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can you have a herd with two boys?

asha

asha

New Born Pup
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Hobart, Tasmania
Hi I currently have two guinea pig boys. They are 4 month old brothers and get on fairly well. I have recently been thinking about possibly expanding to a herd of possibly four or so guinea pigs but it might be a lost cause as i've heard two boys is difficult to build a group around. I'm really not fussed with gender but i've heard adding more boys will cause them to fight with each other but adding girls will cause the boys to fight over the girls even if they are neutered. I have loads of space outside so that shouldn't be a problem although in winter I do have to bring them inside as it gets too cold for them and their indoor cage isn't as spacious (a bit bigger than 1 meter by 1 meter) and I do not have space for a larger cage or any more additional cages indoors. Given my circumstances would having a herd be possible?
 
No I am afraid it isn’t possible. You cannot add any more piggies to a pair of boys. The boys need to be left as they are. If you attempt it, there will be fights and potentially ruin the bond between your original pair in the process, resulting in four single piggies all needing new friends to live with. If you want more piggies you need to start off a new group to be kept separately. Even adding girls into the same room as your boys can also cause the boys to fight.

Your boys are coming into their teenage months now so you can also now expect to see some dominance behaviours ramping up between your two boys between 4 and 14 months of age, with periods of hormones spikes in that as well.
 
the rule for harmony is two boys only, sorry x
Adding any more of either sex will cause severe fighting and pregnancies
It will also break up your original pair
You would have to split your boys and neuter and separate, then add female companions for each Male
 
asha said:
Hi I currently have two guinea pig boys. They are 4 month old brothers and get on fairly well. I have recently been thinking about possibly expanding to a herd of possibly four or so guinea pigs but it might be a lost cause as i've heard two boys is difficult to build a group around. I'm really not fussed with gender but i've heard adding more boys will cause them to fight with each other but adding girls will cause the boys to fight over the girls even if they are neutered. I have loads of space outside so that shouldn't be a problem although in winter I do have to bring them inside as it gets too cold for them and their indoor cage isn't as spacious (a bit bigger than 1 meter by 1 meter) and I do not have space for a larger cage or any more additional cages indoors. Given my circumstances would having a herd be possible?
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Hi, if your indoor cage is just over 1 x 1 meter then that's only enough space for 2, plus as others have said a herd can only have 1 boar... enjoy your boys as a pair, rather than risk disrupting their friendship!
 
thanks everyone for the advice I really appreciate it!
the boys seem happy as they are so i'm happy to leave them that way
if i ever do decide to get more in the future would anyone know if having another cage next to them would be okay? i'm scared it might freak them out
thanks again!
 
Yes having a second cage with a pair of boys next to them would be ok.
Just don’t put a pair of females even in the same room as the boys as that will cause fights between the boys.
 
You’ve had some great advise. Another option is stacking cages, though I’m not encouraging you to get more piggies 😁

Just be aware that they’re starting their teenage months. The important thing is character matching. If it doesn’t match, being brothers wont make a difference. Fingers crossed they get through it fine. Have two of everything and all hides with two exits.
 
thanks for letting me know! they're nearing 6 months now and still getting on great so i'm not too worried about it, they've got lots of space so they just sort of chase each other around, they don't really fight. You can tell they miss each other if i separate them even for a second. its likely i won't get more for a while as i'm starting college and two already take up enough time. just curious as to why you can't keep females in the same room even if they can't see each other, is it the noises they make or?
thanks for everyones advice anyway, percy and mory are my first ever pigs so i really appreciate the help.
 
It’s the female pheromones. If they haven’t grown up around sows, then their scent could be enough to trigger a battle between the boys. Even if they’re not in the same cage, they can fight over the girls.

I have a pot of sows and boars as well. I keep the boars above the sows, and always deal with the boys first before the girls. When they first arrived, I put them in another area to the boys.

As you’re going to college I wouldn’t get any more as you said. Hopefully you still have enough time for your two.
 
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