Two's a company, is three a crowd?

[LucyB1234]

Since the unexpected arrival of our (confirmed boar) baby last week to my new sow/resident neutered boar pairing (the baby is not his) I will have to rethink my setup. In the hutch above I have a very happily bonded husboar and sow who I will likely need to put Mum in with to prevent anymore unwanted babies in a few weeks. Since my baby has been living with his stepdad since birth and they have a good relationship I plan to continue their bond for as long as it hopefully continues. Long term, baby will need to be neutered as he will eventually become the resident husboar since my two males are in their twilight years.

My concern is that adding my new Mum to the already bonded mix will upset the bond. The husboar is incredibly quiet and sweet and his girlfriend is clearly in charge but also really loving with him. Have other people had success adding a second sow to the pair? My hutch is five foot so just about spacious enough although not ideal. They have access to a bigger run every other day too.

 

[Siikibam]

Sometimes it can be a case of them not wanting anyone to join them. But the only way to know is to try and bond them. Hope it works out and they get on well.

 

[Piggies&buns]

As it comes down to character compatibility and whether your sow would be willing to accept another piggy into their pair, all you can do is try a bonding. How old is the original sow? The older they are, the less willing they tend to be to accept newcomers - not a hard and fast rule though.

This guide may help further Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Is upgrading a 6ft double hutch an option going forward? It would be much better for the (potential) trio and the boar pair if they had 6ft. While a 5ft hutch is minimum welfare size for three and also minimum for two boars, the reality is it is likely to be on the tight side for them.
If he is likely to become the only boar with two sows going forward, then a 6ft hutch would be of long term benefit for all scenarios.
The run unfortunately doesn’t count because it isn’t a permanent living space.

Let us know how it goes when you try to bond the sows