Trying to bond my 6 month old bereaved Piggy with a pair I got at the weekend. Advice please!

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ETJ

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So I am new here, so hello all.

Ok, so about 6 months ago I lost one of a pair of boar pigs that I had had for 6.5 years. The remaining brother become very depressed at his passing and so after a couple of months decided to get him a mate. I slowly introduced an 8 week old boar and they got on really well. Unfortunately the 7 year old boar passed away last Monday in his sleep. I decided to bring the remaining boar into the house and have him as an indoor piggy. This piggy is about 6 months old. He used to be quite vocal but since the older boar passed he was very quite and wouldn't come out. So I decided after much thought, to get him some companions. I got a pair of boars that are a few months old. I kept them separate and out of sight of each other to begin with. The new pair seemed to get on ok, although occasionally I noticed a little aggression from one to the other but didn't think anymore of it. It only happened once or twice. The existing boar knew there were pigs about and started to wheek again. I gave it a couple of days of separation before putting them next to each other but with separation. They seemed to be okay with the presence of each other side by side. The single pig seemed really keen to be with the other two the other side. So today I decided to introduce them to each other. I took my single pig and popped him on my lap and took the quieter one of the two pigs and sat him on my lap two. They didn't fight, a bit of wheeking from the single one and a bit of sniffing but nothing else. So I popped the other one back and got the other half of the pair and did the same thing. Nothing happened and so I thought I would put them all in together and watch. Well all was well at first until the single piggy decided to hump the quieter pig and then the other piggy got involved and had a go at him. So I separated them. I tried again and the same thing happened and the other piggy attacked him, nothing vicious, more of a scuffle. So I have separated them completely out of sight of each other.

I know this isn't going to be easy and I know that it may never work, but I don't want my single piggy to be lonely. I'm trying to think of my next move as to what to do! I just wondered if anyone else has been in a similar situation and if they were successful at bringing them all together? Thank you for reading my long post!
 
Unfortunately you cannot keep three boars together. Boars must be kept in pairs. There will almost always be fights if You attempt to keep three boars together so I am afraid that this simply will not work long term. You need to keep the two who get on best together and the other one needs to be kept separate.
Please keep the single piggy in a cage adjoining the pair so they can all interact through the bars for company but please don’t put them together as a trio again.

When trying to find a new friend for a bereaved piggy, going to a pet store and buying more piggies is not the best way to go about it. Character compatibility and mutual liking is key to a successful bond so when you just buy piggies, you you have no idea if the bond will work out as they simply may not like each other.

If you were to try to find your single piggy a new friend, then getting the help of a rescue centre to find a suitable friend is the best way. Your boy at six months old is just at the start of his teens which means hormones are flying so it can be a difficult time to try to find him a new friend. Again though, a rescue centre can find a suitable boar friend for him and it would likely be best for it to be adult who is no longer subject to such strong hormone surges

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
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Regarding the two new youngsters, the same applies. If you chose them from a pet store then you again, will not have a guarantee that they will be compatible once they hit their teens (4 - 14 months of age).
Having two the same age means that they will both hit their teens at the same time and that can make things a bit tense at times. Ensure you know the normal signs of dominance (link below) so that you can spot if things go beyond that. The guides I linked in above will also help, along with this one Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

It is also important to ensure the cage is big enough. A boar pair, particularly those of teen age, require more space and a cage of at least 150cm x 60cm. Anything smaller than this can add to teen tensions and lead to issues when dealing with boars.
Cage Size Guide

It is also important to ensure you have two or three of every item (bowls, bottles, hideys, hay piles), and no closed off hideys, ensure they all have two exits so no piggy can get cornered. It’s also important to respect their hierarchy - handle the dominant piggy first.
 
Thank you for your reply.

