Groups vs Pairs

Sophie B

Sophie B

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I wasn’t sure where to post this, but I think this is the right place... I have two guinea pigs and everyone (in my family) is madly in love with them, so we’re considering making our shed suitable for a group of piggies, I of course am very excited at the prospect, so I was wondering if I could get the pros and cons or groups vs pairs (behaviour, costs that sort of stuff) I would also really appreciate tips on keeping guinea pigs happy in general. Thanks ❤️
 
Oh no your gonna put them in the shed & neglect them :mal:
Do you get the feeling that I'm against homing outside, lol.
We have ours in the living room & pass them constantly to get to the kitchen we have strokes, chatter away, I feel we are one big family.
If you do put them in a shed ( don't do it.) ( Noooooooooooo) you will have to wire electricity up for a heater, fan or aircon, & light. I would assume if you have open windows in the summer you would have to put, very securely chicken wire or something stronger to stop foxes getting in. If you have a lot of piggies could you afford the vet. You see some people on here spending £800+ Just some things to think about. I've had groups & pairs, I only had 2 failures, normally if I put a young one in there its no problem
 
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We would be sure to make it would be very comfortable for them, we just don’t have enough space indoors 😔
 
We do really love guinea pigs and would never neglect them
 
It's OK I'm only joking. We all have different ideas, price all the things you will need. Maybe put up for people that have there piggies in sheds. The only person I can think of is sportbilly, bosshog, tim. There are several girls who keep them outside, my minds gone blank, which is not unusual. Lol
 
My Dad would be able to put lights in to make the windows very secure (we have three cats and there are lots of cats around where I live) and to make sure the temperature is perfect for them 😊
 
Weld mesh over the windows is good. Its what we have in our insulated and heated (oil fired radiator) rabbit shed.

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I have a small herd (six) of guinea pigs indoors. The main downside of a herd is the amount of poo/wee and therefore bedding to deal with.

The main upside is the huuge amount of cuteness.
 
I find herds much more rewarding to keep, I recently added 3 babies into a group and they skipped the most of the hiding, running away, may as well not have guinea pigs in the cage phase, they copied the established adults and have been very confident and settled since arriving. Theres a wider range of behaviours, which I expect is more interesting for them as theyre evolved to live in herds, as well as being more interesting for their humans to watch! It's really nice watching them pick their own friends and watching the dynamics change etc. Having a herd also means buying in bulk, which can actually work out much cheaper!

Cons is an increase in waste, youll have less room in your fridge with all the extra veggies, have to take more trips to buy veg, or youll need to invest in a separate fridge just for the pigs. It will also be more difficult to find who's doing the suspicious poo/wee. Monitoring weight becomes more important to ensure everyones getting their fair share. If illness does strike, there is the risk of it going through the herd, which will be more expensive to treat. Always keep vets bills in mind when creating a herd, should everyone get sick, can you reasonably treat all of them.

At the moment I have a herd of 7, 2 female pairs and a solo boar who lives beside the herd, the only reason I have the 2 pairs is because they can't be integrated into the herd for various reasons. Ultimately though, herds are what I will be sticking with going forward, I just find them so much more engaging and rewarding!
 
I agree with @Eriathwen, herds are more fun! I have two mini herds (a neutered boar and 3 sows and a neutered boar and 2 sows). They share grass time and get along all together then for the most part because I have a big run. I love watching them interact and seeing their different personalities come out. Just make sure they are all getting along and no one is being bullied.
 
I’m just interested to follow your plans, if and as, they progress to see how it turns out for you! I love seeing pictures of herds!

(I have a boar pair who live in my shed (oh, sorry boys...it’s not my shed, it’s their man shed!). I am seriously considering having another (separate) pair and while there is physically enough space in the shed for another hutch, I am so worried about upsetting the boys relationship by having another pair living in close proximity (I’ve ruled out getting a pair of sows, so I’m pondering getting another boar pair but still not sure if it would work))
 
Thanks to everyone who’s replied 😁❤️😊 I really appreciate it
 
I know it’s a bit late but I’m wondering about boar groups, I would be too concerned to get my boys neutered (Smudge’s sudden passing has left me in quite a shock) so I really just have to hope boars would get along or those are my plans out the window... 😬😁
 
You can't have more than 2 boars together or they will fight. I think someone (can't remember who) has a trio of boars but that is very unusual.
 
