Hello, so recently I bought what I thought was a male and since I already have a male and wanted him to have a friend. The New Guinea pig I bought was a female she got pregnant and then all 4 of the babies were females so I couldn’t keep any of them which broke my heart, and I cried when giving them to new homes. But now I still need a friend for my male piggy Dobby. I’ve been searching on kijiji and rescue sites but almost all of them come in pairs. I have enough experience with Guinea pigs to take care of 3 of them. But I’m not sure if they would get along. I briefly introduced dobbys babies to him and he wasn’t mean at all and kind of left them alone after 5 minutes of sniffing, he’s never been mean and I think he’s pretty lonely now since I’ve sold all the females. I have the option to buy 2 more adult bonded pigs, just buy one adult pig or buy 1 or 2 baby boars. But if I buy two babies and they go though puberty together the chances of them fighting are higher, correct? My piggy seems very independent and when I didn’t realize my female piggy was female he left her alone and didn’t want to be near her all that much but they never fought, if anything she nipped him a few times. I just don’t want to buy 1 piggy for him to ignore and not play/interact with. And my cage is a 2x3 with added 2 cubes to make an L shape and re-adding my loft. I have enough cnc grid to make it larger if needed which is what I think I’ll do just to give them more space. Let me know if housing 3 piggies two of which are bonded is a bad idea.
Introducing 2 bonded pigs + my lonely piggy? Yay or nay
- Thread starter Mkuyper
- Start date
Boars can only ever be kept in pairs, so you will need to find a compatible single boar to try to bond him with; or neuter him and find a sow for him.
(I’m afraid you cannot keep three boars together as they find it very hard to form a functioning hierarchy in a boar trio - most boar trios fail and end in fights and separated piggies (to try It would require a lot of bravery, a cage larger than a 6x3 c&c plus a plan that, as trying to keep three boars has the potential to fail all round, that you have three separate cages for three single piggies who refuse to live together ))
The easiest immediate option (if you don’t want to neuter) would be to try a younger single boar as most babies are accepted by single boar but you do need to be aware that once that baby hits his teens from 16 weeks of age, it is only then that you will know whether they are going to be compatible for the long term - you would need to have the plan to separate them if things failed at that point.
Your cage seems to be effectively a 2x4. Its recommended two boars live in a 2x5, as a boar pair do require more space. A 2x4 would be considered the minimum size and may not be appropriate for all boar pairs (my own boar pair originally had the equivalent of a 2x4 and it was very obvious it was too small for them)
A neutered boar and one sow will need a 2x4.
Lofts do not count towards the cage size and don’t create extra space.
Two piggies must have character compatibility to be able to form a bond so if you buy another piggy then there is always going to be the risk that they will not bond and will then need to live in separate but side by side cages.
I know rescues in Canada are difficult to come by but having the help of a centre is the safest way to ensure two piggies are compatible. Otherwise, your plan b is that you need two separate cages so they can interact through the bars only.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Cage Size Guide
(I’m afraid you cannot keep three boars together as they find it very hard to form a functioning hierarchy in a boar trio - most boar trios fail and end in fights and separated piggies (to try It would require a lot of bravery, a cage larger than a 6x3 c&c plus a plan that, as trying to keep three boars has the potential to fail all round, that you have three separate cages for three single piggies who refuse to live together ))
The easiest immediate option (if you don’t want to neuter) would be to try a younger single boar as most babies are accepted by single boar but you do need to be aware that once that baby hits his teens from 16 weeks of age, it is only then that you will know whether they are going to be compatible for the long term - you would need to have the plan to separate them if things failed at that point.
Your cage seems to be effectively a 2x4. Its recommended two boars live in a 2x5, as a boar pair do require more space. A 2x4 would be considered the minimum size and may not be appropriate for all boar pairs (my own boar pair originally had the equivalent of a 2x4 and it was very obvious it was too small for them)
A neutered boar and one sow will need a 2x4.
Lofts do not count towards the cage size and don’t create extra space.
Two piggies must have character compatibility to be able to form a bond so if you buy another piggy then there is always going to be the risk that they will not bond and will then need to live in separate but side by side cages.
I know rescues in Canada are difficult to come by but having the help of a centre is the safest way to ensure two piggies are compatible. Otherwise, your plan b is that you need two separate cages so they can interact through the bars only.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Cage Size Guide
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