Adding A Third Pig?

[GPcrazy]

I currently have 2 bonded sows, 4 months old, living inside in a 2x4 C&C cage.

At the pet store that I buy their hay and pellets from there is a female brown short-haired adult piggy that has been tugging on my heart strings for the past month.

The first time I saw her I nearly bought her, but she looked heavily pg and I was still on pg watch with my two girls.
She has now had her babies and is still there. She has just really wound ber way into my heart and I can't stop thinking about her.

Would I be asking for serious trouble if I tried to add her to my 2 bonded sows?

She is quite big so shes definitely a fair bit older than mine, she's probably double their size, so I'd guess at least a year old. Would this age difference make it easier to bond her with my 2 babies?
Or should I just continue gritting my teeth and practising self control and stick with the two I have?

I might, over time, be able to widen their cage to a 4x3, but it wouldn't be immediately as we have some rearranging to do in that area. We are somewhat limited space-wise.

[ETA: there are no rescues in my town]

 

[igor10916]

Hi - I had two bonded boars for about 11 months before one of them died. Guinea Pigs are really sociable animals so I bought another one, Igor who is half the size of Gus and they now really get on. I know that you are considering getting a third pig and believe me it is very tempting. With you I think that you are more likely to be successful with introducing another girl to your two bonded sows as girls do tend to be more gentle. If you were to introduce the third it would mean a bit of confusion for your girls but my boys are now bonded for life it would seem and they have only known each other for a month! If you say she has had babies then maybe she could act as a mother figure to your girls. It is unlikely that they won't get along.

Good luck and I hope you make the best decision for your girls!xx

 

[GPcrazy]

Bump

 

[Kiara]

I have found that females are no where near as problematic as males and from the sound of it i agree with Igor that it is likely that she will take on a mothering role to your two younger sows.
Is the pet shop sow on her own or with others?

 

[GPcrazy]

Is the pet shop sow on her own or with others?

She's on her own. She was on her own when pg, then the two babies were in with her when born and for around 3 weeks, then when I went last week the 2 babies had been moved to their own cage (so I'm assuming they were both males). She just looks so lovely and gentle, but of course I haven't seen her interact with other piggies so can't comment on how well she gets on with them, and a pet shop environment is never a good indicator since they're often rather scared.

 

[MrsMoo]

I had three young guinea girls at first and saw an unwanted older guinea that needed a home, because she was so much bigger she automatically became the boss and wasn't bullied, they all get on well and she also acts like a mother figure to my youngest guinea. I have only had problems when introducing a guinea that was a similar size to one of my guineas as I think they were trying to see who would be top guinea and sort out where them come in the herd, etc.

 

[MrsMoo]

Also if I was going to introduce young guineas into the established herd I would rather add two young guineas as I wouldn't want them to feel isolated if they are the only young one. My most recent guinea was shy for ages and I felt if she had a friend her age and size it may have been easier.