fact- an adorable, laid back guy named Mr. Bojangles left yesterday while we were critter cuddling/volunteering! Yeaaaaahhhh!!!!!

Anyways, and again, If i did get two that were not yet bonded and they HATED each other- then I would not have enough room to put each of them seperately.

One last thing- I TOTALLY know how you feel about your piggies! You would love them no matter what was wrong with them, because you LOVE them! You would NEVER give them up willingly.

I am a first time GP owner as well, so I totally understand wanting to get everyone's opinion.

I don't know if I can be much help, but I'll tell you that, as a fellow first-time owner, I have 3 boars, and they are fantastic. I wanted sows, but the rescue that my husband went to only had boars, so that's what we ended up with. I was just going to get a pair, but there were 3 brothers all in a cage together, so he couldn't just leave ONE of the little guys there...now I have my 3 little men. I've had them since last November, and not had a moment's trouble out of them. They don't smell and they don't fight. You will occasionally hear the teeth chattering, but that's usually just Zero being difficult. They've never had an actual fight. He just gets upset if anyone takes his spot on top of the igloo, haha.