Help - potential new girl

[Batgirl]

I currently have two boars living together indoors in a hutch and connected run.

My friend has asked me if I would like to take on her little sister's pig as well, seemingly the kid is 'bored' of the guinea pig. (Christmas present - typical).

My problem is that this pig is a girl, and although she would most definitely be kept in a different pen, would she be ok being kept in the same room as the boys? I've read that her scent could make my boys fight, and that's the last thing I want, they get on so well!

 

[thesqueakers]

It's a tough one as it really depends on the character of the pigs involved.

We have seven in one room - 2 boys, 3 girls and another 2 new smaller girls. Our boys (around a year old and the biggest of our pigs) are housed next to the 3 girls and love trying to peek in to see what's happening. Sometimes the girls climb up their C+C too to try and look in. The girls are no trouble in this situation, and our boys are fine too. Occasionally they'll get a bit rumbly and get a bit aroused! Again, nothing unusual there!

When we added our 2 new girls (different cage, other side of the room from our other 5) it really seemed to change our boys. The dominant one (moon-pig) was continually chasing the submissive one (Sunny), jumping on him, trying to hump him. Very sad. We had to properly clean the boys out and shampoo them also and then it's been fine ever since. I think the addition of yet more girls that they did not know may have tipped the balance.

Like yours, ours get on really well. I would not want anything to upset them. I was really interested in what happened - i'd underestimated them. I presumed that after they'd got used to one lot of girls then any more we added would be accepted without any trouble. But they sensed (and smelled) the new girls and it set them off. They're back to their good old selves now, and moonie has his own special corner of the C+C where he can see both girl's cages! He likes that as he's the boss.

If you do decide to do it, your boys will be lively for the first 48 hours or so, I'm sure of that. I would just keep an eye on them and make sure that there's no bullying or fighting going on. Ours are quite chilled out boys so they're not that bothered. In fact, i know they love being so close to the girls. But just be cautious at the beginning and hopefully it'll be fine.

 

[Batgirl]

Thanks, that's really great advice.

I hate seeing this wee pig being practically ignored day in and day out, so my current plan is to bring her into the house sometime this week, give her around a week to settle in, and then let the boys walk around her cage to see how they react. If it goes well, hopefully I can move her up into the guinea pig room, if not, my brother is really interested in a pig of his own (he loves ours, and since I moved out he has his own sitting room he could keep her, and possibly others, in!).

Either way, I'll let you know how it goes, I'm being a bit selfish by wanting her to myself before offering her to my brother, but she is gorgeous, and needs a new home, but I don't want to disrupt my boys!

 

[nutmeg]

I have 3 girls and 8 boys in the room together at the moment, it is a very big room, I suppose but the girls are right next to the boys, and they all chat happily together. I always clean out the boys first, and handle the boys first cos if they get too much of a whiff of the girls it makes they a bit frisky, but never any problems, they all get along well. xx