2 boars how much space? And bed recommendations

[Bugsand9friends]

Hello I'm just about to rescue 2 boys, I'm having them inside in a c and c cage setup
How many feet or how many c and c grids is needed.

Was planning on doing 5 grids by 3 which works out nearly 6ft by 4ft is that to big to small ideal

They'd be on fleece bedding to start, may swap to megazorb.

Do I need 2 bottles and 2 bowls for them being 2 boys?
What toys are suitable for them. They've got hides, hay holes, willow chews, wooden balls, tunnels and jiggly things and wooden things to add to the side of the c and c

Where do you all buy beds from dontheybhave to be a covered bed or are small dog beds okay.

Any advice welcome. I have owner bunnies for q5 years and now I've decided to add 2 piggies to my family.

Any advice welcome complete newbie here

 

[Piggies&buns]

How old are the piggies? Are they already bonded and from a rescue centre?

The cage you’re planning is a good size. Two boys do need more room and a cage of 6ft x 2ft is the recommended size and you’re obviously exceeding that so that’ll be good.

Fleece bedding is good. With a cage of your size, it’ll be easier than using a disposable bedding.

Yes two of everything - bowls, bottles, hay piles. When it comes to hides, I like to have at least one per piggy. My two boys have four hides in the hutch and another four in the shed itself and the fact you’ve got a big cage then I would add in plenty of hides. All hides must have two exits, so tunnels really, as enclosed hideys can cause piggy to become cornered by the other inside the hide. In terms of toys, the jiggly things to add to the aide. You could be wasting your money. My boys never play with those kinds of toys. They like a cardboard tunnel, a carrot cottage or hay cube every now and then but most they love running through large hay piles.

Beds don’t need to be covered but if you don’t have covered hides, then they will appreciate some coverage in some
areas. Clip a blanket over part of the cage (which you should do for new piggies anyway to allow them to settle in) but it means they’ll have somewhere to retreat to.

The important thing with boars is to respect the hierarchy, always handle the dominant piggy first, don’t separate them ie If one go to the vet, they both go. You’re always going to see dominance behaviours from them but Don’t make too many territory changes once they’ve settled in a it can set off dominance. They will definitely display dominance within the first few weeks of you bringing them home as they will reestablish their hierarchy (if they’re already bonded, then they will still do it in a new environment).

I’ve added in some links to guides below for more information

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information

 

[Bugsand9friends]

How old are the piggies? Are they already bonded and from a rescue centre?

The cage you’re planning is a good size. Two boys do need more room and a cage of 6ft x 2ft is the recommended size and you’re obviously exceeding that so that’ll be good.

Fleece bedding is good. With a cage of your size, it’ll be easier than using a disposable bedding.

Yes two of everything - bowls, bottles, hay piles. When it comes to hides, I like to have at least one per piggy. My two boys have four hides in the hutch and another four in the shed itself and the fact you’ve got a big cage then I would add in plenty of hides. All hides must have two exits, so tunnels really, as enclosed hideys can cause piggy to become cornered by the other inside the hide. In terms of toys, the jiggly things to add to the aide. You could be wasting your money. My boys never play with those kinds of toys. They like a cardboard tunnel, a carrot cottage or hay cube every now and then but most they love running through large hay piles.

Beds don’t need to be covered but if you don’t have covered hides, then they will appreciate some coverage somehow areas. Clip a blanket over part of the cage (which you should do for new piggies anyway to allow them to settle in) but it means they’ll have somewhere to retreat to.

The important thing with boars is to respect the hierarchy, always handle the dominant piggy first, don’t separate them ie If one go to the vet, they both go. You’re always going to see dominance behaviours from them but Don’t make too many territory changes once they’ve settled in a it can set off dominance. They will definitely display dominance within the first few weeks of you bringing them home as they will reestablish their hierarchy (if they’re already bonded, then they will still do it in a new environment).

I’ve added in some links to guides below for more information

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information

Thank you so much x
They're 5 months 5 days, they're off someone who's rehoming them local to me. They're bonded together yes, I'll go out and buy another bowl. I have plenty of hides, carrot cottage, tubes, houses, and cardboard boxes with holes out.

