Introducing a 3rd Piggie

[DebA]

Hi

Advice needed please. We currently have 2 female guinea pigs which are now approaching 5years old. We are thinking of getting a third guinea pig, partly because we are worried if we lose one we don’t want one left on their own. Has anyone experience of introducing a third piggie with 2 older ones? I’m worried about upsetting their relationship & not sure if it will be a good idea?

 

[Siikibam]

I don’t have much experience with sows (only have a pair) but I’ve heard that three can be an awkward number for piggies as it means one can be left out. Have a read of the thread below. Someone more knowledgable will be along in the morning to answer you.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[DebA]

I don’t have much experience with sows (only have a pair) but I’ve heard that three can be an awkward number for piggies as it means one can be left out. Have a read of the thread below. Someone more knowledgable will be along in the morning to answer you.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Thank you - the attachment is very useful! Looks like it could be quite complicated & not necessarily work!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Advice needed please. We currently have 2 female guinea pigs which are now approaching 5years old. We are thinking of getting a third guinea pig, partly because we are worried if we lose one we don’t want one left on their own. Has anyone experience of introducing a third piggie with 2 older ones? I’m worried about upsetting their relationship & not sure if it will be a good idea?

Hi and welcome

Which country are you in?

Old ladies are not necessarily easy to bond in my own rather extensive experience; whether that is one or two girls or a neutered boar. While boars tend to mellow with age, sows rather go in the other direction.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

The best place would be a good standard rescue that offers a dating service. This means that you come home with a new companion (whether that is a sow or a neutered boar) only if acceptance has happened and you are not left with the big headache of what to do if goes all pear-shaped.
It also guarantees that you only adopt fully quarantined/vet cared piggies that are guaranteed not pregnant and that are properly sexed - and you have the rescue to fall back on if something is majorly going wrong during the life time of the adoptee. That is pretty much all the other pitfalls for the unwary out of the way for a little more effort.

Mutual liking comes long before age or gender and you can never predict that. If the top sow is very uptight and frightened of any new piggies, the tension will come down between your two bonded sows. In this case you need to abort asap in order to save the relationship.

PS: I have currently four sow pairs of varying ages that are bonding-resistant; at one point a couple of years I even had four bereaved single sows that would not go with any of the other or any others of my piggies. A fifth sow pair has thankfully accepted a bereaved neutered neighbour boar of theirs into their lives.
It took me about 10 months to sort out three of the widows (two of them would become good friends and a third would move in with her sister and her sister's young and gentle neutered'husboar'; the fourth (a spayed sow) ended up as a neighbour to two boars but wouldn't allow another piggy into her territory for the remainder of her life.

Mutual liking comes long before age or gender.

 

[DebA]

Hi and welcome

Which country are you in?

Old ladies are not necessarily easy to bond in my own rather extensive experience; whether that is one or two girls or a neutered boar. While boars tend to mellow with age, sows rather go in the other direction.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

The best place would be a good standard rescue that offers a dating service. This means that you come home with a new companion (whether that is a sow or a neutered boar) only if acceptance has happened and you are not left with the big headache of what to do if goes all pear-shaped.
It also guarantees that you only adopt fully quarantined/vet cared piggies that are guaranteed not pregnant and that are properly sexed - and you have the rescue to fall back on if something is majorly going wrong during the life time of the adoptee. That is pretty much all the other pitfalls for the unwary out of the way for a little more effort.
Mutual liking comes long before age or gender.

Hi thank you! I’m based in the UK. Yes I’m thinking it might not be such a good idea & may complicate a bond that is well established! Thanks for the advice!

 

[VickiA]

I think I’d definitely try dating at a rescue to see how your ladies react. Older ladies can be very choosy who they love with.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi thank you! I’m based in the UK. Yes I’m thinking it might not be such a good idea & may complicate a bond that is well established! Thanks for the advice!

Here is our list of recommended vetted good standard rescues that we can vouch for that you are in safe hands; most of them offer rescue dating: Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues

Please note that we cannot guarantee for any other places.

All you can do is try and see but without having to make any commitment; for that, rescue dating is the best way forward, whether that is before or after the death of one of your piggies. A good number of my piggies of all ages have found a new friend this way over the years; whether the new comapanion was a baby girl or two, a same aged lady, a neutered boar between 5 months or 5 years right up to a 7 years old lady who lived to see her 9th birthday...