Big enough home?

[GuineaBabs]

Hey there guys! On my last thread someone replied with a helpful website and I’ve come on here again to ask if this cage is big enough. In total I have 3 boys and 2 girls so 5 total and they live in separate cages. I could have them live together if the girls get fixed as there’s less girls. I would be adding the loft but a wider one.I could always buy another one of these for the females but for right now it would have to be a bit smaller due to space.

 

[avafaghani]

Hey there guys! On my last thread someone replied with a helpful website and I’ve come on here again to ask if this cage is big enough. In total I have 3 boys and 2 girls so 5 total and they live in separate cages. I could have them live together if the girls get fixed as there’s less girls. I would be adding the loft but a wider one.I could always buy another one of these for the females but for right now it would have to be a bit smaller due to space.View attachment 154390

Seems pretty good! It's important to mention that some guineas don't use lofts a ton but especially if yours are young and in new environments it should be okay and they'll be interested. Also I would have another cage / area available, doesn't have to be big just incase there are bonding issues between the newly met boys and girls. I'm happy you like the website and good luck!

 

[Siikibam]

You can only have one boar in with sows, else they would fight. So your idea of five all together will have to be abandoned now. Another thing is that sows are t routinely spayed. It’s more complicated than neutering a boar, so it’s usually done for medical purposes (ovarian cysts etc).

That (2x5) is big enough for two sows. It’s also enough for two boars (minimum we recommend) so you’d need to add another square metre per additional boar.

 

[GuineaBabs]

You can only have one boar in with sows, else they would fight. So your idea of five all together will have to be abandoned now. Another thing is that sows are t routinely spayed. It’s more complicated than neutering a boar, so it’s usually done for medical purposes (ovarian cysts etc).

That (2x5) is big enough for two sows. It’s also enough for two boars (minimum we recommend) so you’d need to add another square metre per additional boar.

Thanks for that I didn’t know about the complications that came with it since I didn’t look into it because I wasn’t planning on doing that to my piggies it was just in case I had to house them together. Until my fiancé and I get a house we are doing with the space we have. Once we move out the piggies will have a room to themselves so no room issues should occur. For now I could look into getting a bigger home for the boys or adding an additional cage to that one.

 

[GuineaBabs]

I’m still not planning on having them together. I am getting two separate cages for males and females.

 

[avafaghani]

I’m still not planning on having them together. I am getting two separate cages for males and females.

That sounds good then. Congrats to you and your fiancé ❤

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m still not planning on having them together. I am getting two separate cages for males and females.

if you’ve got three boars living together then you will need to plan for problems there as well. Most boar trios fail as getting the character match between three boars for the long term is difficult and their fall out can be sudden - it’s hard enough in a pair but a pair can work, and trios have an incredibly high failure rate. Ive seen on your other post that they are fine now, but i haven’t seen you mention how old they are. If they are young, then you will need to plan and have a way to separate them, hopefully you’ll get a functioning pair and a single, if it does happen. It’s best to have the plan in advance instead of having to makeshift something if you suddenly see them fight.

 

[GuineaBabs]

if you’ve got three boars living together then you will need to plan for problems there as well. Most boar trios fail as boars need to live in pairs. Three together usually means fights occur at some point and they require separating into a pair and a single

I completely agree as I see this a lot but my boys absolutely thrive together. My three boars definitely don’t like being separated as they start acting scared and upset when they are. I’ve never seen them fight and like to spend most of their day together.I’ve noticed that they are happier when it’s the three of them together.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I completely agree as I see this a lot but my boys absolutely thrive together. My three boars definitely don’t like being separated as they start acting scared and upset when they are. I’ve never seen them fight and like to spend most of their day together.I’ve noticed that they are happier when it’s the three of them together.

