Adopting a Boar Trio

moodysuzy

moodysuzy

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Hi all,

Me and my partner have agreed to re-home three boy guinea pigs from my partner's brother (kids got bored, parents want rid). They would be going back to the pet shop otherwise. I only just found out that boar trios aren't very successful.

They are about 6 months old and don't exhibit any bullying or fighting behaviour as far as I know (but I don't know much and I doubt their current owners would notice anyway).

We will be collecting them this weekend, they're outside in a hutch currently but we have a c&c cage on the way that they will move into.

I'm thinking two of everything, bowls, bottles, maybe even two food areas (we'll be putting in a litter tray, so thought maybe two of these).

Anything else we can do to minimise the risk of fall out? And at what stage should they be separated if they start fighting? If we notice signs of bullying is there anything we can do?

Thanks!
 
I'm afraid A 2x4 will be nowhere near big enough to attempt a trio. A 2x4 isn’t really even big enough for two boars. A 2x5 is what is recommended for two boars, so for three you need even bigger than that, and in fact the more space you can give the better. However do be aware that it is about more than just space. At six months old they have just started their hormonal teens which is when issues are likely to start appearing. The chances of them making it to adulthood (about 14 months of age+) as a trio is about 10% so you can see the failure rate is high. It is lovely when a trio works because it is very rare. There is always a chance they will be fine together, but you do need to be prepared for the likelihood of it not working out long term.
If you see a full on blood drawing, fur flying fight, then they need to be separated immediately. They will never be able to live together again after that. If bullying starts, it is much the same I’m afraid. You simply cannot make them like each other and live together if they don’t want to.
Don’t have any enclosed hideys, two exit hideys only, two or three of every item, basically don’t give them any reason to argue. Always have a plan b with a spare cage etc.
In the event of a fall out, then the chances are that you will still end up with a workable pair and a single. The pair that get on best can remain together, the single will need to be separated and ideally found a new friend to live with. At worst, a fight can break all bonds, so three singles is a possibility.

I’ve linked in some guides below which may help you with what to look out for

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonds In Trouble
Cage Size Guide
 
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Welcome to the forum.
Well done for giving the boys a good home.
You have found yourself on a very steep learning curve but @Piggies&buns has given great advice and helpful links
 
Thanks for all the info, it’s worse than I thought. We unfortunately don’t have space for a much bigger cage, especially as we’ve just bought our 2x4.

We don’t want to split them but maybe it’s best to keep just two of them from the get go? The separated one would unfortunately have to go to a rescue as we wouldn't have room permanently. What a shame, we were really looking forward to giving them all a good home.
 
Ultimately they are highly likely to need to be split at some point between now and a year old anyway due to falling out, so splitting them now won’t be such a problematic thing to do, it will in fact save them from fights and potential injuries.
If you are going to keep two of them then don’t choose them based on which two you like, the two need to be chosen by which ones get on best with each other. It is mutual liking and character compatibility that creates a stable bond between them so if there are two which are always together now, then they will be the best ones to choose - no guarantee (teenage boys can be fickle), but it is more likely to make it work for the long term.
The other advice still stands with a pair of boars - two exit hideys, two of each item and as much floor time out of their cage to let them roam and burn off energy!
 
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There is the option of stacking C and C cages, so you could put another cage on top of the one you already have, and find a compatible male friend for the third guinea pig... You can also get an IKEA table and put one cage on top and one below. But 2x5 C&Cs would be better than 2x4s.
 
Pls try all three you come across as caring and that's whatvpiggies need.
On this forum is lots free advise etc.
We here to help and enjoy all piggies
 
Good on you for giving them a caring home. I personally would give all three a try, there are trios that do get along and are well bonded. It will also give you time to see who gets on with best because if you split them now you may be not making the right choice of a pair. Watch and see who gets on best. See how they get on in your 2 x 4 CC cage first, it’s a good size and you sound like a very caring and want the best for them x
 
moodysuzy said:
Thank you everyone, we will give the three a try and keep a close eye on them to see how they go.
Either way, we’re very excited to be giving them a good home!
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It’s definitely worth a try, there are some trios who do get on fine. it doesn’t happen often but it can happen. do keep a spare cage or plan of a way to separate as if a problem occurs, then it can happen suddenly and you will need the means to separate. Try to get some of their bedding from the hutch they are in now to bring with you to their new cage. You are likely to see dominance and territory setting (moving piggies can set this off) so for them, having familiar smells can help.
As has been said though a 2x4 is really only the recommended size for two piggies, lack of space between boars is the one of the most common reasons for fall outs (after the fact that they just don’t like each other!) and it will be more so for a trio, so do bear that in mind going forward.

Good luck! Let us know how they get on.
 
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Piggies&buns said:
It’s definitely worth a try, there are some trios who do get on fine. it doesn’t happen often but it can happen. do keep a spare cage or plan of a way to separate as if a problem occurs, then it can happen suddenly and you will need the means to separate. Try to get some of their bedding from the hutch they are in now to bring with you to their new cage. You are likely to see dominance and territory setting (moving piggies can set this off) so for them, having familiar smells can help.
As has been said though a 2x4 is really only the recommended size for two piggies, lack of space between boars is the one of the most common reasons for fall outs (after the fact that they just don’t like each other!) and it will be more so for a trio, so do bear that in mind going forward.

Good luck! Let us know how they get on.
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Thank you :) I’m away at the moment but planning on reevaluating the space and that’s a great note about bedding. We can definitely arrange a loft if you think that would help? I have hamsters though and I know as far as space goes for them, anything not on one level doesn’t count towards the required floor space.

I tried to do a lot of research prior to buying the 2x4 and I really thought I’d made a good choice. More research next time!

They’re in an outside, two-level hutch at the moment so for the short term the 2x4 should definitely be an improvement for them.

Honestly though, how can a pet shop sell three boys and an undersized hutch to a young family? It’s so irresponsible!
 
moodysuzy said:
Thank you :) I’m away at the moment but planning on reevaluating the space and that’s a great note about bedding. We can definitely arrange a loft if you think that would help? I have hamsters though and I know as far as space goes for them, anything not on one level doesn’t count towards the required floor space.

I tried to do a lot of research prior to buying the 2x4 and I really thought I’d made a good choice. More research next time!

They’re in an outside, two-level hutch at the moment so for the short term the 2x4 should definitely be an improvement for them.

Honestly though, how can a pet shop sell three boys and an undersized hutch to a young family? It’s so irresponsible!
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It’s the same for pigs, upper levels don’t count towards cage size. It would help though as a bonus space to enable them to get away from one another.

A 2x4 is absolutely a good sized cage for two piggies, please don’t think that it’s not. It’s only very problematic because you are attempting a trio of boars who are notoriously hard to get to work even in a much larger cage.
(On site we recommend a 2x5 as being better for a boar pair as boar pairs generally require a bit more space than a sow pair, for whom a 2x4 is likely to be ok). My own boar pair live in my shed and their cage within the shed originally started as the equivalent size of a 2x4 but the ten month hormone spike hit, tensions rose and I had to carefully increase their cage size (carefully so as to not create more territory problems), so now they have the run of the whole 8ft x 6ft shed and I lost my storage space!)

Sadly it’s not uncommon to see such bad advice. We get a lot of posts about trios of boars falling out as a result of people being told by shops that they are ok together - usually because they are sold as youngsters who, at that age, are ok together. Its only when the hormones start flying that the problems start to show.
 
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