New addition

[FlumpGP]

Hi,

I have two boy piggies Toffee and Flump who live happily together in a c&c cage in my garage and also love spending time outdoors in their run.
My friend is looking for a home for her girl pig and I've offered to have her then get another girl for company.

Obviously I will keep them in separate cages but will I need to keep the female in another room or will it be ok for her to go in the garage too?
My worry is that if my boys can smell or see the girl pig they will start fighting so what is the best way around this?

I'd be grateful for any advice x x

 

[Stewybus]

If they're in a shed then the girls should not be in another cage in close vicinity so would be best in the house (or another shed). I've noticed that the foster boys I have at present seem to react within 5 minutes of me bringing one of the girls in the room for nail clipping or grooming.

 

[madguinealady]

if they can smell the girls it may cause a fight. I would put them in a seperate room or equivalent

 

[PottyForPiggies]

It depends, I have both my males and females in the living room, and the boys do get more squabbly when a girl is in heat but nothing dangerous

 

[funnehmare]

I would say it depends on the relationship the boys have. My two boys are housed in the same room as my two mini herds and they don't have a problem. They squabble more about who gets which hidey and who has the best of the veg than they do about the presence of girls. They have on one or two occasions (when space has been tight) been out in the run alongside one of my mini herds and other than a bit of flirting through the bars mostly ignored the girls. However, if their bond wasn't tight as it is I wouldn't put them in close proximity to the girls. Not all pairings will cope with the strain of female scent being wafted in their direction. You can only really give it a go and see how they cope

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! It very much depends on the age and bond of your two boys. I know laid back boar couples who live peacefully next door to sow groups; others had to be moved away.

Ideally, you have the girls a bit away or underneath the boys too keep the sow pheromones from interfering. Boys can also fight when they come into line-of-sight with girls, so if their cages are alongside, they will need an opaque divider.

Please consider using a rescue for a new addition. Your friend's girl can be paired up with another girl or a neutered boar, preferably of her own choice. A cross gender bonding is general the most stable of them all.
I can most warmly recommend these two high standard/practice and ethics rescues that are a little bit further away, but well worth the effort, as you will get bonding under expert supervision and guaranteed healthy and not pregnant piggies:
http://www.thepotteriesguineapigrescue.co.uk/
http://www.rspca-walsall.org.uk/ (who have currently got several gorgeous neutered boars looking for a lady love).
I cannot recommend to use Cavy Haven in Winsford.

PS: With members from all over the world, we would be very grateful if you added your country/general area to your details, so we can give you pertinent advice, links and local recommendations straight away. You can do so in forum/private messages/my settings/edit profile/location.

 

[FlumpGP]

Thanks for all your advice I think I will start off by keeping the new piggy in a separate room to start with just to be safe. The boys are about 6 months old, they get on well but seem to be quite independent of each other.

Yes I will be getting a rescue as a companion for the new girl pig, I know Wythall animal sanctuary have guinea pigs and will also have a look at the rspca site x