They've been used to a newspaper floor, with shavings, will the transmission to fleece be okay for them.

Will they be fine in a catit calbrio carrier with fleece or will I need a smaller one?
Thank you xx

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ah ok, still just turned teens then.
Right, so, if you’re getting them from an ad, then you need to be careful as unless you know this person personally, then people rehoming animals can sometimes be economical with the truth.
Be aware that they are just entering their teens so while they may have been ok up until now, it’s not a given that things will carry on. Hopefully they will, hopefully they are compatible, but six months of age is the highest hormone output and is really the test of their compatibility (With another one hormone spike at around 10 months). More boar pairs make it together than not, yours have got plenty of space, but the fact they’re teens, they’re moving onto a new territory, then do expect a lot of dominance for the next 9 months. Always keep a plan b in your mind of how to separate them if things do turn between them but don’t panic and separate prematurely - full on fights or clear signs of bullying (not dominance) are grounds for separation.

Sorry, that sounds negative, I don’t want to worry you, but just encourage you to know the signs you are looking for. It’s important to know what is normal for teen boars.

I’d actually recommend scatter feeding their veg and pellets rather than using bowls. It keeps them occupied and encourages foraging behaviour but also means no food hogging can occur as they both get an equal opportunity to wander around and find enough for themselves. 50g of veg per pig per day and 1 tablespoon of pellets (equates to around 6-10g of pellets) per pig per day is all that is needed. They need hay all the time.

Change to fleece is absolutely fine. My boys love nothing more than a fresh fleece and do zoomies and popcorn all over it! And then of course go on a scent marking frenzy given its a fresh fleece!
What are you using for your absorbent layer under the fleece?

It would also be a good idea to get them both vet checked once they’ve settled in. When you bring them home, put them in their cage and leave them alone for a few days doing nothing more than daily poop picking and feeding. Then slowly start talking to them at the cage, offering food from your hand. Just take your time with them.

You will need to weigh them fairly soon though as weekly lifelong weighing is important as it is the only way to know they are eating enough hay. How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

The cat carrier looks fine. It’s similar to what I use for my two.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Bugsand9friends]

Ah ok, still just turned teens then.
Right, so, if you’re getting them from an ad, then you need to be careful as unless you know this person personally, then people rehoming animals can sometimes be economical with the truth . Be aware that they are just entering their teens so while they may have been ok up until now, it’s not a given that things will carry on. Hopefully they will, hopefully they are compatible, but six months of age is the highest hormone output and is really the test of their compatibility (With another one hormone spike at around 10 months). More boar pairs make it together than not, yours have got plenty of space, but the fact they’re teens, they’re moving onto a new territory, then do expect a lot of dominance for the next 9 months. Always keep a plan b in your mind of how to separate them if things do turn between them but don’t panic and separate prematurely - full on fights or clear signs of bullying (not dominance) are grounds for separation.

Sorry, that sounds negative, I don’t want to worry you, but just encourage you to know the signs you are looking for. It’s important to know what is normal for teen boars.

I’d actually recommend scatter feeding their veg and pellets rather than using bowls. It keeps them occupied and encourages foraging behaviour but also means no food hogging can occur as they both get an equal opportunity to wander around and find enough for themselves. 50g of veg per pig per day and 1 tablespoon of pellets (equates to around 6-10g of pellets) per pig per day is all that is needed. They need hay all the time.

Change to fleece is absolutely fine. My boys love nothing more than a fresh fleece and do zoomies and popcorn all over it! And then of course go on a scent marking frenzy given its a fresh fleece!
What are you using for your absorbent layer under the fleece?

The cat carrier looks fine. It’s similar to what I use for my two.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Thank you so much, collecting tonight. Ie xoect hormones and dominance, and have bonded many buns over the years (I know they're not the same) but aka ware of some of the signs. Fingers crossed they make it. I've space and things for if they do need separating. I'll scatter feed, I do that with the buns. Thank you so much x