3 new boars, advice/reassurance needed!

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MrsHappy

We have just acquired our first guinea pigs. They are 3 baby boars. Two are brothers. They are 6 and 7 weeks old and were raised together in the same pen, according to the breeder. They seem to have settled great so far, but am just slightly concerned about a few things...

(If you can only answer one query it would still be much appreciated!! I know I've written a lot! Sorry!)

1. I have been reading that it is best to keep no more than 2 boars together. And that any more, they may start to fight. Is this true? Even if they are together from a young age?

2. We have a 4 year old dog. She is a westie, so as a terrier, it seems her new purpose in life is to catch/eat one of the guinea pigs. She just won't settle, and wants to jump up at the cage all of the time (indoors). I feel like I am shouting at her all the time, when all she is doing is showing natural curiosity, but I don't know what else to do. I try to call her and give her a reward if she comes away from the cage, but when she is next to the cage, nothing else matters. Even her favourite treat. I'm not kidding myself and thinking they will ever be best buddies, but do you think there is ever a hope of her at least just ignoring them while they are in the cage? (I know, I would NEVER leave them together when the guinea pigs are out of the cage).

3. Will they eat whatever I give them? I mean, if I give them way too much food, will they just eat and eat and eat, or will they stop when they are full. I don't want to overfeed, but of course, also want to ensure they are getting enough!

4. (Last one!) The 7 week old has a bald patch about the size of a penny about an inch behind one of his ears. The skin is not broken/scabby, it's just normal looking skin. Is this normal?

Thankyou for reading!! ANY little bit of advice about any of the above queries would be much appreciated!
 
Goodness!

Well the bald patch is normal, all guineas have them. It aids hearing.

Three boars together can be tricky but sometimes it works fine. It is down to the personality of the pigs. If one is dominant and the others submissive, it can be fine. Between 3-5 months is guinea pig puberty and fights for dominance can occur around this time especially. You will pick up lots of useful info here in the interim!

The dog question, I dont know. It doesnt sound good as the dog will scare the pigs and they will forever hide and be unhappy. Could the piggy cage go into another room where the dog isnt allowed?
 
Hi and welcome to the world of guinea pigs! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with them.
I have three boys living together no problems..one is the dad and his two sons. They never fight, although sometimes still try to show each other who's boss, occasional mounting etc but nothing to worry about. In fact they always sit together in the run, they're good friends really! I remember reading at the time that boy guineas can sometimes start to fight when they hit "adolescence", though can't remember what age that is in pig years! I think it depends on the individual piggies, so maybe just keep an eye on them.

About the bald patch, they do have little bald patches behind the ears, that's normal, I think they get less noticeable as they get older.

Can't help with the dog question sorry! :)
 
Hi and welcome
Three boars together it can be done its such a shame Dazie does not post here anymore. Because she had three boars living together and also owns a westie. She could of helped you I am sure. However the three boars she had were brothers (litter mates) and had never been split up for anything I know because they were born at mine. At all costs these three were together even on a trip to the vets. If one had a bath they all did.
I have also seen another trio of boars living happily together it was hard going for the owner getting them to bond. I would sudgest reading barmy4boars website this gives loads of tips for keeping boars together.
 
hi

as all the other questions have been answered, about the dog question! My sister has a minature jack russell, a terrier also who also does the same as your westie (my favourite dogs in the world! hehe) nothing else matters when it comes to the guinea pigs being there! I tend to find after a while, she does get bored and wanders away, until the GPS start moving again!

I think it is one of those things which will always happen, but eventually sometimes they do get bored will leave them alone. Molly and my pig love eachother, Scruffy licks her nose all the time, and Molly nudges Scruffy when he stops as to say "carry on"! She is really gentle with her and licks her back too, but I would never let them alone together!
 
Thankyou

Many thanks for all your advice!

Well, after a week, our dog appears to have settled down now, well, she's improving a lot anyway! She is now only interested in the gps when they are either particularly active, or if we are by the cage.

The cage is not in our 'main' room, and can be closed off by a door, so when we are out, the dog and cage are always separated. When we are in though, we keep the door open, and are constantly vigilant, and I think, with time, the dog will learn to ignore them while they are in the cage. I would never allow them together when they are out of the cage!

So, the gps appear happy, and seem to be eating lots and lots. Which leads me to the one piece of advice that no one seemed to answer, and I am still concerned about. Could I be feeding my gps too much? They eat everything I put in apart from a few bits of meusli and a few nuggets, (I mix them) but fruit and veg disappear almost instantly! Will they stop when they get full? I am giving them a few good handfuls of grass, about a half a cucumber, a chopped carrot a chopped stick of celery and a slice of honeydew melon per day. Oh and they don't seem to be drinking their water!

Advice on the food situation would be appreciated! :))
 
Hello and welcome MrsHappy ... love your name! :)

Yes, as has been said above, guinea pigs do have a hairless area behind their ears. That is normal.

Boars did usually go through a puberty/dominance phase. It can go smoothly but it can cause problems. Just keep an eye on them all, when and if, they go through it.

You will get lots of really helpful advice from this forum ... hope it helps!
 
Basically, piggies are like hoovers! They will eat as much as you give! I g1ve a bowl of veg morning and evening. Increase amount a bit as they get bigger but appox 3-4 different types of veg twice a day should be fine!
 
Hello!

My boys have dry food and hay in their cage at all times (constant supply of hay is vital) which they will eat as and when. I give them veg twice a day which they will always eat. In the warmer weather, they have more cucumber in between as it offers them more water, despite them having water bottles - it's their favourite anyway! Only one of each pair seems to use the water bottles regularly...I think it's really just a case of learning about their different feeding/watering habits...rolleyes:))
 
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