Anyone kept 3 boys together?

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vicky1804

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Hi
Iv had piggies for a while. Iv only ever kept a pair of boys. I have heard/seen of a few poeple keeping 3 together and wondered how you managed this? If you dont mind sharing?

Many Thanks
 
hi,

we have 3 boys together and they get on really, really well. we have no trouble with them. we are in the process of merging them with our two existing boys, which is proving to be quite fun rolleyes :p.
are you getting all three at once or are you adding to the pair you already have?
 
I only have one boy atm due to having his friend pts. Its not something I'm 100% sure on. I wanted to do research and speak to people who have already done this.
My boys 2 1/2 , so I would be adding a pair to him...Maybe. I'm going to a breeder next weekend and I'm asking incase I cant make up my mind
 
I have 3 boys (brothers) but unfortunately the three together did not work, two get on really well and are very close, snuggle together etc but the other one was being bullied by the dominant piggie so I had to separate him into his own cage.

I think with boys it is less likely to work with 3 than with girls unfortunately.
 
I had 3 together for a while and at first it was harmonious until 1 of them got to his teenage years, so I have separated him now. I'm hoping he will grow out of it and we can try and reintroduce them at a later date.

You will def need lots and lots of space. 3 of everything and 3 chilled out personalities.

it might be a lot easier to get your boy neutered and get him 2 girlfriends
 
I did give neutering some thought but i have decided id rather not. I'm happy just keeping two.I may get the new boy neutered once hes old enough while hes still young so sows would be an option later
 
It depends VERY much on the character compatibility and temperament of the boys. Once they are adult, they tend to mellow and can be bonded much more securely than youngsters - with those, you have the problem of the hormonal teenage months where fall outs are most likely; the chances of a fall out are higher woth three than with two.

Have you considered taking your boy for some boar dating at a specialist guinea pig rescue, so he can choose his own friend, adult or youngster?
 
I have 5 boys, 3 together and two together who live next door.
We started with two, Spike and Gizmo then adopted Stripes but Stripes and Gizmo made it very clear there was no way they were going to share Spike so Stripes became the next door neighbour.
When we lost Gizmo, Spike and Stripes moved in together, we sadly lost Stripes this summer so ended up in the same position as you with just Spike (a 2 year old, un neutered)
There was no way I was going to risk having him neutered so we took him to Wheek and Squeak rescue in Southampton for some boar dating, originally just for him to pick a friend. (we ended up bringing another 4 home, but that's another story!)
We tried Spike with Hector (21 months) and they got on great, I'd still been thinking about a pig called Bob (19 months) so we added him to the group. It only worked because Spike and Bob are so laid back and Hector is the bouncy one! They worked out who was boss straight away so it meant they were relaxed with each other.
I think the problems come when a young pig goes through the teenage stage and tries for top pig. As they were all a bit older it was much smoother. They stayed at the rescue for a week so Anna could observe them and make sure they had bonded. When they came home they did have a few moments of Hector getting a little carried away and trying to be boss but Bob put him in his place and after a week they settled down really well.
So I've experienced both sides really. It is all down to personality, Gizmo was very lively, Spike very laid back and Stripes very nervous so Gizmo was just too much for him.
Bob and Spike and the most chilled out pigs ever and clearly love each other, within a minute of putting them together they were washing each others faces. Hector is like the naughty little brother!

I really hope you can find a combination that work. I think adding an existing pair might be harder as they will already have a strong bond. Maybe three individuals. I think there's definately only room for one fiesty one in a trio!

Good luck! :)
 
Hmm
Thank you. Definatly something to think about. Could an introduction to my current boar work with a male who has already gone through puberty?Say 1 year plus? then possible adding a youngster later?
 
An older boar with the right personality can work just as well as a baby it's down to each individual. The good thing is you'll know pretty quickly if they don't like each other!
Adding a baby at a later date still means the risk of them all falling out when he becomes a teenager so you need to be prepared to have a seperate place just in case.
 
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