Betsy said:
You can't have more than 2 boars together or they will fight. I think someone (can't remember who) has a trio of boars but that is very unusual.
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That'll be me with the boar trio. I also have a pair of boars, and they are a much calmer affair. The trio constantly bicker, but I've so far managed to avoid a major fall out, although I keep a spare cage just in case. They are currently in a 5x3 c+c with a loft, and they have lots of places to sleep separately. I do think that if Little Dude wasn't there, Chicco and Groucho would try to murder each other as they always square up when they come face to face, but the Dude is so laid back, and friends with them both, so they just keep out of each other's way.
 
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Sophie Blane said:
I know it’s a bit late but I’m wondering about boar groups, I would be too concerned to get my boys neutered (Smudge’s sudden passing has left me in quite a shock) so I really just have to hope boars would get along or those are my plans out the window... 😬😁
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Boar groups are a recipe for disaster. You can only keep two boars together, anymore than that and they will fight (as you can see the is the odd exception but it is very rare and really not worth risking the current relationship of your boys)
Even if you were to get your boys neutered, a group still wouldn’t work because you can only keep one boar to a group of sows.
If you want more piggies then you are in the same situation as me, considering keeping a second and completely separate pair of boars.
 
Oh no! I may be able to see if there is an adoption centre near me so I would possibly be able to adopt a neutered boar and some sows... I did buy my guinea pigs from Pets at Home as I had no clue adoption centres for guinea pigs even existed. I am a bit confused about the one boar to a groups of sows because I have seen on YouTube people keeping mixed groups. (1 boar 5 sows, 2 boars 4 sows, you get the idea) Obviously if I did get a group I would keep my pair indoors and seperate. Does anybody know how I can find an adoption centre?
 
Piggies&buns said:
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Boar groups are a recipe for disaster. You can only keep two boars together, anymore than that and they will fight (as you can see the is the odd exception but it is very rare and really not worth risking the current relationship of your boys)
Even if you were to get your boys neutered, a group still wouldn’t work because you can only keep one boar to a group of sows.
If you want more piggies then you are in the same situation as me, considering keeping a second and completely separate pair of boars.
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Boar groups can work. In Switzerland where I live it’s very common to have boar groups. Most of them got neutered in the first four weeks. But those groups need at least 1 square meter per guinea pig and much experience.
 
@Wiebke can help you here.
I imagine those multiple boars and sow groups have a lot of space and very experienced owners but more importantly the right characters for it to work. Adding two or more boars to a group of sows can cause the boars to fight over the girls.
Neutering doesn’t change their behaviour, it only prevents pregnancy. The risks are the same as with any surgery, anaesthetic complications, post op complications and infections. An experienced guinea pig vet can help minimise the risks though.
 
I don't think there are any adoption centres near me but if there was I might be able to adopt a neutered boar and some sows... Do you know if Pets at Home have neutered boars in the adoption section?
 
Does anybody know if the Pets at Home adoption bit may have a neutered boar?
I could keep my indoor pair and have an outdoor herd.
 
Oh seriously! That bit wasn't showing but decides to make a grand entrance just after I post that again!
 
I guess each adoption section at pets at home will be different and it will just be a case of waiting to see what they have at any given time. I guess if all just comes down to timing, but whenever I’ve been in my local pets at Home for supplies, I only recall having seen same sex already bonded pairs.
 
I guess it just depends on where you are and when... I'm just about to enter the photo competition with my posing piggies... Wish me luck :D :btt:
I'll just ahve to wait and see how it all turns out.
 
The early neutering in Switzerland means that the boars don't go through their normal process hormonally, so are ok living with others. Vets in the UK will not neuter as young as this though.
 
I just noticed you're in Scotland. Ayr's Guinea Pig Rescue is great, and they always have loads of boys....don't know if they have any neutered ones at the minute though. You could contact them.
 
I’m afraid I’m too far from there, it’s about 2 hours from me, would have to be a last resort. 👌🏻
 
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