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In theory....

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Gems

Gems

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... how much space would 5 piggies need? I have 3 sows at the moment but fell in love with another neutered boar and sow pairing who have been waiting for a home since November.

We have just introduced the two sows to Athena and so far things are going ok. If we were to adopt this other pair do you think they could go in with the girls or would it be too much stress for Athena having 4 new room mates? The only way we could adopt them was if they went in with the other piggies as we don't really have the space to make another cage. We could extend our cage to make it 5x3 with an upper level of 1x5 but I'm not sure whether this would be big enough or not? Also have to try to twist the OH's arm about it all! He keeps saying if I had my choice I'd have a house full of them rolleyes

I just felt so sorry for them :(
 
(I am assuming we are talking grids) 4 x 2 is usually recommended for 2 then 5 x 2 for 3, You would be getting a further 5 grids of space so I *think* that would be okay (that doesn't include the upstairs either)

I don't know - guineas like big groups and it might work out quite nicely.

With proper introductions of course
 
5x3 is (according to guineapigcages) 157x91 cm. It's got the legal requirement for 8 pigs according to Swedish law (which is obviously of no use to you...) but legal requirements are usually on the smaller side.

I'm not sure. If it's a group of older pigs who are not very active then it might work fine. I think it also depends on how much floor space is taken up by pigloos, ramps etc.

I keep my three in an open pen a bit bigger than that and they poop it up pretty quickly. If you had 5 in a pen that size you'd have to clean twice a day, I think.

But I understand your thinking... I totally do :) They have been waiting for so long. What kind of piggies are they? Do you think they would work well with Athena and her new friends?
 
Well Athena is 3, not 100% sure of Rizzo and Sandys age but Layla said somewhere between 18 - 24 months. The two at the rescue are called Sam and Sookie and are about 1 year old so still quite young. I guess I know that we haven't really got the space, I just really wanted to give these two a loving, permanant home :(
 
I have 5 piggies, 1 boar and 4 sows. I have them in a 2x7 which is the minimum according to the Guinea Cages website. I wouldn't have it any smaller. It's much better to go wider than longer anyway.

I think the main question is if you are compromising the quality of housing for your current pigs, if not go for it. There's always the problem if they don't get on too.

I am a big fan of groups 4+ they interact much better with eachother, stops sows bickering, provides a very natural hierachy and is wonderful to watch.

Good luck! :))
 
Gems said:
Well Athena is 3, not 100% sure of Rizzo and Sandys age but Layla said somewhere between 18 - 24 months. The two at the rescue are called Sam and Sookie and are about 1 year old so still quite young. I guess I know that we haven't really got the space, I just really wanted to give these two a loving, permanant home :(
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Could you give 5 x 2 upstairs instead of 5 x 1?

That would work better and you would definitely be able to take them in then.
 
hanna101 said:
I have 5 piggies, 1 boar and 4 sows. I have them in a 2x7 which is the minimum according to the Guinea Cages website. I wouldn't have it any smaller. It's much better to go wider than longer anyway.

I think the main question is if you are compromising the quality of housing for your current pigs, if not go for it. There's always the problem if they don't get on too.

I am a big fan of groups 4+ they interact much better with eachother, stops sows bickering, provides a very natural hierachy and is wonderful to watch.

Good luck! :))
Click to expand...

Isn't 5 x 3 a touch bigger than a 7 x 2? (Don't you multiply the numbers?)
 
Yeah to work out the square feet you multiply the numbers.

We were thinking about doing a kind of 1x5 run along the top that would lead into a square that was 3x2 if that makes sense?

I'm now trying to persuade the OH that we really need the new conservatory sooner rather than later so we can shift the dining table in there to free up the dining room.... don't think I'm going to win that argument! He said it was too expensive so I came up with the solution of a guinea pig shed to keep them in, after all it is the cheaper alternative!
 
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