Three male guinea pigs

[Arri_Piggies]

So before I get into it, like other people I wasn't aware that 3 boars together don't usually bond well when I was getting them. I now know better but it would be so upsetting to have to give one up and would like some advice before that becomes my only option.

So I have 3 male guinea pigs and I've had them for almost 6 months. I got them all from the same place and apart from normal male guinea pig behaviours like rumbling and the odd bit of chasing, they never showed any major signs of aggression. There is only pig that is smaller than the other two but he still eats really well and I've often seen them all sleeping in the loft together. However I've noticed the most dominant pig chasing the little one and a couple of days ago I saw the littlest one had what looked like a cut around his mouth and I'm worried he's being bullied. I've been monitoring them very carefully and so far I haven't witnessed any aggressive fights, just the odd nip here and there. They're currently in a 7x3 C&C with a 2x2 loft and I have the materials to extend the loft into a larger space if I needed to separate them.

Should I separate the little one into the extended loft section and keep him by himself?
Would he be okay as a single as long as the others were still nearby and he could hear them?
Or would I need to consider getting another pig and having two pairs or rehoming the little one?

I know that was a lot to read but I'd appreciate any advice

 

[fluffysal]

Don't worry about the long post we are here to help. Any of your boys that you feel need to be separated for their own safety will be fine on their own long term as long as they get interaction through a divider.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm sorry to hear this.

I’m afraid you are going to need to separate them if you are finding some injuries, but you cannot put him in a loft (of any size)
He needs to be side by side on ground level with the others, not above them. Being above will remove all interaction and cause him to get lonely.
In terms of cage size - the pair need a 5x2. The single then needs to be beside them in a 3x2 minimum.
He will be perfectly fine as a single pig living beside them.

You can bond him with another piggy. In that case both pairs need their own 5x2 c&c. In this scenario you can stack the two cages on top of each other to save space. This is fine to do as each pig has their own friend so being stacked doesn’t cause loss of any interaction.
If you get him a new friend, then you ideally will find that friend via dating at a rescue centre so you can ensure the two pigs are compatible and bond successfully. The risk with buying another friend is that you could find yourself with an on spec purchase, the two them don’t bond and you then need a third cage to keep them separate from each other.

Rehoming is, but doesn’t have to be an option. Living side by side is perfectly viable and acceptable.

I originally had one pair of boars. I then got a second pair. Sadly as the second pair hit their teens, their bond broke down. They fought and had to be separated. So I had a pair and two singles. The singles lived beside each other on a bottom level and the pair lived above them.
The two singles were much happier apart and still communicated through the bars.
Sadly one of the bonded pair passed of old age so he was moved down beside the other two - leaving me with three single boars (all of which were dominant). I took the plunge and bonded the bereaved boar with one of the singles and thankfully it worked out. Leaving me with a pair and a single who lived beside them. Sadly the older boar passes away a few weeks ago and now I’m back to two singles (both 2.5 years old) who live happily side by side.