Advice wanted *Badpigmumdotcom* :(

[lildubs]

hi all, I'm new here and need some advice, me and my husband got our first pig 2yrs ago (ralph) we resuced him at 5 months he has lived alone untill 3 weeks ago when we decided to buy a big hutch for him as we felt it unfair to keep him indoors.
we then decided to adopt 2 more males thinking they would be ok together BIG MISTAKE! we know. At first Gary started biting Ralph he was removed and put into a seperate hutch. The second Norman seemed the same layed back just like ralph but after a few days we noticed ralph seemed abit depressed i wasnt sure if this was just because of moving home norman and ralph seemed ok and no obvious signs of fighting. Ralph has become morre depressed and we seperated them just incase well i was handling ralph today and i noticed bite makes on his back end feel awful as i was just looking for signs on his ears sorry for the long story, now is it at all possible to reintroduce them all together in a run not live together but mabe to just socialise on the grass? i think ralphs been through alot and he is being given lots of cuddles and tlc. i would like them to be 'friends' they chatter to each other from seperate hutches i just dont know as I'm really not experienced in them and I'm very reluctant to put them together if its going to cause more distress, Norman and gary are about 6 months old. any advice and info would be very gratefull

many thanks mum of 3 beautifull pigs xx

 

[flintstones]

I would give them all a very long time out - a Trio of boys rarely work and at 6 months they are right in the midst of the hormones. Best waiting till they are though the hormones at about a year then you could maybe try pairing one of the boys with your older boy.

Side by side living is best as they can still see and interact for the time being.

 

[lildubs]

Thank you i will do that they will each have seperate run time

 

[Member W]

i agree, i'd keep them seperate until their hormones have settled down, but make sure they can still see and interact with each other, and then eventually maybe try reintroduce them on neutral ground with supervision x

 

[piggyfan]

Three boars cannot work. They will just fight. I would take away one right away to stop any serious injuries. I am surprised you think it is nicer for a guinea pig to be kept outside. Indoors they are part of the family and will be with you all the time. You do not have to worry about changed in weather effecting them and they are less likely to get mites. It really is best to get guinea pigs from a rescue as they allow the piggy to choose their own friend and are full of advice. Were the newer two bonded before you got them? Where were they from? Where are they all living now?

 

[4piggiepigs]

Although my piggie's love being outside in their run and attached hutch on lovely day's i think they much prefer living in door's, they get alot more interaction with people and as a result are very friendly i also prefer it as i can keep an eye on any bickering or subtle change's due to illness plus i know they are as safe as possible indoors,

I don't know anything about boar's but good luck,

 

[lildubs]

my three pigs are all living in their own hutch so no chance of any getting hurt now, Ralph was kept indoors in a cage but we wanted to get him something bigger with more room for exercise they will all be brought in when it starts to get colder.
The pigs have plently of interaction i have 3 children all are handled on a daily basis and are very much part of the family, my younger boys were rescued together i split these as gary started fighting with norman so now all alone and all doing very well as they are all close by and talk to each other. i now know 3 boys wont work as i was hoping to reintroduce in their run but i wont now as it will just cause more stress and i really dont want them to go through that if its never going to work.

Thank you all for your advice

 

[gogoguineas]

It sounds like the main problem is they've all been put together at a very hormonal point in their life. I would leave them as they are for a few months, then try introducing them one by one to each other on very neutral territory like a lawn or your living room floor. They will have plenty of space and it is neithers home. Some times this works as the hormones have calmed down. Sometimes it won't just because of the pigs personality but it's worth a go so you can say you tried all options. I've had a trio of boars before and also a foursome, none without their spats but nothing serious, and they all lived very happily with each other. So there is hope, give it a go and know when to seperate. It's tricky, but not impossible!