A pair or trio?

Spring100

Spring100

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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The Netherlands
Currently I have a pair (sow and neutered boar) in a 6x2 c&c cage. They are still young. Mother of about 1.5 and son of 9 months. They are doing very well together. I don't notice any tension between them.

My intention was three guinea pigs (one boar and two sows). The reason is that I think this is nice for the dynamics and when one dies, one is not immediately alone.

Now that they are doing so well together, I'm starting to have doubts. I'm afraid a second sow will disrupt the dynamic. My sow is a bit dominant. She accepts the male (she let him boss her around, but she still has the best sleeping spots haha), but I wonder if she will accept another sow. In addition, I read that with three guinea pigs there is always one more outside. I think a 6x2 is too small for four so that is not an option for me.

So now...Pros and cons...What do you think? Pair or trio?
 
It’s really up to you how many you want to have!
Any bond comes down to character compatibility though so if you can date your pair at a rescue to find a new friend(s) then that is safest.

A 6x2 is absolutely fine for four piggies.

This bond explains the theory of what does and doesn’t work when adding piggies - of course you never know until you try though

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
Thanks for the info! I mainly wonder which is better for the pigs. Isn't just the two of them too boring? Or does it not matter whether they live in a pair or with more?
 
Spring100 said:
Currently I have a pair (sow and neutered boar) in a 6x2 c&c cage. They are still young. Mother of about 1.5 and son of 9 months. They are doing very well together. I don't notice any tension between them.

My intention was three guinea pigs (one boar and two sows). The reason is that I think this is nice for the dynamics and when one dies, one is not immediately alone.

Now that they are doing so well together, I'm starting to have doubts. I'm afraid a second sow will disrupt the dynamic. My sow is a bit dominant. She accepts the male (she let him boss her around, but she still has the best sleeping spots haha), but I wonder if she will accept another sow. In addition, I read that with three guinea pigs there is always one more outside. I think a 6x2 is too small for four so that is not an option for me.

So now...Pros and cons...What do you think? Pair or trio?
Click to expand...

Hi

Groups are always lovely but since rescues are a lot less common in the Netherlands, you may not necessarily have access to one.

The one thing I would like to bring up is if you would like to try to introduce more piggies at home that you will need a plan B in case the bonding doesn't work out. Can you extend your cage space to accommodate another pair either above or next to the existing cage?
 
There are indeed just a few shelter locations in the Netherlands. And when they are there, they don't date. There is one in Limburg that does offer this, but for me this is more than a 3-hour drive...

I do have options to make a 6x2 above it, but that's really not what I want.

Maybe I can keep my eyes open at the shelters that are available. And see if I come across a submissive sow. Unfortunately, they mainly have boars. They keep the sows to be placed with a neutered boar...
 
Spring100 said:
There are indeed just a few shelter locations in the Netherlands. And when they are there, they don't date. There is one in Limburg that does offer this, but for me this is more than a 3-hour drive...

I do have options to make a 6x2 above it, but that's really not what I want.

Maybe I can keep my eyes open at the shelters that are available. And see if I come across a submissive sow. Unfortunately, they mainly have boars. They keep the sows to be placed with a neutered boar...
Click to expand...

You could try to form a trio with a neutered boar provided that the boar can return to the rescue in case the bonding is not coming off (the adoption fee remains with the rescue).

PS: I have travelled by train for over 3 hours each way with piggies of mine for dating a neutered boar...
I have travelled even further up to up 5 hours each way to bring home adopted piggies from all over the UK; my Cerian who has come all the way from the tip of Kent in that memorable journey has celebrated her 5th adoption anniversary last November and is now coming up to 7 years of age - so clearly she has survived her long trip, including the mile footwalk between stations in London in order to avoid the tube. However, I am aware that this is on the extreme side.
 
Spring100 said:
I already have a boar (boar and sow) 🙂 Another boar is not an option haha.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I am jumping between lots of things.

The safest way of adding two more sows to a bonded pair is two much younger sows that cannot challenge the existing hierarchy and in fact enhance the exisiting sow's status as a group leader; up to 6 months would be best.
 
Perhaps the shelter in Limburg is an option to keep an eye on. For many people in the world, 3 hours will be quite normal in terms of travel time. But for Dutch people, since we're not used to big distances, it really is a huge travel time for something that is not a holiday! 😅
 
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