Adding a third member to my group - introduction strategy?

Wifflet

Wifflet

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Hello! I’m hoping for some suggestions/feedback on my plans for my piggies. Sorry, this will probably be a little rambling, but I’ll try to make the situation clear and any feedback is much appreciated!

I have 2 girls: Mocha is 11 months old, small and dainty, a little skittish, and definitely a drama queen! Boy, does she have a pair of lungs on her! Cassie is a year old, a bit bigger, and is very snuggly, loves attention, and is a firm but very laid back dominant sow. They absolutely adore each other, and Mocha will scream for Cassie if they’re separated for more than a few minutes. They’re currently in a 2x3 C&C cage, but I’m in the process of building a new completely custom cage that will be 3ftx6ft.

I’d like to add a third guinea pig, however (pending that larger cage, of course), just in case anything happens to one of my girls: I don’t want the other to be left alone. I’m thinking a neutered boar would probably be my best option.

Now here’s the tricky part: I’ve found a good rescue from which I’d like to obtain this third piggie, but they don’t often get boars that are already neutered, and they don’t provide neutering services either, and neither does my regular vet for my girls. I’ve found a vet with a good reputation that could neuter him. My thought is to get the new cage to the point where it’s pretty close to ready, then pick up a boar from the rescue, have a basic introduction time to make sure there are no big issues (the rescue will quarantine him before adoption so I’ll know I’m getting a piggie that will not spread anything to the others), then neuter him and keep him in an extension of their current cage during his recovery period, with grid separating him from the girls but giving them opportunity to get used to each other; then when he’s ready to move in with them, that’s when I’ll move all 3 into the new cage. The boar will ideally be at least as old as Mocha, if not older than Cassie, and bigger than Cassie. Unfortunately, I don’t have space for 2 adjoining 2x3s, so he’d be stuck in a 2x2 for his recovery period. So here’s what I’d like feedback on:

1) Is a neutered boar truly my best option here, or would it be better to find a sow that’ll get along with my girls?

2) How much does the size and age of this boar (or sow) matter for maximizing the chances of a good introduction?

3) Is my introduction strategy a good one, or can someone suggest a better way to handle the introductions, neutering, convalescence, and move-in? Bearing in mind that the rescue gives me a 2-week period to go through introductions and still be able to return him easily if they go badly, and I don’t really have space for another full cage, so I have to be able to keep my pigs together.
 
Hope I can answer some of your questions. I currently have a neutered boar and a female living together (my other female was put to sleep last week - we are in the process of finding another female)

1) Yes, a neutered boar is generally your best option, as he is a natural outsider and sows have their own hierarchy. Sows generally do better in lots of two (2,4,6, 8...).

2) Generally, you will want to find a boar who is bigger than the girls - age doesn't really matter. You may find that a boar around the same age or older works best (since you have young girls, maybe over 1?)

3) Please don't do any introductions before your boar is neutered, he can and most likely will get them pregnant - even if you are supervising. He can live in a cage beside the girls before he is neutered. Make sure that he cannot get into the girls cage (maybe make the divider and surrounding grids two high). After being neutered, he will need to be separate from the girls for 6 weeks, as they can still get girls pregnant before this. Only after he has waited his 6 weeks can you introduce him to the girls in a neutral space. Bondings between a neutered boar and females tend to go more smoothly than adding another female - as he is a natural outsider, but there will still need to be a mutual acceptance between them.

Hope this helps! I'm sure more members will be along soon to give further advice, or correct me if needed 👍
 
Age and size has very little impact. It’s all about mutual liking and character compatibility. Adding a neutered boar is likely to be the better option, adding a single sow to a pair can fail, but it all comes down to the sows accepting him which isn’t guaranteed.

When does the two weeks the rescue allows start? Is it from as soon you bring him home? If so, then that isn’t going to be enough time.
You cannot bring him home, have the ‘basic introduction time‘, then neuter, then recover, then bond.
He will need to be kept away from the sows from the moment you bring him home and for six weeks after he is neutered before you can carry out the neutral territory bonding. Boars still carry semen post neuter and it takes six weeks for them to become sterile. He will need to be kept securely away from the sows at all times. Once six weeks have passed you can then try to bond them. Living in separated cages means they will know who each other are, but it isn’t until the neutral territory bonding six weeks post op that you will see how things are going to go. They may appear fine side by side cages but could still fail when you do try to bond them. If the rescue have only given you two weeks from when you bring him home to easily return him, then you will, likely as far as they are concerned, Be committed to him long before you can put them together to even see if they get on. You will need to know how you can surrender him again if the bonding fails and you can’t keep him.

When you carry out the bonding, ensure it is done on neutral territory. They will need to be in neutral territory for several hours to see if they have acceptance and mutual liking. Please do not just remove the divider in the cage and let the piggies wander together - that will be seen as a territory invasion and will cause fights. It then takes a further two weeks of living together after the introduction for them to fully form and sort out the details of their relationship.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
You’ve been given great advice above. I would add that a 2x3 just about okay for a pair of sows. But a 2x2 is too small for a lone boar. I would expand the cage first before you even consider getting a third. If you do build a 3x6 you can split it in half so each have 3x3. I would also suggest adding a roof to the boar’s side. They can be quite determined when there’s a sow in season nearby.
 
Hi!

Here is our cage size guide: Cage Size Guide

Here is more information on neutered boars (including the 6 weeks post-neutering safety wait as the semen carrying tubes leading from the testicles to the penis are NOT removed): Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
Please cable-tie any grids in the boar section and have nothing he can use as jumping pad to get into the sow cage. With a sow in season within their reach, boars can be amazingly determined and athletic in terms of climbing, jumping and wiggling through.

The information in the mixed gender chapter is also valid for a two sow plus de-sexed 'husboar' combo. Please be aware that a neutering operation is much more expensive in the USA than in the UK.
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
 
So having talked to multiple places with piggies for adoption, and none of them have neutered boars come through very often at all, I think I’m going to give a couple of sows a go and see if my girls get along with one before pursuing the boar option and the timeline oddities that go with that.
 
Wifflet said:
So having talked to multiple places with piggies for adoption, and none of them have neutered boars come through very often at all, I think I’m going to give a couple of sows a go and see if my girls get along with one before pursuing the boar option and the timeline oddities that go with that.
Click to expand...

Opt for sub-adult sows that are younger than yours so they cannot challenge and upset the current hierarchy.

Neutered boars are less common in the USA. You may have a better chance in the more populated West and East Coast areas.
 
Update: I’ve been referred to a small, foster-care based guinea pig rescue. They have a 5-6 month old sow that was pregnant when they brought her in. Her pups are just recently weaned, and since they’re boys they’re keeping them for their single adult males, but momma is ready for adoption and we’re setting up a date between her and my girls for next week. If that doesn’t work out, she says they have a couple of males who are getting neutered at the end of September, so I might be able to snag one of them. :)
 
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