Boars Living Together

[DmoiraL]

Hi all looking for some advice please !
At the beginning of March I brought a trio of male guinea pigs at around 7 weeks, they all lived together from a young age and were getting on fine !
Recently ( now reached sexual maturity) one of the 3 seems to be mounting one of the others. We have noticed a few minor scratches but nothing serious, although I’m extremely worried and I need some advice on this matter. will they be able to live together long term?
Thank you all so much for the help .

 

[Reenie]

Hi and welcome to the forum! There is a 90% chance that a trio of males will not stay together through their 'teenage' months (4-14months), however what you are describing just now is not yet a serious fall out. I have a trio of males who are just reaching the 14 month mark and have bucked the trend so far, however they have a huge 5x3 C&C cage (about 6ft by 3&1/2ft) and a loft area, so they have tons of room to get away from each other. I have also had a few scares over the period where I thought I might have to separate them, but it has never got as far as a full blown fight. If you can, increase their space to as large as possible, ensure they each have their own food/hay areas, and hideys with more that one exit. These links will help you decide if and when their bond becomes unsustainable. Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next? Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics Bonds In Trouble Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
I hope you're one of the lucky ones, but be prepared to separate them quickly if it does break down. All the best x

 

[DmoiraL]

Hi and welcome to the forum! There is a 90% chance that a trio of males will not stay together through their 'teenage' months (4-14months), however what you are describing just now is not yet a serious fall out. I have a trio of males who are just reaching the 14 month mark and have bucked the trend so far, however they have a huge 5x3 C&C cage (about 6ft by 3&1/2ft) and a loft area, so they have tons of room to get away from each other. I have also had a few scares over the period where I thought I might have to separate them, but it has never got as far as a full blown fight. If you can, increase their space to as large as possible, ensure they each have their own food/hay areas, and hideys with more that one exit. These links will help you decide if and when their bond becomes unsustainable. Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next? Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics Bonds In Trouble Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
I hope you're one of the lucky ones, but be prepared to separate them quickly if it does break down. All the best x

Thank you so much for all the help and for getting back to me !

 

[Reenie]

Thank you so much for all the help and for getting back to me !

No problem. Those threads have really helped me, but ultimately it's down to your boy's personalities, so if things don't quite go to plan, it won't be because of anything you've done.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all looking for some advice please !
At the beginning of March I brought a trio of male guinea pigs at around 7 weeks, they all lived together from a young age and were getting on fine !
Recently ( now reached sexual maturity) one of the 3 seems to be mounting one of the others. We have noticed a few minor scratches but nothing serious, although I’m extremely worried and I need some advice on this matter. will they be able to live together long term?
Thank you all so much for the help .

Hi! The chances are rather against you unless you happen to have three very laid-back boys and oodles of space. What you are experiencing are the first stirrings. It would be good if you started planning on what you can do if you need to separate at some point and have what you need on stand-by. Puberty happens in phases and spikes; hormone levels are not the same throughout the whole time. But it is best to be ready for it so you can hopefully come out of it with at least a functional pair and not three single boys.

Two same-aged boys can be tricky to get through it if they are both too dominant or if you have got a very dominant boy and one that cannot stand up for himself. With three, keeping that fine balance is unfortunately near impossible.
Sadly shops and for sale breeders are not interested in welfare and the needs of the animals they are selling.

More information around the whole puberty and fall-out problems in this very detailed guide here. You will hopefully find it helpful: Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[DmoiraL]

Hi! The chances are rather against you unless you happen to have three very laid-back boys and oodles of space. What you are experiencing are the first stirrings. It would be good if you started planning on what you can do if you need to separate at some point and have what you need on stand-by. Puberty happens in phases and spikes; hormone levels are not the same throughout the whole time. But it is best to be ready for it so you can hopefully come out of it with at least a functional pair and not three single boys.

Two same-aged boys can be tricky to get through it if they are both too dominant or if you have got a very dominant boy and one that cannot stand up for himself. With three, keeping that fine balance is unfortunately near impossible.
Sadly shops and for sale breeders are not interested in welfare and the needs of the animals they are selling.

More information around the whole puberty and fall-out problems in this very detailed guide here. You will hopefully find it helpful: Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Thank you for all the help, I really don’t want unhappy piggies so thank you for all the help and support.

 

[DmoiraL]

Hi guys,
If I were to split them up would one guinea pig be happy living on his own ? I know that guinea pigs are happier in pairs but because there not getting on I wasn’t sure if my best option was to split them as ultimately I don’t want any hurt piggies !
Would one be happy on his own?
Thank you so much for all the help

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys,
If I were to split them up would one guinea pig be happy living on his own ? I know that guinea pigs are happier in pairs but because there not getting on I wasn’t sure if my best option was to split them as ultimately I don’t want any hurt piggies !
Would one be happy on his own?
Thank you so much for all the help

Hi! Please read the link I have given you in my last post; it deals in detail with what options you have and their various pros and cons in much more detail that I can do in a short post.

If you can find a congenial new friend, fine; it is better than having a single live alongside boar with constant interaction/stimulation through the bars.
But it is not as easy as simply buying another baby and expecting them to get on and then get yet more boars through puberty together. If you have access to a good rescue that offers dating under expert supervision, then please make use of it; it means that you come home with a companion only if acceptance has happened and do not run the risk of ending up with more fallen-out boys. You also have the rescue to fall back on if there are problems.
PS: Rescue links for several countries are in the puberty guide.