Bonding Should I get him a male companion?

[pigmommy89]

When I got my pig Rocky I was planning to have him neuteredso he can live with my girls. Now that he is finally big enough though, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I would be devastated if I lost him because I made him have an unnecessary procedure. My question is could he possibly live with another boar with the girls around? I have had boars live in a trio right next to sows but they were father and two sons, not "strangers". They didn't even really compete for dominance. They really were the perfect pigs and I struggle not to compare my new pigs to them.

I would just like opinions from others on what I should do. Neutering is still on the table. I know I would adopt a baby male if I did go the companion route. I really don't want to end up with two solo boars.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Princess_Piggie]

I'm a little confused, you say if you had them in a trio next to sows would it cause an issue? That kind of implies you already have more than one male for him to live with.

Aside from that, family blood line means nothing between pigs. It won't stop them from competing for dominance, or for getting a bit nippy when they go through puberty. I personally would just leave him with the boys, if my assumptions right and you do already have some. If not, I'd go with the neuter.

 

[pigmommy89]

My trio of boars was more than a decade ago. Rocky is the only boar I have now. And I wasn't saying bloodline had anything to do with them getting along. They got along so well because the brothers were together from birth and they were introduced to their father at 3 weeks old. And the father was probably the most submissive pig that ever lived.

When I adopted Rocky I was told over the phone that he was female. When I got there he was definitely male. Had he been in a good situation I would have left him there in favor of finding another sow later. But he was skin and bones and his nails were chopped off to the quick, so I brought him home.

If I already had other males I would just attempt to let him live with them. But since I don't he either has to get neutered or get a male companion.

 

[PattyPie]

We had a single boar and wanted to get him a friend - which we did about two years ago. I honestly feel like Fella (older guy) is more annoyed by Junior (younger guy) than anything else! They really do not interact much. He's dominant, but not mean, but I think he would have been fine as a solo pig. That's just our story. I have no opinion on neutering because we've never needed to consider it.

 

[CavyMama]

Multiple males next to females can be a problem. They will most likely squabble, particularly when the sows go into heat, which, if their heat cycles aren't lined up, could be one right after the other.

What size cage is your male living in now?

 

[pigmommy89]

Multiple males next to females can be a problem. They will most likely squabble, particularly when the sows go into heat, which, if their heat cycles aren't lined up, could be one right after the other.
What size cage is your male living in now?

Rocky lives in a 2x3 and the girls in a 3x3. If I neuter Rocky I will take the divider out and they will all be in a 3x5 together.

 

[pigmommy89]

We had a single boar and wanted to get him a friend - which we did about two years ago. I honestly feel like Fella (older guy) is more annoyed by Junior (younger guy) than anything else! They really do not interact much. He's dominant, but not mean, but I think he would have been fine as a solo pig. That's just our story. I have no opinion on neutering because we've never needed to consider it.

I think Rocky is 4-5 months old so a new pig wouldn't be a lot younger than he is. Still I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper to neuter than risk having another cage to clean if it doesn't work out. That said, I am much more concerned about the risks of neutering than the cost.

 

[CavyMama]

2X3 is too small for two pigs - males in particular. They are young now so they might be able to manage but it wouldn't be long before they were both full grown and squabbling because of the lack of space and you would need to expand the cage anyway.

All surgery has an element of risk to it. For guinea pigs, the main issues that can come up is having trouble being under anesthesia. Neutering is a very common procedure. You should be sure to find an exotics vet and ask how many neuters they have done on guinea pigs and what the success rate was.

 

[pigmommy89]

Thanks to everyone for your input. For now I will plan to find a good vet for Rocky. He doesn't seem particularly lonely since he is next to the girls and they "talk" to each other and sleep back to back against the dividing grid.