Hi I'm getting 3 boys next week they will be 4 weeks old. Any advice as I've never had baby pigs before. My others were all rescue pigs and were about 5 months old when I got them (they lasted till 5 yrs old).
4 week old babies
- Thread starter Jumu
- Start date
In terms of caring for them, you look after them in the same way as you do older piggies - diet is the same etc.
They will not be able to cope as easily with any heat we get (it tends to be harder for the old and the young) so be extra careful with making sure the room they are kept in is cool enough.
However, and I’m sorry to bring bad news, the biggest issue you are going to face with three boars is bond problems.
A boar trio is sadly not likely to make it to adulthood together and most fail when boars hit their teens. Boars can really only be kept in pairs to be successful for the long term.
Even if they are brothers, this doesn’t make any difference to their ability to get on.
Very occasionally a person will get lucky with a trio but it’s rather the exception.
If you’re going to take all three, then it will be best for you to observe which two get on best between when you get them and before they turn 12-16 weeks old and then split them up into a functioning pair and a single before problems occur. They will most likely be ok as a trio for the first few weeks because they are at the stage where they want the company of other piggies. Once testicles start to descend and hormones start to rise from 16 weeks, this is when things change.
The cage size for two boars together needs to be 180x60cm. A single piggy will need a cage a minimum of 120x60cm and to be kept side by side with the pair for through the bar interaction only, with potentially needing his own new friend if he doesn’t cope being alone (in which case his cage will need to also be 180x60cm if he has a boar friend). The single will not be able to be neutered and have a sow friend if they are all to live in the same room because the functioning pair can fight with each other if a sow is brought into the same room as them.
Or, wait until the issues happen and then split them.
The problem there is that that obviously risks injuries occurring so from that point alone wouldn’t be recommended. Also though, at worst, all three can fall out so you do risk needing to split them all up into three separate but side by side cages (and potentially three more piggies so they all have a friend if through the bar interaction isn’t enough for them).
If you are going to try to keep them together as a trio, then you will need to make sure the cage is much larger than all normal cage size requirements and provides one square metre of territory each - so a cage of 3 metres by 1 metre is needed for them.
This isn’t a guarantee that they will get on - character compatibility is the only thing which will make that happen and it’s notoriously hard to get to work in a boar trio as you inevitably end up with either with two of them wanting to be dominant which will cause fights or the outsider situation occurring where one piggy is continually left out - but a cage which is smaller will pretty much guarantee that they clash and fall out through lack of space.
If you choose to try a trio, you will need to watch very closely not only for full on fights but also signs of bullying and always have spare cages (or grids if you’re using c&c cages) so that you can split them as soon as necessary
I'm sorry I can’t bring good news about the situation but when it comes to attempting boar trios (which we don’t really recommend), hoping for the best but having all the plans in place for the worst is the best course of action
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
They will not be able to cope as easily with any heat we get (it tends to be harder for the old and the young) so be extra careful with making sure the room they are kept in is cool enough.
However, and I’m sorry to bring bad news, the biggest issue you are going to face with three boars is bond problems.
A boar trio is sadly not likely to make it to adulthood together and most fail when boars hit their teens. Boars can really only be kept in pairs to be successful for the long term.
Even if they are brothers, this doesn’t make any difference to their ability to get on.
Very occasionally a person will get lucky with a trio but it’s rather the exception.
If you’re going to take all three, then it will be best for you to observe which two get on best between when you get them and before they turn 12-16 weeks old and then split them up into a functioning pair and a single before problems occur. They will most likely be ok as a trio for the first few weeks because they are at the stage where they want the company of other piggies. Once testicles start to descend and hormones start to rise from 16 weeks, this is when things change.
The cage size for two boars together needs to be 180x60cm. A single piggy will need a cage a minimum of 120x60cm and to be kept side by side with the pair for through the bar interaction only, with potentially needing his own new friend if he doesn’t cope being alone (in which case his cage will need to also be 180x60cm if he has a boar friend). The single will not be able to be neutered and have a sow friend if they are all to live in the same room because the functioning pair can fight with each other if a sow is brought into the same room as them.
Or, wait until the issues happen and then split them.
The problem there is that that obviously risks injuries occurring so from that point alone wouldn’t be recommended. Also though, at worst, all three can fall out so you do risk needing to split them all up into three separate but side by side cages (and potentially three more piggies so they all have a friend if through the bar interaction isn’t enough for them).
If you are going to try to keep them together as a trio, then you will need to make sure the cage is much larger than all normal cage size requirements and provides one square metre of territory each - so a cage of 3 metres by 1 metre is needed for them.
This isn’t a guarantee that they will get on - character compatibility is the only thing which will make that happen and it’s notoriously hard to get to work in a boar trio as you inevitably end up with either with two of them wanting to be dominant which will cause fights or the outsider situation occurring where one piggy is continually left out - but a cage which is smaller will pretty much guarantee that they clash and fall out through lack of space.
If you choose to try a trio, you will need to watch very closely not only for full on fights but also signs of bullying and always have spare cages (or grids if you’re using c&c cages) so that you can split them as soon as necessary
I'm sorry I can’t bring good news about the situation but when it comes to attempting boar trios (which we don’t really recommend), hoping for the best but having all the plans in place for the worst is the best course of action
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Last edited:
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’ve have 4 boars before. The pet shop told me they like to live in herds. This is not true! They all fell out and I ended up with them all in separate cages. If I was you I’d just take two of them. Good luck. Can’t wait to see some pictures soon if you’d like to share. 
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Welcome to the forum.
Congratulations on your new piggy family.
I agree though, a trio of boars is unlikely to work so plan for an alternative.
We look forward to pictures when they arrive.
Congratulations on your new piggy family.
I agree though, a trio of boars is unlikely to work so plan for an alternative.
We look forward to pictures when they arrive.