Bonding Boars

[Carla1231]

Hey fellow guinea pig parents!

I have already read many forums. So please please I need tricks and hacks.

So my two Original boars are Curls (4 months) and Piglet (2 months). This boys have been with me since August 22, 2019 (a bit over a month). The third boar Hercules is actually twins with Piglet and half-brother to curls. Hercules was living at my friends house, but has now been rehoused with me.

I introduced them for a hot second because i don’t think Hercules is ready. The tricky part is that my two original boars curls and piglet are now RE-establishing dominance!! I did not see it coming..... but i kinda did!

Curls, the 4 month old is the dominant due to his size BUT piglet is extremely feisty and outspoken! How do I handle brownie’s craziness?

 

[Siikibam]

The first thing is that the chances of a trio boar living together is very slim. There are no tricks and hacks, and being honest (not necessarily what you want to hear), the chances of your three making it through their teenage phase with intact bonds is pretty much highly unlikely. If they were older and their personalities were more in line with each other then you could say it’s a slim possibility.

Your introducing Hercules to the original pair is what has lead to the fracture in their bond. I would strongly advise that you don’t introduce Hercules to them again. And living beside them may also cause further problems with the bond.

The re-establishing dominance is normal after they’ve had a stranger in their midst. And being dominant isn’t about size but character.

When you introduced Hercules to them, did you put him straight in their cage, or were they all outside their housing? If it’s the former then I would suggest you re-introduce Curls & Piglet on neutral territory - a pile of hay and some veg, no hides, and water. You’d also need to clean their cage thoroughly to get rid of any scents. But be aware that when you move them back to the cage, they would likely establish dominance there once again as well.

I don’t know what your setup is like but, if possible, I would put up some kind of barrier between their cages so the presence of Hercules doesn’t upset the bond between your paired boars.

You’ll then have to find a friend for Hercules. You can either get him a boar. Or wait till his testicles descend and get him neutered then find him a wife after the six week wait.

when you say piglet is feisty what do you mean? how is he behaving?, and how is curls behaving?

Please have a read of the threads below.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Bonds In Trouble

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics


Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Carla1231]

Omg its amazing how you are using their name. Thank you for reading my whole post and for answering.

Curls and Piglet are back to normal. It was a vert quick intense second.

Hercules and Piglet and Curls come from the same dad/family/litter, they’ve technically been separated for a month. Does this matter?

When i introduced them if was in a neutral area. I honestly freaked out, really quick cause they gagged up on Hercules really quick.

Piglet personality he is very vocal in a he always says hello to me the loudest but it’s also the one that whines when I hold him. Curls is extremely mellow and relax.

At this point I'm thinking of keeping Hercules and Curls together since their personalities seem like they get along REALLY well. Or do you advice to not break Piglet and

 

[Piggies&buns]

Piggies being related makes absolutely no difference to whether they will get on.
The rule is that you do not do anything to break a boars bond. If curls and piglet are getting on now then I would not separate them. Don’t make Hercules and curls a pair. Keep curls and piglet together and hercules will need to be kept separate and found a new friend to live with.

 

[Carla1231]

Omg its amazing how you are using their name. Thank you for reading my whole post and for answering.

Curls and Piglet are back to normal. It was a vert quick intense second.

Hercules and Piglet and Curls come from the same dad/family/litter, they’ve technically been separated for a month. Does this matter?

When i introduced them if was in a neutral area. I honestly freaked out, really quick cause they gagged up on Hercules really quick.

Piglet personality he is very vocal in a he always says hello to me the loudest but it’s also the one that whines when I hold him. Curls is extremely mellow and relax.

At this point I'm thinking of keeping Hercules and Curls together since their personalities seem like they get along REALLY well. Or do you advice to not break Piglet and

Piggies being related makes absolutely no difference to whether they will get on.
The rule is that you do not do anything to break a boars bond. If curls and piglet are getting on now then I would not separate them. Don’t make Hercules and curls a pair. Keep curls and piglet together and hercules will need to be kept separate and found a new friend to live with.

The first thing is that the chances of a trio boar living together is very slim. There are no tricks and hacks, and being honest (not necessarily what you want to hear), the chances of your three making it through their teenage phase with intact bonds is pretty much highly unlikely. If they were older and their personalities were more in line with each other then you could say it’s a slim possibility.

Your introducing Hercules to the original pair is what has lead to the fracture in their bond. I would strongly advise that you don’t introduce Hercules to them again. And living beside them may also cause further problems with the bond.

The re-establishing dominance is normal after they’ve had a stranger in their midst. And being dominant isn’t about size but character.

When you introduced Hercules to them, did you put him straight in their cage, or were they all outside their housing? If it’s the former then I would suggest you re-introduce Curls & Piglet on neutral territory - a pile of hay and some veg, no hides, and water. You’d also need to clean their cage thoroughly to get rid of any scents. But be aware that when you move them back to the cage, they would likely establish dominance there once again as well.

I don’t know what your setup is like but, if possible, I would put up some kind of barrier between their cages so the presence of Hercules doesn’t upset the bond between your paired boars.

