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Should I Get A Third?

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katie19

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i currently have two girls who are fairly well bonded. i stumbled upon a rescue near my house and i would like to look into getting another, but i'd have to persuade my parents. their cage is plently big and i clean it once a week, cleaning their hay bin every other day. it stays plenty clean. they are fed 3/4 cup of standard pellets a day with two cups of veggies. they have tons of hay. what kind of cost and smell increase can i expect with another guinea pig? if possible, please be specific on what things will cost more. thanks so much!
 
i currently have two girls who are fairly well bonded. i stumbled upon a rescue near my house and i would like to look into getting another, but i'd have to persuade my parents. their cage is plently big and i clean it once a week, cleaning their hay bin every other day. it stays plenty clean. they are fed 3/4 cup of standard pellets a day with two cups of veggies. they have tons of hay. what kind of cost and smell increase can i expect with another guinea pig? if possible, please be specific on what things will cost more. thanks so much!
You could get a third guinea pig but my costs for my three are significantly increased in some areas well basically just pellets and veg and fruit. I feed my pigs 3/8th cup of nuggets a day, 3 cups veg and fruit a day and the same amount of hay as before as they have a huge area full of hay :)
 
i currently have two girls who are fairly well bonded. i stumbled upon a rescue near my house and i would like to look into getting another, but i'd have to persuade my parents. their cage is plently big and i clean it once a week, cleaning their hay bin every other day. it stays plenty clean. they are fed 3/4 cup of standard pellets a day with two cups of veggies. they have tons of hay. what kind of cost and smell increase can i expect with another guinea pig? if possible, please be specific on what things will cost more. thanks so much!
I think it is best 2 or 4 there is so much trouble with threes. You get 2 playing & the third is left out. It could cause a lot of friction between them.
 
Well, it could work out beautifully, but it may not. Cost aside, even though sows will usually accept other sows it's not always so. It s possible that you end up in the situation of having to return the new one, so I would check that the rescue near to you does 'dating', where they oversee the introduction and the piggies get the chance to get to know each other, and accept each other, before you take your new one home.
It's great that you are considering a rescue, but be aware that not all rescues are equal. There's been cases of people getting poorly or pregnant pigs. Not from the rescues recommended on the forum I may add. Many rescues are really good, but not all.

One extra pig brings their poop and wee output to half again, and that can have quite an impact on how often you need to clean them out. Are you happy with cleaning them more than once a week and replenishing their hay bin every day instead of every two days?.

Now by plenty big, how big? If you don't mind me asking. One person's big can be another person's small, and it's all perspective. The recommended size for three pigs is at least 5ft.

That aside the general upkeep costs shouldn't increase much. There will be an increase in bedding used, and veggies. If your pair have any beds or hidies you may need to buy another one for your new piggy.
The real shockers when it comes to cost is vets fees. You may have been fortunate in that your pair perhaps have never needed to see a vet, but a great many of our pigs do during their lifetimes, and each piggy you have increases that chance. Vets fees can run into hundreds of £, and if you are not earning your own money yet then really it's your parents who need to be prepared for dealing with that.

It's a lovely idea, taking on another piggy, and believe me there are many needing homes, but there's plenty to consider before going ahead. We'd be happy to support you with advice though :)
 
I think it is best 2 or 4 there is so much trouble with threes. You get 2 playing & the third is left out. It could cause a lot of friction between them.
Mine have never fought in a trio and love snuggling together for extra warmth and don't gang upon on each other
 
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Well, it could work out beautifully, but it may not. Cost aside, even though sows will usually accept other sows it's not always so. It s possible that you end up in the situation of having to return the new one, so I would check that the rescue near to you does 'dating', where they oversee the introduction and the piggies get the chance to get to know each other, and accept each other, before you take your new one home.
It's great that you are considering a rescue, but be aware that not all rescues are equal. There's been cases of people getting poorly or pregnant pigs. Not from the rescues recommended on the forum I may add. Many rescues are really good, but not all.

One extra pig brings their poop and wee output to half again, and that can have quite an impact on how often you need to clean them out. Are you happy with cleaning them more than once a week and replenishing their hay bin every day instead of every two days?.

Now by plenty big, how big? If you don't mind me asking. One person's big can be another person's small, and it's all perspective. The recommended size for three pigs is at least 5ft.

That aside the general upkeep costs shouldn't increase much. There will be an increase in bedding used, and veggies. If your pair have any beds or hidies you may need to buy another one for your new piggy.
The real shockers when it comes to cost is vets fees. You may have been fortunate in that your pair perhaps have never needed to see a vet, but a great many of our pigs do during their lifetimes, and each piggy you have increases that chance. Vets fees can run into hundreds of £, and if you are not earning your own money yet then really it's your parents who need to be prepared for dealing with that.

