Bonding to make a trio

[Angelina_97866]

Hi, I have just adopted a pair of sows and am hoping that I can introduce a younger sow to form a trio. Obviously I have to wait a couple of weeks or more for them to settle in and trust us, but would it work trying to do this?
The pair I have are 1 years old.
(Photo from previous owner)

 

[Roselina]

Ah lovely girls ……I only have boys so I can’t advise but someone with more experience will be along to advise ….I know boar trios are a NO NO NO

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s not possible for us to answer definitively - adding a sow to an existing pair works sometimes, but other times it fails.
The best way to add another piggy is with the help of dating at a rescue centre, so your girls can choose their own new friend and you can be assured of acceptance and compatibility.
It can more successful to add a neutered boar instead of another sow.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I have just adopted a pair of sows and am hoping that I can introduce a younger sow to form a trio. Obviously I have to wait a couple of weeks or more for them to settle in and trust us, but would it work trying to do this?
The pair I have are 1 years old.
(Photo from previous owner)

Hi and welcome

There is never a full guarantee for acceptance but if you can date your girls for a sow or a neutered boar at a rescue, then you can massively up your chances. A neutered boar does not affect an exiting sow hierarchy, so he is a natural outsider as long as your two girls are good friends; it is the most stable of trio constellations and follows most closely their social wiring and instincts. If you can get one and he is accepted, then it is always worth trying.
I have just lost an old sow in a trio (who are now a well bonded pair) but I still have another four 'husboar' and two wives trios at the moment plus one working sow trio.

The problem with a trio is that the risk of an outsider issue of some sort is greatest. I've certainly had my fair share of those over the years. If there is a rift in a trio, then you will eventually end up with a 2+1 scenario of some sort, including a mixed trio since the boar will side with one of the sows if he is pushed enough. The same goes with three of the same gender.

Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed) (what goes for mixed pairs also applies to a 2 sows + 'husboar' set-up)

 

[Sweet Potato]

Ah lovely girls ……I only have boys so I can’t advise but someone with more experience will be along to advise ….I know boar trios are a NO NO NO

I did the same as you read the headline and my heart sank there's been a lot of boar trio drama recently it's nice to see it's sows for a change. Again I'm a boar mama so I'm no use here.