You’ll then have to find a friend for Hercules. You can either get him a boar. Or wait till his testicles descend and get him neutered then find him a wife after the six week wait.

when you say piglet is feisty what do you mean? how is he behaving?, and how is curls behaving?

Please have a read of the threads below.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Bonds In Trouble

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics


Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Carla1231]

Can the three hangout during floor time or they can never be together?

Piggies being related makes absolutely no difference to whether they will get on.
The rule is that you do not do anything to break a boars bond. If curls and piglet are getting on now then I would not separate them. Don’t make Hercules and curls a pair. Keep curls and piglet together and hercules will need to be kept separate and found a new friend to live with.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Can the three hangout during floor time or they can never be together?

They can never be together. Guinea pigs don’t do play dates. Each time they meet is a bonding session which could ultimately destroy existing bonds as you have already seen. Don’t let them ever have contact with each other.

 

[Siikibam]

As @Piggies&buns said above, they can’t have ‘play dates’, it’s stressful for them and could completely break an established bond.

I would leave Curls & Piglet together and get another companion altogether for Hercules. Why do you want to break the bond between the two? Unfortunately Being from the same litter or related doesn’t make a good bond any more likely. It’s all about personality - like with us (humans) slaves.

Does Piglet behave like a subdominant piggy?

 

[Carla1231]

Guys!
I officially introduced them! It went extremely well! No fighting no bitting, no aggression just a bunch of circles and “humping”.


I introduced in my enclosed backyard, had plenty of food, towels handy just in case i has to break them off. They are sharing cages with a division when I'm not around or sleeping.


Thanks for the concerns.

Will keep everyone updated


I'm cleaning the main cage, ive placed them in piggy prison for a bit

 

[Piggies&buns]

ALWAYS have a plan b. That doesn’t necessarily mean a plan for a pair and a single, when attempting to keep three boars together there is a chance that you will end up with three single pigs who refuse to live together.

Be aware that bonding goes beyond the introduction stage and continues for a few weeks after the introduction. A key to success is A LOT of space, far beyond the normal recommended cage sizes. Lack of space will be one of the main causes of fall outs.

at their ages they are not yet into their hormonal teenage months - this starts at approx 4 months and continues through to approximately 14 months of age. Once hormones begin to spike there is absolutely no guarantee that this harmony will continue. The majority of boar trios or quartets will not make it to adulthood.
Also, separating them for nighttime/when you are not around, may in itself cause problems. Constant reintroduction and separation can raise the risk of fall outs, more so when dealing with teenage boars. They need to either be permanently together or permanently apart with no interruption in that.

I do hope it works out for you, it is very rare that it works, so if it does it is a very precious thing!

 

[Carla1231]

All of your advices are so great! Will definitely keep an eye and will definitely keep you guys updated

 

[Siikibam]

I agree with what @Piggies&buns has said. Please have a plan b worked out now in case of a fallout. Particularly when they hit the teenage phase as said (4 months). If I remember correctly is one of them three months old?

How large is the space they’re in? As much as you can give them is best. Also three of everything.

I can’t stress enough the fact you shouldn’t separate them at night. As already said, either they’re all together or they’re not. It can cause friction so please do leave them all together as you’ve decided that’s what you want to do.

 

[Stuart74]

The first thing is that the chances of a trio boar living together is very slim. There are no tricks and hacks, and being honest (not necessarily what you want to hear), the chances of your three making it through their teenage phase with intact bonds is pretty much highly unlikely. If they were older and their personalities were more in line with each other then you could say it’s a slim possibility.

Your introducing Hercules to the original pair is what has lead to the fracture in their bond. I would strongly advise that you don’t introduce Hercules to them again. And living beside them may also cause further problems with the bond.

The re-establishing dominance is normal after they’ve had a stranger in their midst. And being dominant isn’t about size but character.

When you introduced Hercules to them, did you put him straight in their cage, or were they all outside their housing? If it’s the former then I would suggest you re-introduce Curls & Piglet on neutral territory - a pile of hay and some veg, no hides, and water. You’d also need to clean their cage thoroughly to get rid of any scents. But be aware that when you move them back to the cage, they would likely establish dominance there once again as well.

I don’t know what your setup is like but, if possible, I would put up some kind of barrier between their cages so the presence of Hercules doesn’t upset the bond between your paired boars.

You’ll then have to find a friend for Hercules. You can either get him a boar. Or wait till his testicles descend and get him neutered then find him a wife after the six week wait.

when you say piglet is feisty what do you mean? how is he behaving?, and how is curls behaving?

Please have a read of the threads below.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Bonds In Trouble

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics


Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

I had 3 boars together for a little while and they was fine but i think it was because charlie was very young and the others over 2 years old

 

[Siikibam]

I had 3 boars together for a little while and they was fine but i think it was because charlie was very young and the others over 2 years old

Did the bond survive Charlie’s teenage months?

 

[Stuart74]

Did the bond survive Charlie’s teenage months?

Afraid not as ollie died but zach and charlie got on well during his teenage months

 

[Siikibam]

Sorry for your loss. Trio boars rarely work out, that’s why you don’t hear about many around. And they need even more space.