I thought I had done enough research and obviously I haven't. I thought because my first boar paring was successful then this would work with patience, but I think I have misjudged this through wanting a mate for my single piggy. I got the pair of boars from a well established farm, where I got my original piggies from 7 years ago. There are no rescue centres near by either. I looked into a rescue centre the first time round and gave up waiting after a couple of months when my existing piggy that has recently died, got very depressed and I ended up buying a single boar from someone privately. I didn't want to wait months again before getting my single boar a friend. So that's why I got this pair so quickly. The farm pairs their boars up and will only sell in pairs and never single. There are no local rescues nearby either so I felt I was left with very little option. I would have preferred to rescue if I could have done. I think I have cocked up majorly. I have the C&C cage, with 2x3 on the bottom and 4 squares on the top. I was hoping to link with a ladder so they would have more room. I haven't seen this site before and wished I had found it sooner and didn't feel pressured at getting my boar a friend because I didn't want him to be lonely. I only want the best for my little piggies.
 
So sorry you didn’t have the info before getting the pair.
Just a side note but 2x5 is the recommended size for two boars. So I would take down the loft. As said above, lack of space can cause issues in a boar bond so please do that as soon as, even though they’re still young.
 
Don’t be hard on yourself. All is not lost. Keep him in a cage alongside the other two so they can still communicate through the bars. That way, he won’t be lonely as he can still see, smell, hear and interact through the bars.

Unfortunately the youngsters being paired up at a young age does not guarantee success once they hit their teens. Don’t panic though, more boar pairs make it than not so it isn’t a given that your new young pair will fall out, but it is always something to keep in mind as they get older. Follow all the tips I’ve given and their chances are good.

Yes unfortunately a 2x3 c&c is not big enough for a boar pair (in fact it’s not really big enough for two piggies of either sex). I would suggest you make the cage much bigger as you don’t want lack of space to cause issues - a 2x5 being the recommended size for two boys. Adding a ladder and loft space is ok to do, but do be aware that upper levels don’t count towards cage size. The bottom level needs to meet the size requirements and upper levels are a bonus but doesn’t increase their cage size ie a 16 square foot cage with a 4 square foot loft doesn’t make a 20 square foot cage, it is still only a 16 square foot cage with a loft.
 
God I have so misjudged this. I've never had indoor pigs and so my old pigs that have passed had the run of the garden and a children's play house as their home! They loved it! Being indoors is harder due to room constraints. I'm wondering what to do now as they can't all be together and I haven't got the room to go longer. That's why I built upwards. I got the idea from another guinea pig website and they gave me the idea of building it up as someone else had done the same thing. I am responsible and do research but just wanted a friend for my sad lonely piggy. :o(
 
That's what I was thinking. But I still have the issue of the single pig being separated from the other two. So it wouldn't solve that problem. I'm wondering whether I should return the two piggies I got back to the place I got them from (if they would do that), or find a rescue centre that would take on the single piggy and just keep the two males I got the other day and then extend their home. Gosh I have messed up big time here ;o(
 
You are only trying to do the best thing for your piggies, so please don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t rush into any decisions. There may be options.

The first thing I would do is look into any local rescues and see if they can help you find a friend for your single. If there is and they can, then c&c cages can be stacked, so - the youngsters in one cage and then your six month old and a potential new friend in the other. That way, it won’t take up any more floor space. I guess ultimately it comes down to whether you can find a friend for him and whether you can manage four piggies.

If there is no rescue to help find your single boy a friend then that’ll require another set of thinking over what to do for the best for everybody.
 
I am really annoyed with myself for rushing out and getting another 2 when I should've taken a bit longer to think about it all. If I stacked them, would I still require the 5x2 length for each layer?
 
ETJ said:
I am really annoyed with myself for rushing out and getting another 2 when I should've taken a bit longer to think about it all. If I stacked them, would I still require the 5x2 length for each layer?
Click to expand...

It’s about total floor space rather than the specifics of it being a 2x5 - a 3x3 would be fine if you could make that fit in your space but yes each level would need to be the same to enable each pair to have the right amount of space. you could stack a 3x3, if would just need some extra support. A 3 grid span won’t support itself without a support bar across but that is something you can over come.

If you are thinking about keeping a bigger layer at the bottom with your young pair, and then a stacked cage on top for your single to live in on his own, then that could be problematic as he won’t get the same interaction as they won’t be adjoining Cages
 
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