even numbers?

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teddy2011

teddy2011

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do * think guinea pigs better off in groups of even numbers.

I have two boars living together.

and then I have three sows,but the two older sows are more dominant over the younger sow and I sometimes think she needs a friend of her own if * get me?!

I added her to the two not so long ago,and they are all fine,the older two would be closer, but would the youngest sow (mini) be happier if I got her another friend closer to her age maybe?
 
I think in smaller groups then even numbers work better yes, 2's, 4's or even 6's seem to work better. However i think when you get a larger number of piggies in a herd the less they tend to pair off ive found. Your trio might benefit from a neutered boar to 'keep the peace' so to speak.

x.
 
Thanks!

I think I will get another sow then,I think she needs a partner even tho she is with the other two

I volunteer at a local rescue,they have two sows but they are together so I couldn't take one of them.

But I will rescue a sow from somewhere

Thanks again,
 
i had a group of three together and decided to add to the group for that exact reason. i had a young boar and two older related sows and found that one of the sows were often left out, and also wanted a younger friend for my rather excitable younger boy. i now have six (i went a bit mad with adding pigs!) but found that this is much better for everyone. i'd be tempted to get another so that they can all pair off if they like. i agree with abi that a boy would be a good idea, you'd make him an extremely happy pig and i think they're much easier to add to a group than another girl. they do seem to keep the peace i find, my young boy rufus is really pleased with his five to one ratio! x
 
Three piggies especially is the grouping that is most likely to end up with an outsider problem. From about five piggies onwards, you will see group behaviour and it is no longer important whether numbers are even or not.

But if you have got the possibility to go from 2 directly to 4 piggies, do so; best with two bonded couples of sows of different ages - that way, you won't have as little problems with outsiders or dominance.

If you want to to your trio of sows, it would be worth to consider introducing a neutered boar. However, with a sow dominant over 2 years old, it is worth looking around for a dating possibility as not every top sow likes to relinquish part of her power! You will usually know within about 20 minutes whether a boar is being accepted or not. Once accepted, fall outs with cross gender pairings are extremely rare.
 
I don't think the rescue neuters guinea pigs - just dogs and cats.

I know they have 6 guinea pigs in total at the moment.

I know of one more rescue for guinea pigs and after that I cant seem to find any more

I have been looking all night - I have to boars living together and then the three sows separate (obviously).

I am going to ring in the morning and see what my options are with a rescue piggy
 
I've got exactly the same problem as you :( My youngest sow is being left out & bullied by the other two. My main concern now is which one to get the friend for? Do I split them into 2 pairs or keep as a group of 4 by adding one other, presumably younger sow? The other problem is finding a single sow in rescue.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I've got exactly the same problem as you :( My youngest sow is being left out & bullied by the other two. My main concern now is which one to get the friend for? Do I split them into 2 pairs or keep as a group of 4 by adding one other, presumably younger sow? The other problem is finding a single sow in rescue.
Click to expand...

what about a neutered boar? x
 
My older two are mother and daughter so they will stay with each other - daisy (the daughter) hates when Tilly (the mother) is out of her sight!she goes nuts!

So I just need to find a little friend for my mini pig,and like that I was thinking of separating them too but then again I don't know.

I suppose I could try the four of them together and see how they go and if they are not happy then I could separate them!

I am limited to rescues as well,and I really want to rescue a piggy!
 
teddy2011 said:
My older two are mother and daughter so they will stay with each other - daisy (the daughter) hates when Tilly (the mother) is out of her sight!she goes nuts!

So I just need to find a little friend for my mini pig,and like that I was thinking of separating them too but then again I don't know.

I suppose I could try the four of them together and see how they go and if they are not happy then I could separate them!

I am limited to rescues as well,and I really want to rescue a piggy!
Click to expand...

I have a mum & daughter, Chubbs & Daisy who just had an op for an abscess possibly caused by a bite from Ziggy, the unrelated middle pig rolleyes
It's Daisy who I'd like to get a friend for, although she gets on well with her mum, just not Ziggy :... and Ziggy loves the mum & is jealous of Daisy! So do I get Ziggy a friend instead? Oh dear lol !
 
I must say I feel terrible now for the little babe!She's so sweet.

I would keep the mother and daughter together and get the unrelated piggy a new friend - well that's what I'm going to do! I would say separating the mother and daughter would upset them too much!

Boars are lovely - I find mine a lot friendlier than my sows!and when they are neutered I find they are a lot cleaner !

I am now on a mission to rescue a little piggy - sow or neutered boar!:))
 
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