3 piggies?

Status
Not open for further replies.
iluvguineapigs

iluvguineapigs

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 16, 2011
Messages
323
Reaction score
5
Points
0
Location
Middlesex
hi
i have 2 guinea pigs currently though i have the space for 3 or 4 guinea pigs [in total] now and i think if i get 4 the space will be limited. if i have 3 guinea pig will the 2 i have gang up on the newbie or will one be left out or both?
 
Hi can you give us some more details, are your pigs girls or boys?
 
Hi, I have two sisters and a third sow was added with no problem. It's not my belief they will gang up as long as the intros are done properly, clearly there will be a leader of the pack and will display dominance whether there are two or three sows.

Hope that helps.
 
when i tryed to mix 3 sows(two already bonded) it never worked for me... not to say it woudlnt for you...
at the moment I'm trying to bond 3 girls and one neutered bored...
i think its definatly a try and see....
its one of them things you dont know till you try... :)

good luck...!
x
 
Hi, we had 2 boars and wanted to add a third. The GP rescue centre i get them from told us that often introducing a 3rd can cause a problem with your existing pair. It can work but not very often. We decided not to risk it, and ended up getting another pair instead and keeping them in seperate cage. Sorry if this is not the answer you wanted, but i would hate for you to end up with 3 piggies who hate eachother!
 
I had three sows for over 2 years and never a problem, two were bought at 8 weeks old and then a year later I introduced the third as an 8 week old.

In fact when one of them was very sick (sadly she died a month later) they sat either side of her to keep her warm and protected her. It was very sweet to see how they worked together in the bad times, so I really think it can work but like someone said, the introductions need to be done well and I always find introducing a baby much much easier than another adult.
 
Guinea pigs are made to be in groups. If you do the intro's well, they should get along famously. In my experience, the secret to a happy pair or trio is giving them enough space, if they can get away from each other when they are bothered by each other, they will be friends again in no time.
Maybe consider a neutered male?
 
How much space have you got? Three guinea pigs need a minimum of 2x5 ft, four 2x6 ft; the more the better.

Adding a third piggy to an established duo is in my experience the bonding most likely not to work out - quite often, you sadly end up with a 2+1 outsider situation.

You could consider introducing a neutered boar (or a girl), provided you can date your girls with him - not all girls like a boy around; but it shows pretty straight away whether things will work out or not.

It is easier introducing a younger pair of sows to your couple, as the youngsters can still hang out together. From four piggies onwards, they start acting as a group, so introducing singles is much easier from then on.

PS: Please be awarethat most members use the "new posts function". If that is cleared fairly soon after you posted, you will need to bump it up again. It also depends on what time you are posting - in your case, very early in the morning for most of us.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top