daisymay Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hi I'm hoping to get guinea pigs in the next few weeks after wanting some for years! I have never considered whether to get girls or boys but have noticed that pairs of girls seem to be more expensive than boys. I have been advised by someone on the preloved website to get a pair of boys as they have more character. Unfortunately I am a bit cynical and am wary that maybe her only guineas for sale are boys. What is your opinion??? Girls or boys??? My other question was is there a difference between having 2 and 3. Does it mean there is a different dynamic, and are they best kept in pairs? I was going to get one each for my kids and one for me!!! Am happy to stick with 2 as have a feeling it will be me cleaning them and feeding them anyway! Thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hello. I have only had my piggies about 2 weeks so I am no expert but I have been looking into it. I decided to go for girls as, it would seem, they are easier. Boys you can only keep in pairs, three won't get on. Also you can have a bonded pair of boys that, may possibly when they get to maturity (about 7 months) have a fight and once they have had a fight they won't get on again. Also if you have a pair of boys and then decide to get some girls to keep in another hutch/cage make sure they are not in sniffing distance as this can make the boys fight. Also boys can, erm, hump eachother sometimes to show dominance. With girls you can keep as many together as you like and they will, usually, all get on also it is easier to add more girls to a girl group. However this is just stuff I have read on different forums and not from experience. Have you thought of trying rescues? There are loads of rescue piggies looking for good homes and they should be cheaper than buying from a breeder and also you will get good proper advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chooks Aloud Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I've got 3 brothers and I've had to split them up as they fight. The 2 remaining ones together still have their fights, but nothing major. However, they are forever humping each other. I love them dearly, but next time I would try some girls in the hope that there wouldn't be the battles. They really are lovely, placid things and are delightful pets. Whatever sex you decide to get, I'm sure they will be lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgirl73 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Well, I have just taken on 4 bonded males that came into rescue on monday So far nothing but minor squabbles with them, just the usual you get with any animals stressed out from moving around. They are fabulous, but have been told that usually they only live in pairs (males that is). But my 4 boys are great. AAnd we've named them Elvis, Einstein, rebel and Bruce (he's The Boss lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyMurray Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Hi there gang, I've kept piggies for 12 years now, males and females (never bred from them though, always from my local rescue centre.) My first piggies were 3 boars that were brothers and to start off they were fine, then came the fighting. Only two would fight and one was fine with each of the others. They were in a huge home made hutch so we put a devider in the middle (it already had a bed section each end) and the two fighters stayed at seperate sides and the friendly one would jump over the wire to stay with whichever bro he wanted to that day. In that case I would advise 2 males not 3 and definately keep them away from smelling a girl! At the moment I have 6 girls all together, there was a bit of squabbling to start off but nothing bad and now they are very happy together. I got 3 from my local rescue, then about a year later got 2 more (Mertyl sadly died recently) and then this Easter I rehomed 2 from my RSPCA which bought it up to 6 (I have had 7 in a group with no probs) So if you just want a couple then go for boys, have a look at your local rescue (mine is always overflowing with boys) but if you want a big group then go for girls. Dyan x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 We have 2 boys who had been together from being babies. They were fine together till they reached puberty, then squabbles started. There was some nasty biting for a while. However we gave them more space, together but with the chance to each have privacy and their own patch. Also the smell from their grease gland is what tells the other pig that each is mature and that they need to compete for dominance - Vick's Vaporub on the grease gland masks the smell and really reduced the fighting in our pigs. Lastly, the boys can get very greasy and smelly around their genitals - keeping them clean and less smelly helps too. They are now 2 years old and happily rub along with just the odd bit of teeth-rattling and rumbling to sort out disputes, rather than real fighting. They are lovely friendly little chaps, love a cuddle and their ears tickled, and coexist very happily together. Once we nursed them through their teens, they were fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysia Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 how long do their 'teens' last? we have got 3 boys today from a rescue centre today. 1 is trying to hump 1 and 1 os keeping well away. will give them a few days to settle. Also have read in several places about the grease gland but where is it? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The grease gland is on the base of their spine at the back end, exactly where their tail would be if they had one! You won't see much grease in young males but mature ones may have yellowish waxy grease in the fur around the gland. When I bath my piggies I rub a little veg oil into that fur a few minutes before before shampooing them to loosen and soften the grease. I also wipe round inside their ears with a cottonwool pad with a dap of veg oil on to soften the wax - both of them love having their ears wiped and close their eyes and make purring sounds. Ours were grumpy teenagers for a few months, they are now two and very nice laid-back boys indeed. If yours do fight, it is useful to know that Sudocrem is fine on any cuts or nips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I wouldn't even go there with boys! they smell more! My neighbour has boys, she's got three and two of them pick on the other one and she's had to seperate them permanently leaving one on it's own. My four girls have been brilliant! I have on two occasions introduced more new guineas two on to two and three to one, gradually but with no trouble. You do get a boss still but the girlies are alot kinder, they just butt each other out of the way instead of the physical fighting like the boys. They all cuddle up together too. The girls will be more expensive, but that's because you can breed from them. My girls have got great character, we have Holly the quiet one, Daisy the fatter greedy one but likes cuddles, Sandy who likes to be tickled under the chin! and Flea who gives you little nibbles! Good luck in your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophia_chicken Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Girls girls girls. Boys smell more, usually fight and are harder to handle for children (due to size). Thay also need more room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
