Healthy Weights

[MoonBurger]

Hi,

I have three boars…. They are 12 weeks old. I just weighed them today and they range from 547 - 633g… I’m worried about my little Amos at 547… Can anyone advise?

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. There isn’t a set ideal weight for a piggy. They are all different shapes and sizes. If they are gaining weight every week I wouldn’t worry. Do they all live together? If so I’d have a back up plan as three boars don’t usually work out once the hormones kick in.

 

[Piggies&buns]

and

As long as they each gain weight every week, then please don’t worry. There are no set weights and they will each have their own genetic adult weight and will get there in their own way! I have a pair of boars whose weights vary widely - one weighs in 1500-1550g and the other is 1250-1300g!

Our weight guide is below

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Definitely do have a separation place in place for when they hit their teens (16 weeks) onwards as sadly boar trios almost always fail and most don’t make it out of their teens (teens ends as 14 months) with their relationship in tact. Character compatibility is incredibly difficult to get right with a boar trio and this is why they fail. The separation will hopefully result in a pair and a single piggy - with you spending the time now monitoring which two get on best so they can remain together post-separation.
Ensure they have an exceptionally large space - while space alone will not get them through, lack of space will raise tensions quickly. Their cage needs to cover at least a square metre per piggy, so a 3 metre by 1 metre cage will be needed for the time they are together, to allow each piggy enough territory and space to help to diffuse tensions.
Some people do get lucky though and can manage to have a functioning boar trio but sadly we don’t get many

Boar guides below

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I have three boars…. They are 12 weeks old. I just weighed them today and they range from 547 - 633g… I’m worried about my little Amos at 547… Can anyone advise?

Hi!

No worry; your boys are all fine.

Newborns can weigh between 40-120g - and that difference carries on through life and gets even larger in adulthood.
As long as your boys are all fit, healthy and putting on weight on most weeks for another 1-3 months, they are doing perfectly fine. They won't hit adulthood until they are around 15 months of age, so that is plenty of time to realise the optimal weight/genetically determined size ratio (i.e. 'heft' or BMI), which is the important one - i.e. that each of your boars is neither over- or underweight for their individual size.

On a good normal hay and NOT veg based diet with only a modicum of pellets (1 tablespoon per piggy per day) diet with plenty of space and exercise, they will grow to be as healthy as they can be and you also have a better chance of seeing them live to the upper rather than the lower end of the average healthy life span.
Please take the time to read our diet guide; it is key not just to a good weight/size ratio but also long term health. The guide looks at diet as a whole and at each food group in practical detail: A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

Please monitor weight and health/body changes once weekly so you can pick up on developing issues early on.
Weight - Monitoring and Management (Explains how weight develops over the course of a life time, how you check for the heft/BMI, over- and underweight and when to see vet/step in with feeding support in the case of weight loss)
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
For the weekly body check:
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

All of these guides are part of our very useful New Owners information resource. In 15 years of existence we have learned what regular questions/concerns there are and in which practical detail they need to be answered. You can also learn a lot about behaviour, including a little course in piggy whispering. You may want to bookmark the link, browse, read and re-read at need: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

PS: Unfortunately, in our experience about as many baby boar trios will end up as three singles as they will make it through to adulthood (ca. 10%) whereas the rest usually ends up with a 2+1 scenario, so it would be good if you started planning for alternative options for your boys since they will enter teenage and its massive hormone spike within the next month, as soon as the testicles start descending.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[MoonBurger]

Hi…

Yes I feel very concerned about the boar trio… there is a definite pair and then Amos seems to be the outsider… I previously had four boys for seven eight years who all got along fine so I did not anticipate any issues. I didn’t realise how rare it was to have four guys get along so well.

I am happy to separate but don’t know how I feel about one separate piggie. Well I do know… I feel concerned about loneliness…

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi…

Yes I feel very concerned about the boar trio… there is a definite pair and then Amos seems to be the outsider… I previously had four boys for seven eight years who all got along fine so I did not anticipate any issues. I didn’t realise how rare it was to have four guys get along so well.

I am happy to separate but don’t know how I feel about one separate piggie. Well I do know… I feel concerned about loneliness…

You were definitely lucky to have a quartet of boars - they are even harder to get to work than a trio!

