Three boars under a year

[Catmouseandteddy]

I have three boars after taking one in a rush from a friend. I learnt that it was a bad idea and I separated them. Sadly one escaped, fortunately after three weeks we managed to get him back. He had lost 200 grams and so we redesigned our c&c to give him his own space with a hay loft to go up and see our other two, who during this time have bonded. The escaped one is doing very well and put on a lot of weight now but he is definitely trying to get to the other boys now. Do you think I could keep this set up for now until they are all through adolescence and try to introduce them in the future? My husband is really reluctant to go for a fourth pig but with what the escaped one has been through I couldn’t see him rehomed

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

He is going to be interested in the other two because they are his only source of interaction and companionship but it does not mean they will ever work living as a trio. This applies for their entire lives I’m afraid, so unfortunately you will never be able to introduce him to them.
If you were to attempt it, even once they are past adolescence, it will most likely ruin the bond between the pair as well as failing as a trio so you run the real risk of ending up with three single piggies.

I am struggling to see the set up clearly (it’s hard to make out where one cage starts and another ends though the grids!) but a boar pair need a 5x2 c&c, and the single piggy needs a minimum of a 3x2 (a 4x2 being preferable).
Do note that these sizes need to be on a single ground level as loft areas do not count towards cage space.
Where a single piggy is in involved, his cage needs to be side by side on the same level at all times.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Catmouseandteddy]

Thank you for your help. Do you think the solo pig needs a friend or could he live side by side for life? I totally understand your point about disrupting the bonds and he was originally bonded to one, then they fell out when I let the new pig come in (biggest mistake I ever made but oh my we love him so much)

Floor space the two have 8 grids on the bottom (10.52 sq ft) and 3 in their hay loft (making 14.52 sq ft total)

The solo has 6 grids underneath (7.92 sq ft) and 2 in his hayloft near the others (making 10.52 sq ft in total)

I wanted two pigs and to give them the best life I could. I had them in a 6x2, but I became stuck to make the cage suitable for three as where it was I couldn’t stack.

The only place I could stack the cage was where I have it currently. I just can’t fit the space side by side sadly, the maximum length is 4x2 grid although I could get out with the width and do a 4x3 but they didn’t seem to like that set up as much when I tried, with them being younger they at present seem more happy with ramps and almost like a maze set up. If I did that though I would have to have two sets of bonded boys.

So this is my issue I currently have an unusual set up with three, or I have to nag hubby to allow me a fourth and go for a stacked set up although not as big as I would like. It’s tough as we are very attached to the three of them but short on space!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m afraid you have miscalculated their cage sizes: loft spaces don’t count in the available floor space (reasons below), and it is only the bottom level of each cage which can be included. Therefore:

Your pair have 10.52 sq ft, not 14
Your single has 7.92 sq ft, not 10

Any area connected by ramp is a bonus but its area cannot be added to total space.
Piggies aren’t natural climbers (their natural environment is flat grasslands) and prefer single level, ramps eat into flat roaming floor space and in some pairs a ramp and loft can cause territorial issues. Some piggies do enjoy a ramp up to a loft so it is a bonus area but it’s not part of living space. Particularly once they age, lofts can need to be removed, things like arthritis can stop them being able to use them

Cage Size Guide

As long as you single has constant side by side interaction with them then he will be absolutely fine.

 

[Truffolo]

Mr Solo will be fine living side by side with his mates. Several of us have bar buddies and they do seem very content. So yes, you can keep him as neighboar to your pair. You could try bonding all three, but it's not recommended as the risk of fights and injury are very high.

 

[Catmouseandteddy]

I can’t provide a constant side by side though this is my problem. The biggest I can do on a single level is 6x2 which isn’t enough to divide.

 

[Catmouseandteddy]

Might be able to do a 6x3 actually, will measure up now

 

[Piggies&buns]

Might be able to do a 6x3 actually, will measure up now

If you can do this then that would be better. you’d then be able to split to either two 3x3; or a 4x3 (better for the pair) and a 2x3 (for the single) but crucially the constant side by side would be there for him.

You would have to be careful because changing the cages constitutes a change in territory and for your pair would cause them to go into reestablishing their bond for around two weeks.
There are ways to minimise the impact - explained in the guide below and we can also advise further

Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

While character and hierarchy issues are the main reasons boar trios fail, space considerations do also come in as a secondary factor.
While lots of space won’t make it work, lack of space will cause problems. You don’t sound to have enough room to attempt a boar trio: normal cage sizing requirements go out the window when you try to put three or more boars together - the minimum cage size to attempt a trio is a 9x3 c&c on a single level (providing at least one square metre per boar)