Bonding 3 New Boars

[Short Shadow]

Hello. I know adding a 3rd boar to a bonded pair is highly unsuccessful. But what about boding 3 new boars together? Has anyone tried this or know if it can be done successfully?

One of my boars passed on and now his bonded brother has become anxious and started crying out. He's 4 years old so I was looking for a young one and I found someone giving up thier 6 month old. But a friend of mine reached out she has a pig same age she can't keep. All boars.

I haven't introduced the young pig I have to my 4 year old yet. So it would be trying to bond all three. Thoughts?

I have two other bonded pairs and know better than introducing him to them and risk a fallout.

thank you in advance

 

[Wiebke]

Hello. I know adding a 3rd boar to a bonded pair is highly unsuccessful. But what about boding 3 new boars together? Has anyone tried this or know if it can be done successfully?

One of my boars passed on and now his bonded brother has become anxious and started crying out. He's 4 years old so I was looking for a young one and I found someone giving up thier 6 month old. But a friend of mine reached out she has a pig same age she can't keep. All boars.

I haven't introduced the young pig I have to my 4 year old yet. So it would be trying to bond all three. Thoughts?

I have two other bonded pairs and know better than introducing him to them and risk a fallout.

thank you in advance

Hi

Please don't try; especially not with a teenager at the height of the life-long testosterone output and the worst age for bonding (6 months) in the mix. Which is likely the reason why he is being given up, poor boy.

Trios and quartets are the most instable of boar combos; the more teenagers in the mix, the higher the fail rate. You are about as likely to end up with working trio as you are with three singles that won't get on with any others; more likely with a 2+1 constellation of some sort. Boars can live in much larger bachelor herds or in smaller golden oldies trios or groups once their testosterone output has fizzled out and companionship needs outweigh dominance desires - but it always comes down to the individual personalities and the dynamics between them. There is no set rule, just trends.

If you want to try you will have to have cage space to accommodate three next door singles with interaction through the bars or a pair and a single in case it doesn't work out.

Please take the time to read these links here:
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[Short Shadow]

Hi

Please don't try; especially not with a teenager at the height of the life-long testosterone output and the worst age for bonding (6 months) in the mix. Which is likely the reason why he is being given up, poor boy.

Trios and quartets are the most instable of boar combos; the more teenagers in the mix, the higher the fail rate. You are about as likely to end up with working trio as you are with three singles that won't get on with any others; more likely with a 2+1 constellation of some sort. Boars can live in much larger bachelor herds or in smaller golden oldies trios or groups once their testosterone output has fizzled out and companionship needs outweigh dominance desires - but it always comes down to the individual personalities and the dynamics between them. There is no set rule, just trends.

If you want to try you will have to have cage space to accommodate three next door singles with interaction through the bars or a pair and a single in case it doesn't work out.

Please take the time to read these links here:
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Appreciate the input. This would be 3 Pigs all meeting each other for the first time and I hadn't heard of anyone doing that. I was hoping it might be a different result than with other trios so I could bring both home to live with my bereaved Boar. Breaks my heart the little guys are considered "buyers remorse" and "not that in to it." Thanks again.

 

[Wiebke]

Appreciate the input. This would be 3 Pigs all meeting each other for the first time and I hadn't heard of anyone doing that. I was hoping it might be a different result than with other trios so I could bring both home to live with my bereaved Boar. Breaks my heart the little guys are considered "buyers remorse" and "not that in to it." Thanks again.

Hi

Three boars meeting each other could go well if they are all very laid back/older or it could end up in an all out fighting ball within a few minutes. Or anything in between. There is just no guarantee as to what happens. With a 6 months teenage boar looking for a new home in the mix I do however struggle somewhat to envisage the best case scenario - that is ringing rather an alarm bell. But you could consider a living alongside option if you end up with a pair and a single in whichever way.

Boars are indeed the great losers and I appreciate your wish to help them all. But they do also come with their own social wiring and quirks, which breeding practice and pet settings are cutting very much across. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to help as many boars finding companionship and a caring home, it is not a matter of simply telling you what you want to hear but a matter of what your chances are likely going to be and what precautions you need to take. There are unfortunately no 'magic wand' measures to bring about the best case scenario.

Whenever you bring new piggies home for bonding, you always need to have a plan B or even a plan C at the ready - I have had several piggies where I had to go as far as plan D or even E. With my dumped ex-single Beryn I got about as far as plan H but I did eventually find her a friend who had the will and patience to work through her massive fear-aggression issue with her.

If I there is one one lesson I have learned from adopting plenty of often stuck in rescue piggies (or potential companions for them) over the last nearly 20 years then it is the fact that you can never predict the outcome but that the cases where it doesn't work out what looks ideal on paper clearly outweigh the successful oddball bondings in my own pretty ample experience with probably coming up to 200 bonding attempts by not.
You can have a big heart (I certainly have done it!) but only as long as you plan ahead and can always accommodate the worst case scenario and be able to think out of the box. Otherwise you can all too easily end up with a mess that is going to upset you much worse than a disappointing forum feedback - we do see those kind of messes on here fairly regularly to help nd sort them out.