The one who ends up single will need to have his cage side by side with the pair. This way they will interact through the bars only. This will stop loneliness. It is common practice for boars (even those from broken pairs) who can’t live together to live as neighbours.
There is the option of bonding in him with another character compatible boar, ideally via dating at a rescue centre so he can choose his own friend therefore resulting in a good bond.
The cage size for a pair of boars is a minimum of 150x60cm but 180x60cm is recommended. While a piggy is single, as I said, his cage must be side by side with the other piggies but if he was to have a friend of his own, then c&c cages can be stacked which therefore saves floor space, or putting one pair on the ground under a table and then the other pair on top of a table, for example.

 

[Wiebke]

Just keep an eye on the situation once the boys hit the hormones all together and be prepared. This will save you a lot of emotional upset and panic. It doesn't mean that they will definitely fall out but at least you know what you can do, have time to think through your options (living alongside or living with another boarmate of his own) and can get the necessary stuff in time so you need not scramble like mad.

What I would not recommend in your situation is neutering so he can live with a sow - introducing a sow in to a room with bonded boars, especially teenagers is not a good idea; this could potentially trigger another fight or fall-out in your pair. When sows come into season they emit some rather powerful pheromones!

Teenage boar trio problems is one of the issues we get contacted over most often.

 

[MoonBurger]

I’m very cross at myself for being so naive… they are currently in a five by four c&c cage… and we have spare grids and connectors to separate if necessary. I think I would have to have an introduction with another boar at a centre for the lone pig (which I fear will be Amos). I mean good neighbors are nice but it’s not the same as a snuggle buddy…

 

[MoonBurger]

Thank you for your suggestions…. They are much appreciated

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your suggestions…. They are much appreciated

That cage footprint is large enough for two pairs - you can always add a hayloft and extend upwards for more enrichment.

Just knowing what you can do and that you have got a workable immediate solution that can be easily implemented will hopefully help you in case dynamics take a turn for the worse and short term separation to let the hormone spike die down won't do the trick.

Unfortunately, your closest good welfare standard rescue near Buddleigh Salterton has closed down about two years ago so you have to either travel to Bristol or to Southampton; if you can make the trip, it is worth it as your single boy will be in good and experienced hands at either place to have his own say in who he wants to live with and where you come home with a new mate only if acceptance has happened/come home fully bonded and stress tested from a little holiday in the case of Wheek&Squeak. A bit of extra effort and likely some patience as some rescues are only just reopening and may have waiting lists but it will allay any headaches re. achieving another stable pair.
Here is the link to the guinea pig rescues that have passed a comprehensive vetting process and that we can vouch for: Rescue Locator

 

[MoonBurger]

Thank you. I very much appreciate your time and advice. Just one more thing. So you mentioned separating while their hormones spike… should I… do this in anticipation…or should I just keep a very close eye? I thought once they were separated (when on good terms) you wouldn’t be able to reintroduce them…

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. I very much appreciate your time and advice. Just one more thing. So you mentioned separating while their hormones spike… should I… do this in anticipation…or should I just keep a very close eye? I thought once they were separated (when on good terms) you wouldn’t be able to reintroduce them…

Please take the time to read our teenage guide. Short term separations in the case of a sudden hormone spike should only be made when dynamics between your piggies are clearly escalating in order to prevent a fight or fall-out. Re-intro is always on neutral ground outside the cage. Only then will you know whether the bond is still working or not.
You can't separate all the time because then it becomes another destabilising stress factor but it can get you through one of these intense hormone spikes without ending with a bloody fight. Just put a separator in the cage until tempers have cooled down again, usually after two days.
Here is our very comprehensive, practical and detailed teenage guide with all the necessary information. Take the time to read up and digest it all. We are currently throwing a lot at you!
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Most of the links in this thread are part of our pretty extensive information collection, which you may find both interesting and useful - things have moved on so much over the past decade. We even have got a little course in 'piggy whispering' (which actually really works) and more information on guinea pigs as a species and not just as a pet.
You may want to bookmark the link, browse, read and re-read at need: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Our full and even more extensive information resource can be best accessed via the guides shortcut on the top bar where it is laid out in thematic order rather than having to search through all the jumbled up sticky threads at the top of each section.

Just take your time to settle down again and digest it all.

 

[MoonBurger]

Ok thank you very much, that’s fabulous…. I will have a really good read through all of that…. thanks again