How many pigs of which genders?

[GuineaDigs]

Hi All!

I have a 5x2 C&C cage, I don't want it to smell too much as it's in my living room, but i want my pigs to be the happiest pigs!

I'm stuck on one boy two girls (neutered of course), three girls, or two of any gender pairing.

Which genders are chattiest? Would two boys be smellier than 3 girls?

Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hi All!

I have a 5x2 C&C cage, I don't want it to smell too much as it's in my living room, but i want my pigs to be the happiest pigs!

I'm stuck on one boy two girls (neutered of course), three girls, or two of any gender pairing.

Which genders are chattiest? Would two boys be smellier than 3 girls?

Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks

Hi and welcome

Do you have a good standard rescue within your reach you can adopt an already bonded pair or trio from?

Any of these combinations works with the right personality match - and herein lies the crux: it is less important what you ultimately opt for but whether the piggies gel. Let the rescue choose your piggies for you; they know what to look out for, so you'll get the greatest enjoyment out of your piggies. A happy bond and balanced personalities are so much more important than gender, age or looks. A good rescue will also be prepared to bond a trio for you, so you can bring them home without worries of a husboar not being accepted by the sows. Sow trios are generally fairly rare in rescue; boar pairs are more common.

You have to get used to some smell whatever the combination. Younger boars are generally smellier, but they are also generally more vocal (but that is very personality dependent) and more playful than girls, so you'll never get it all. Each gender has their great points and their own problems.
When you opt for a mixed gender trio, you have to be sure that the sows are good friends; otherwise you'll end up with an outsider problem as the boar will side with one of the sows in the longer term. The same goes for a sow trio.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

The rescues in our links have all been carefully vetted to make sure that any members and guinea pigs are in safe hands at all stages of the process and that welfare recommendations, good practice and ethics are observed. You will adopt only fuly quarantined, properly sexed and carefully matched piggies that are fully healthy at the time of the adoption and do not come with any nasty surprises. That is a lot more service than you'll get anywhere else.
Recommended UK rescues: Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
Recommended rescues in several other countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

 

[Swissgreys]

My girls have always been my loudest pigs.
I find having a pair (currently male/female) in a 5 x 2 works well, gives everyone plently of space, and comfortably goes a week betwwen a full cleanout (with daily spot cleaning and poo patrol).
Our cage is also in our living room.

At the end of the day it really depends on the individual pigs to be honest.
I often have an idea of the pigs I want, but really they tend to choose you.

 

[GuineaDigs]

Hi and welcome

Do you have a good standard rescue within your reach you can adopt an already bonded pair or trio from?

Any of these combinations works with the right personality match - and herein lies the crux: it is less important what you ultimately opt for but whether the piggies gel. Let the rescue choose your piggies for you; they know what to look out for, so you'll get the greatest enjoyment out of your piggies. A happy bond and balanced personalities are so much more important than gender, age or looks. A good rescue will also be prepared to bond a trio for you, so you can bring them home without worries of a husboar not being accepted by the sows. Sow trios are generally fairly rare in rescue; boars are more common.

You have to get used to some smell whatever the combination. Younger boars are generally smellier, but they are also generally more vocal (but that is very personality dependent) and more playful than girls, so you'll never get it all. Each gender has their great points and their own problems.
When you opt for a mixed gender trio, you have to be sure that the sows are good friends; otherwise you'll end up with an outsider problem as the boar will side with one of the sows in the longer term. The same goes for a sow trio.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

The rescues in our links have all been carefully vetted to make sure that any members and guinea pigs are in safe hands at all stages of the process and that welfare recommendations, good practice and ethics are observed. You will adopt only fuly quarantined, properly sexed and carefully matched piggies that are fully healthy at the time of the adoption and do not come with any nasty surprises. That is a lot more service than you'll get anywhere else.
Recommended UK rescues: Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
Recommended rescues in several other countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

Thanks this is really useful! If I do decide on a trio i'll see about getting a pair of girls first and then finding a husboar later on... unless all three pop up in one of my rescues!

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks this is really useful! If I do decide on a trio i'll see about getting a pair of girls first and then finding a husboar later on... unless all three pop up in one of my rescues!

If your rescue has a lovely pair of personable boars with a great personality, I would frankly opt for them anytime! You get a lot more fun out of them.
Keep in mind that you also get boar stink anytime sows come into a strong season. In any way, you'll get used to it. There is no furry pet (including skinny guinea pigs) that does not smell. Daily spot cleans and poo patrol as well as twice weekly cage cleans will keep the smell down. If you opt for boars past the teenage hormones, you can neatly avoid the stinkiest and trickiest bit.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I used to have my trio of girls (a rare rescue trio) in a 5x2 and it doesn’t seem big for very long! They’re now in a 7x2. I think you’ll want a bigger cage after a while if you go for three!

 

[GuineaDigs]

I used to have my trio of girls (a rare rescue trio) in a 5x2 and it doesn’t seem big for very long! They’re now in a 7x2. I think you’ll want a bigger cage after a while if you go for three!

Wow that's big perhaps i'll stick with two then, maybe they'll charm my partner enough i'll get permission for an extention

 

[GuineaDigs]

If your rescue has a lovely pair of personable boars with a great personality, I would frankly opt for them anytime! You get a lot more fun out of them.
Keep in mind that you also get boar stink anytime sows come into a strong season. In any way, you'll get used to it. There is no furry pet (including skinny guinea pigs) that does not smell. Daily spot cleans and poo patrol as well as twice weekly cage cleans will keep the smell down. If you opt for boars past the teenage hormones, you can neatly avoid the stinkiest and trickiest bit.

Yes i'm really tempted by the boars as there are so many and supposedly they're really personable! Just nervous about smell and of course there's no chance of extending to a little herd how old would you say the hormones start to wear off?

 

[Wiebke]

Yes i'm really tempted by the boars as there are so many and supposedly they're really personable! Just nervous about smell and of course there's no chance of extending to a little herd how old would you say the hormones start to wear off?

2-3 years is a good age to start with boars - they still have a few years to live but are out of the big testosterone high.
It is also still a good age to have your boys neutered at your convenience if you want to extend the herd at some point and branch out into sows when one of the boys has passed away. Neutered boars are not quite as whiffy as full boars. However the neutered boars you find in a rescue (unless it is the RSPCA or the Blue Cross with a mandatory boar neutering policy) are usually the fallen-out or single boys that have been found hard to bond with another boar and that are therefore looking for sows.

If you really have an issue about smell, why don't you ask whether you can visit the rescue and meet some of their adoptable piggies to see whether there are some you just click with and whether you are OK with the smell.