Making A Trio?

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Smile124x

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i currently have two 5.5 month old sows that have been together since they were 7 weeks old, they live in a 5x2 double storey hutch with permanent access via a wooden tunnel/ramp to a 7x2 outdoor enclosed run. The hutch is kept within my shed that has heating/lighting. What I would like to know is whether my setup could house a 3rd Guinea pig, preferably a rescued neutered male. My girls have the occasional squabble but nothing serious, and I heard that trios generally do better with 1 male/ 2 female setup? Obviously if the male is not neutered or is post op then I would keep them separate as I have a 100x100cm cage that my girls used to live in, and I could keep him by the side of my girls so they get to knew each other? My worry is if he is not neutered and the cages are by the side of each other, can they mate through the bars? Any input would be gladly received
 
Smile124x said:
i currently have two 5.5 month old sows that have been together since they were 7 weeks old, they live in a 5x2 double storey hutch with permanent access via a wooden tunnel/ramp to a 7x2 outdoor enclosed run. The hutch is kept within my shed that has heating/lighting. What I would like to know is whether my setup could house a 3rd Guinea pig, preferably a rescued neutered male. My girls have the occasional squabble but nothing serious, and I heard that trios generally do better with 1 male/ 2 female setup? Obviously if the male is not neutered or is post op then I would keep them separate as I have a 100x100cm cage that my girls used to live in, and I could keep him by the side of my girls so they get to knew each other? My worry is if he is not neutered and the cages are by the side of each other, can they mate through the bars? Any input would be gladly received
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You have got the space for a trio. A neutered boar/2 bonded sows combo is indeed the most stable option. Guinea pigs cannot mate through bars/mesh, but keeping a full boar separated for any length of time is rather frustrating for both parties!

The best place to go and date your two girls with a suitable already neutered boar is one of our recommended rescues. That way, you know that a) any boar is 100% safe (having passed his full 6 weeks post op wait), b) he is perfectly healthy and fully quarantined and c) acceptance has happened when you bring them all home from the rescue, so you can be sure that they get on despite the dominance phase they will go through when establishing their group, and lastly d) you will always have the rescue to fall back on if there are problems along the way.
The extra effort is well worth for total peace of mind - plus you can help a rescue make space for the big Christmas dump of unwanted piggies that is already starting now! ;) Good standard rescues (like the ones we can vouch for) are by far the safest place to get guinea pigs from.

Rescues often do not even charge the full neutering op price when rehoming neutered boars (never mind the price of the care and upkeep during a mandatory quarantine and recovery), so you are getting a bargain without all the headaches of a neutering op/recovery!
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That's definitely enough space for you to house yourself a trio. Yes, neutered boars and sows often do not squabble and it's pretty much garunteed they will get along. I would try to seek out one that's already neutered as that can be a pricey bill, plus when it's already neutered you can set up dates with the sows to see which boar has the best 'chemistry' with them and the one you yourself likes the best.

I would quarintine the new addition from the sows for about 2 weeks anyways to make sure no parasites/illnesses are being transmitted from him to the girls. Some people do not do this but I heavily advise it. It's pretty risky to break quarintine.

Now, if mating between bars happened that'd be an absolute miracle. You have nothing to worry about there. I hope you enjoy your new addition to your guinea pigs and I hope you find the perfect (adopted) guinea pig. Good luck, it's a long process but it'll be worth it in the end.
 
I agree with Wiebke. I would get an already neutered boy from a rescue. I have a group of girls that didn't get on the the first male they were tried with but like Toby now, or in Jemimas case she puts up with him. Both my sister and I have had times when we got piggies without bonding first, including a neutered male,and it didn't work out when we tried bonding them so it is always better to be sure they get on rather than be faced with the possibility that they won't bond. Thankfully after living side by side for a while both my sister and I managed to bond the problem pigs but I wouldn't have had room for a third herd and if Tara hadn't have bonded I might have had to give her back.
After Tara had been with the group for a while they lost the neutered boy, Nico, and the girls fell out. Getting Reuben settled them down immediately and the girls were fine again. I would always recommend getting a neutered boy to settle girls down.
 
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