thats great, just something to watch. How old are they?
if they are under four months then they are wired to want to be together. It’s once they get over four months old, hit their teens and become hormonal, that problems occur. most boar trios don’t make it to adulthood together (adulthood starting at 15 months of age). If you have an older, fully functioning boar trio then that is fab - it is so very rare and we almost never hear of them. The vast majority of boar trios we come across on the forum have failed and when we are then helping members with the aftermath of boar trio fights and fall outs.

as siikibam has mentioned
two sows need a 2x4 c&c cage, a 2x5 is better though if you can give them more
two boars need a 2x5 C&c, but bigger is better
three boars together need a cage which measures 3 square metres, so that’s a cage of at least a 6x3 C&c
i also would not add a loft to a boar trios cage as it can just be a pinch point and have the potential for causing problems.

remember, any cage alterations you make, particularly with the boars, constitutes a change in territory and environment and can set off dominance and territorial issues. To minimise problems, use soiled bedding in new cages as that way it will have a familiar smell, they will still recognise it and it can help reduce issues.

 

[Siikibam]

How old are they all? Are the boars housed away from the sows? Are they in a secure cage where they can’t escape?

 

[GuineaBabs]

thats great, just something to watch. How old are they?
if they are under four months then they are wired to want to be together. It’s once they get over four months old, hit their teens and become hormonal, that problems occur. most boar trios don’t make it to adulthood together (adulthood starting at 15 months of age). If you have an older, fully functioning boar trio then that is fab - it is so very rare and we almost never hear of them. The vast majority of boar trios we come across on the forum have failed and when we are then helping members with the aftermath of boar trio fights and fall outs.

as siikibam has mentioned
two sows need a 2x4 c&c cage, a 2x5 is better though if you can give them more
two boars need a 2x5 C&c, but bigger is better
three boars together need a cage which measures 3 square metres, so that’s a cage of at least a 6x3 C&c
i also would not add a loft to a boar trios cage as it can just be a pinch point and have the potential for causing problems.

remember, any cage alterations you make, particularly with the boars, constitutes a change in territory and environment and can set off dominance and territorial issues. To minimise problems, use soiled bedding in new cages as that way it will have a familiar smell, they will still recognise it and it can help reduce issues.

The boys are a little over a year . The oldest one is around a year and 5 months. I definitely do put a little bit of old bedding into their cages every time we clean them or need to upgrade. I could contact someone who makes C & C cages to make a custom one for me as I trust a professional more than myself of course. The biggest I could make their cages are 8 feet by 2.5 . But for that space I would need to get a custom stacked homes for them . Obviously with enough space in between them. I was kind of iffy with the loft and if I should get it.

 

[GuineaBabs]

How old are they all? Are the boars housed away from the sows? Are they in a secure cage where they can’t escape?

The girls are around 6 months old and the boars are over a year old . The sows are kept away from the boars and each have spacey homes for themselves. They definitely cannot escape from their cages as made sure through experience, research, and trial and error. I posted a picture of the cage I was considering buying in case that’s what you’re asking about

 

[Piggies&buns]

The boys are a little over a year . The oldest one is around a year and 5 months. I definitely do put a little bit of old bedding into their cages every time we clean them or need to upgrade. I could contact someone who makes C & C cages to make a custom one for me as I trust a professional more than myself of course. The biggest I could make their cages are 8 feet by 2.5 . But for that space I would need to get a custom stacked homes for them . Obviously with enough space in between them. I was kind of iffy with the loft and if I should get it.

C&c cages are talked about in grids so an 8ft long c&c is about 7 grids long.
2.5 ft is about 2 grids wide. (Two grids wide measures Approx 77cm).
so you would be looking at a 7x2 c&c for it to make the measurement of about 8ft x 2.5ft
a cage of that size is fine for two sows. Would hopefully be ok for the three boars
c&c cages can be stacked so they work very well. Just ensure you put the girls in the bottom cage so sow pheromones don’t fall downwards onto the boys.
you can stack cages with lofts , but as I said I definitely wouldn’t put a loft on a boar trios cage.