Introducing a third male guinea pig?

[Adamandralph]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster here.


I took on a guinea pig last year when house sitting for someone who kept him in bad conditions (due to lack of knowledge, not on purpose), his partner had recently died, so I adopted a second male guinea pig and introduced them eventually and all went well. They occasionally rumble strut and squeak at each other but never fight, although Adam (1st piggy) is blind, so is slightly more vulnerable, can’t use ramps, not interested in tunnels and is very old, so can’t run around and play. Ralph (2nd) is very sociable and playful and I’ve always felt like he doesn’t get enough interaction from Adam.


I was wondering how risky is would adding a third guinea pig be? My cage is 180 x 90 cm with a 90 x 60 loft.


I was in pets at home looking in the adoption center and there is a single male guinea pig who’s been in the shop a while. He walked right up the the glass and squeaked at me yesterday and now I feel like I need to take him home with me and give him a happy life !


So it it possible or not worth the risk ?

 

[Veggies Galore]

It's not worth the risk

 

[xToNix]

I got a third boar for the same reason that my older boar didn’t seem interested in playing with the other and it did backfire on me. It rarely works out. What type of cage do you have? Is it possible that you could get him and they could interact between the bars for now until the time comes that one of them ends up on their own? I don’t know what others people’s thoughts are on this but maybe the two of them could have floor time together just not be in the same cage just yet? It’s probably selfish reasons but it’s hard to get them out of your head once you’ve seen them, especially if he squeaked at you!

 

[Reenie]

Boar trios very seldom work, so I wouldn't do it unless you're willing to risk upsetting the bond your current pair have. Potentially you could have 3 piggies who won't live together. And welcome to the forum! There's some threads about bonding etc. in the forum tab at the top of the page.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster here.


I took on a guinea pig last year when house sitting for someone who kept him in bad conditions (due to lack of knowledge, not on purpose), his partner had recently died, so I adopted a second male guinea pig and introduced them eventually and all went well. They occasionally rumble strut and squeak at each other but never fight, although Adam (1st piggy) is blind, so is slightly more vulnerable, can’t use ramps, not interested in tunnels and is very old, so can’t run around and play. Ralph (2nd) is very sociable and playful and I’ve always felt like he doesn’t get enough interaction from Adam.


I was wondering how risky is would adding a third guinea pig be? My cage is 180 x 90 cm with a 90 x 60 loft.


I was in pets at home looking in the adoption center and there is a single male guinea pig who’s been in the shop a while. He walked right up the the glass and squeaked at me yesterday and now I feel like I need to take him home with me and give him a happy life !


So it it possible or not worth the risk ?

Hi!

Adding a third boar sadly rarely works unless all three piggies are on the laid back side; at the worst you can end up with three singles or with any tension resulting in a fall-out of your existing pair. We have seen it all on here! Rather consider creating a second pair.
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.

 

[VickiA]

Best advice is don’t do it!

 

[Adamandralph]

Hi everyone, thanks for the advice. I didnt realise I could upset the bond between my current two by adding a third, so I’m definitely not going to risk it. Poor baby still in the shop
I’ve always thought about when Adam passes away I should get Ralph neutered and adopt a pair of girls. Not sure if I want to go through the risks of surgery yet though. But that’s probably a question for a different thread!

Thanks guys