PS: I have writting an article series about guinea pig social wiring and what survives of it in our pet piggies, which you may find very interesting to understand where your boars are coming from. The last chapter deals with boars. Here is the link: The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society

 

[Short Shadow]

Hi

Three boars meeting each other could go well if they are all very laid back/older or it could end up in an all out fighting ball within a few minutes. Or anything in between. There is just no guarantee as to what happens. With a 6 months teenage boar looking for a new home in the mix I do however struggle somewhat to envisage the best case scenario - that is ringing rather an alarm bell. But you could consider a living alongside option if you end up with a pair and a single in whichever way.

Boars are indeed the great losers and I appreciate your wish to help them all. But they do also come with their own social wiring and quirks, which breeding practice and pet settings are cutting very much across. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to help as many boars finding companionship and a caring home, it is not a matter of simply telling you what you want to hear but a matter of what your chances are likely going to be and what precautions you need to take. There are unfortunately no 'magic wand' measures to bring about the best case scenario.

Whenever you bring new piggies home for bonding, you always need to have a plan B or even a plan C at the ready - I have had several piggies where I had to go as far as plan D or even E. With my dumped ex-single Beryn I got about as far as plan H but I did eventually find her a friend who had the will and patience to work through her massive fear-aggression issue with her.

If I there is one one lesson I have learned from adopting plenty of often stuck in rescue piggies (or potential companions for them) over the last nearly 20 years then it is the fact that you can never predict the outcome but that the cases where it doesn't work out what looks ideal on paper clearly outweigh the successful oddball bondings in my own pretty ample experience with probably coming up to 200 bonding attempts by not.
You can have a big heart (I certainly have done it!) but only as long as you plan ahead and can always accommodate the worst case scenario and be able to think out of the box. Otherwise you can all too easily end up with a mess that is going to upset you much worse than a disappointing forum feedback - we do see those kind of messes on here fairly regularly to help nd sort them out.

PS: I have writting an article series about guinea pig social wiring and what survives of it in our pet piggies, which you may find very interesting to understand where your boars are coming from. The last chapter deals with boars. Here is the link: The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society

Yes, my heart is definitely driving the decision, because I know this is a high risk situation. It is very hard turning away a pig that needs love and a good home. I see them alone, crammed in a pet store bought hamster cage.

I try to think ahead as well, with Gio being 4 and bringing in a much younger pig, I thought maybe having a second young pig in the mix could help when it comes time for Gio to cross over. In hopes that it would help with the loss as the two young ones would still have each other. But also don't want to set up Gio, and myself, for failure as the odds for this working out aren't in our favor.

I completely understand what your saying, it's not up to us. I've had the most docile and loving pig turn into a little terror and an 1 year old very aggressive cycled shelter pig bond in a matter of minutes to a 2 year old I was fostering (adopted immediately after the bond held).

I been back and forth on the idea, asking around to family and Google. But I knew the best advice I could get was here from the Guinea Pig community that understands, cares and has extensive experience with these little guys.

Sometimes you just need someone to smack you with the reality you don't want lol.

Truly appreciate you taking the time. I'm still struggling with the loss of my pig, him and I were very close. He passed in my arms while we were having cuddle time in bed. It's only been 3 weeks. This 3rd pig is an Abby like him and I think it's driving the emotional response to bring him home.

thanks again for the advice

 

[Wiebke]

Yes, my heart is definitely driving the decision, because I know this is a high risk situation. It is very hard turning away a pig that needs love and a good home. I see them alone, crammed in a pet store bought hamster cage.

I try to think ahead as well, with Gio being 4 and bringing in a much younger pig, I thought maybe having a second young pig in the mix could help when it comes time for Gio to cross over. In hopes that it would help with the loss as the two young ones would still have each other. But also don't want to set up Gio, and myself, for failure as the odds for this working out aren't in our favor.

I completely understand what your saying, it's not up to us. I've had the most docile and loving pig turn into a little terror and an 1 year old very aggressive cycled shelter pig bond in a matter of minutes to a 2 year old I was fostering (adopted immediately after the bond held).

I been back and forth on the idea, asking around to family and Google. But I knew the best advice I could get was here from the Guinea Pig community that understands, cares and has extensive experience with these little guys.

Sometimes you just need someone to smack you with the reality you don't want lol.

Truly appreciate you taking the time. I'm still struggling with the loss of my pig, him and I were very close. He passed in my arms while we were having cuddle time in bed. It's only been 3 weeks. This 3rd pig is an Abby like him and I think it's driving the emotional response to bring him home.

thanks again for the advice

Just think about how many single piggies you can accommodate in case it goes haywire and then work from there so you are not failing any of the ones you can give a long term home to without risking breaking your big heart.

It is tough walking away but can also be tough not walking away and then failing a piggy which might have lost the chance to find the right home with somebody else with a big heart while you are struggling to find a solution for a dream bonding that has not worked out...

I have had to learn that I can never save all piggies (nobody can in view of the numbers) but what I can do is making a difference by getting it right for those I have the capacity for and making the world a little better place that way. It is a bit of a glass half empty/half full approach in terms of how to best deal with the problem. But there are piggies I will lways rue having had to walk away from because the conditions were not right.

All the best. Listen to your head to create the frame that allows your heart to fill it out safely.

PS: I fully understand where you are coming from. It is very hard after the loss of a special piggy or the loss of several in quick succession when heart wrestling is going into another league. Just try to be honest with yourself.