Grouping advice

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Sophieb

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Hi, I have 3 New Guinea pigs and I’m looking for advice on grouping. They are a 14 month boar and his two 6 week sons. They have been paired for a while as I am told that previous attempts to pair him with other babies had not worked out. I am told that one of the babies that I own stood up to the father when the father tried to dominate him and that they have been harmonious since.
Looking at other threads it is suggested that trips do not work in the long run; does them being related make any difference to the likelihood of long term success in this grouping?
 
Welcome Sophie. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but boars in groups have a very high failure rate. Your young boys will hit their teenage years from 4-14 months. It’s a critical time where relations can become fraught. You will need to plan for two pairs, depending on who gets on with whom. So, depending on character compatibility, your choices are:

1) have the brothers in a pair and find a single boar to bond with the dad.
2) pair one of the sons with the dad and find the other son a boar to bond him with.
3) whichever boar is left on his own after pairing off, can be neutered and paired with a sow after 6 weeks post operation.

If you go with no3, you have to be careful bout shielding the boar pairing from the sow’s smell. It could throw a spanner in the works and lead to a broken bond. A way you can do this is to stack cages, with the sow/boar pair underneath the boar pair. Logic is that the sow smell can’t travel upwards.

Did you get them from a rescue or elsewhere? A little more information would be welcome.

PS a good way to find the single boar a friend would be to take them dating at a rescue. That way they choose their own friend - more likely to lead to a lasting bond.

PPS we like lots of pigtures 😁
 
Siikibam said:
Welcome Sophie. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but boars in groups have a very high failure rate. Your young boys will hit their teenage years from 4-14 months. It’s a critical time where relations can become fraught. You will need to plan for two pairs, depending on who gets on with whom. So, depending on character compatibility, your choices are:

1) have the brothers in a pair and find a single boar to bond with the dad.
2) pair one of the sons with the dad and find the other son a boar to bond him with.
3) whichever boar is left on his own after pairing off, can be neutered and paired with a sow after 6 weeks post operation.

If you go with no3, you have to be careful bout shielding the boar pairing from the sow’s smell. It could throw a spanner in the works and lead to a broken bond. A way you can do this is to stack cages, with the sow/boar pair underneath the boar pair. Logic is that the sow smell can’t travel upwards.

Did you get them from a rescue or elsewhere? A little more information would be welcome.

PS a good way to find the single boar a friend would be to take them dating at a rescue. That way they choose their own friend - more likely to lead to a lasting bond.

PPS we like lots of pigtures 😁
Click to expand...


Thanks, that was what I expected to hear so when I’ve got to know them and their hierarchy a little better I will look at who will be most compatible to rebond. I think I will look for a young boar as I don’t want to risk any problems with a sow. I washed all my equipment with vinegar to try and remove traces of my previous sow herd before bringing these guys home to avoid that being an issue.
I don’t want to separate before I have to, as others have stated that multiple separations and reintroductions can have a negative effect.

They’re still settling in but in all of my previous 9 piggies I’ve never known any babies quite as confident from the off as these guys. They were bred at a pet shop (it’s is reputable, which is why I went to them). This litter( the third and last for the pair) was 3 girls and 2 boys. One girl was rehomed with the mother, two boys are paired, and my pair were put with the father which why I have the three of them.
Unfortunately for me, but great for the piggies, our local rescue have rehomed all their piggies, so there were none available to adopt from rescue.

I have attached some pics of them, albeit as they are settling in they are not the best quality! Artie is the ginger dad, Rolo is the predominantly brown baby and Wilbur is the tri-colour.

Thanks for your advice, I’m hoping it will work out but preparing for a fourth addition in the not too distant future! B49A2C46-3D88-49DE-9B96-94023B03860F.webpB779CF08-46D0-4DB2-AAB9-2F1A42F59360.webpBDF723FA-715D-4BDB-9347-0A7EA6A01D81.webp
 
I think don’t discount the option of a sow. If they were around sows then they’re usually less likely to react if there is one nearby. And as said you can always stack the cages. There’s a member on here who has two cages side by side, with female(s) in one. In between she put something up so they can’t see each other. She’s never had issues. Neither have I - my cages are stacked and I have the sow pair living underneath the boars.

Good luck with the pairing. No need to separate as yet, give yourself time to study them. Maybe wait till they hit the teenage years as that can be a real test of bonds.
 
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