It's a lovely idea, taking on another piggy, and believe me there are many needing homes, but there's plenty to consider before going ahead. We'd be happy to support you with advice though :)
i used the ferplast wooden cottage as a model when i built theirs. i'm pretty sure its a 2x4 with two stories (using c&c measurements). i don't mind cleaning them more and my parents would pay a vet bill should there be a need for that. i'll attach a picture of their cage. the rescue is actually a person who basically takes them in and looks to find a new home. i follow her on social media and she is amazing with them so i know accidental pregnancy won't be an issue.

image.jpeg
 
Are your guinea pigs male or female and also I believe that would be too small with 3 guinea pigs as I had a 2x5ft hutch that was double story and it was barely big enough and I feel the 2 x6ft single story hutch I have now is tiny :(
 
Are your guinea pigs male or female and also I believe that would be too small with 3 guinea pigs as I had a 2x5ft hutch that was double story and it was barely big enough and I feel the 2 x6ft single story hutch I have now is tiny :(
they are both girls :)
 
I think my concern with adding a third to a bonded pair would be twofold- first, destabilizing a pair that is working well, and secondly, potential vet bills should you have multiple illnesses with multiple pigs, particularly as they all get older. I know you said your parents will pay for the vet... in my case, I AM the parent who pays for the vet and one of my pigs has had several health conditions over the course of her life, and I am extremely thankful that she's the only one because I really could not afford another one like her at the same time! LOL!
 
:agr: with Poppy's Mum. If they are happy, stick with two. If you really want more, buy or build another big cage (like the one you have) and get another pair. It's easier to cut veg into even sections when you've got even numbers of piggies!
I had 7 pigs, lost 1 , got another 2. With 8, I am having to buy veg and greens every week, rather than just every two weeks.
 
i currently have two girls who are fairly well bonded. i stumbled upon a rescue near my house and i would like to look into getting another, but i'd have to persuade my parents. their cage is plently big and i clean it once a week, cleaning their hay bin every other day. it stays plenty clean. they are fed 3/4 cup of standard pellets a day with two cups of veggies. they have tons of hay. what kind of cost and smell increase can i expect with another guinea pig? if possible, please be specific on what things will cost more. thanks so much!

Trios are the most difficult combination to get right, as you are at the highest risk of ending up with some kind of outsider problem.

If you really want to get more, either go for two (preferably already bonded) younger sows that don't upset the hierarchy and have each other to fall back on. With four piggies, dynamics chance to those of a mini group.
If you come across a neutered boar, you could think about that, as boars are part of the overall group hierarchy, but they are not part of the sow hierarchy, so they won't upset the apple cart. However, with boars, initial acceptance by the sows is vital. Sadly, you don;t have a good guinea pig rescue in your state where you can take your girls for dating to make sure that they get on. If in doubt, rather start a new pair.
 
:agr: with Poppy's Mum. If they are happy, stick with two. If you really want more, buy or build another big cage (like the one you have) and get another pair. It's easier to cut veg into even sections when you've got even numbers of piggies!
I had 7 pigs, lost 1 , got another 2. With 8, I am having to buy veg and greens every week, rather than just every two weeks.
I agree I have 6 & it's never ending buying veggies etc. What you could do, I'm planting veggies so hopefully I will always have fresh food
 
Hello everyone!

I just bought my first 2 cavys about a month ago. I got a Abyssinian and an Agouti (about 1-2 months old-although the store said 3 months, but judging from pictures their much younger then 3 months). The Abyssinian (Jiggy) is about twice the size of the Agouti (Cappy). I bought a third Cavy yesterday, I believe an albino silky, which is currently in quarantine . I don't know if this was a poor idea. But, if in the next week, if they don't get along; I can take the new one back without charge. Cappy and Jiggy get along very well now that Jiggy is over her cold. Cappy started trying to become the dominant female, but once I got them to the vet and medicine for Jiggys upper respiratory inf, they are doing great now.

I think cappy and my new one Peeps, will get along fine. They are the same size and about the same age. But, Jiggy is about twice their size and at least a month older and can be quite territorial. Jiggy is clearly the dominant female, then cappy and then hopefully peeps. The newest one is extremely docile which I think will help because cappy is kinda an upstart and has been challenging jiggy even though she's half her size.

I was going to introduce cappy to peeps in about one week for short periods of time. Then the next day or later that day Jiggy. I will keep a towel out to make sure if they get aggressive I can remove them quickly. I have put a small towel my two original cavys cuddle with into the new cage of peeps to get her used to their smell.

Do you guys and gals have any suggestions on how to safely introduce a very docile younger female (peeps) with the older bigger more aggressive (jiggy)? I know I need to do it on neutral territory, but any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

Any suggestions would be wonderful
 
Hi there and welcome @moomoo. Hopefully it will all go smoothly. I gather your new girl, your silky, is young. Jiggy is the eldest of the three? I think the chances are she will put the new girl firmly in her place but will accept her, and things will settle down. That's the most likely outcome, but you really never quite know until it happens.
When you say aggression what kind of aggression, if you don't mind me asking? Chasing and pretend-nipping, rumbling and showing off at each other is normal when establishing dominance and is not a sign of aggression, just dominance, and SOMEONE has to be the boss. Establishing this can look stressful, but it's normal.
Teeth-chattering and proper biting is the thing to watch out for.
As for the introduction it's recommended that your neutral area has some hay in, perhaps some food, but very little else. It helps them if they can all see each other and keep an eye on each other while they sort it all out.

These links might be helpful :)
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Sow Behaviour
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs

Hope it all goes well, please give updates x
 
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