We have 4 guinea pigs. One just won't get along...

[jlai928]

Hi all,

We've got 4 guinea pigs boars. 2 are bonded and they are super happy. The 3rd and 4th we got together as well but after the original pair.
The original 2 are called Pumpkin and Spice. The other two are Cookie and Fortune.

Now our issue is Fortune just won't get along with anyone. There has been two Cookies because one originally had to be replaced as he didn't get along with Fortune either which we thought was just a pairing issue. However, after time, 6-8 months, fortune still doesn't get a long and we are very worried about him. Him and the others always get into fights. Fortune constantly has marks on his back, his mouth etc. These wounds weren't so bad until they had a scrap last week. Literally ball of fury type fighting. Pumpking and Spice ganged up on Fortune and as much as we tried we couldn't seperate them until Fortune had a chunk taken out of his back from Spice latching on who also just wouldn't let go. Surprisingly Spice suffered worse injuries having a chunk taken out of his cheek so much so we had to go to the out of hours vet to get him checked and he was very close to needing stitches.

Fast forward to today, Spice and Fortune are currently separated from the rest, in cages of their own while we give them anti-inflammatories and antibiotics for one week. After that, we will put spice back with Cookie and Pumpkin which should be fine but we don't know what to do with Fortune.

We've tested their interaction a couple of times in the garden after the fight and it has confirmed that the three get along but fortune is definitely not going to be able to be put back with them.

What advice would you give in this situation? We can't afford to buy another pig, test him, potentially return and repeat just to see if fortune can get along. I don't even think anyone will let us do that...

ANother option is, we are thinking of buying a small 4ft hutch so Fortune can have a bit more space and just live on his own for the foreseeable future but obviously we woudl like to avoid having a piggy on their own if possible.

Not sure what to do.

 

[Piggies&buns]

As you are finding four boars together will not get along.
Boars can only be kept in pairs to be successful (and merging two separate boar pairs is not recommended as it will not work long term).

A boar trio is also not likely to work - they have a 90% failure rate.

Now Spice is also separated from Pumpkin and Cookie, you are not likely to get them to go back together as a trio. Cookie and Pumpkin will reestablish their relationship as a pair and hopefully remain stable. Trying to reintegrate Spice back in with them will be very likely to fail from the off, but even if it initially works is not likely to last. Also, trying to add spice back in, at worst, has the potential to also cause Pumpkin and cookie to fall out resulting in all four needing to live separately.

You are looking at a situation where Cookie and Pumpkin can probably remain as a pair provided you don’t try to add spice back in. They will need a a 6ft hutch.
Fortune will have to have his own hutch (a minimum of a 4ft hutch), and Spice will also need to have his own hutch (again, a minimum of 4ft)
Sadly what you are experiencing is par for the course with attempting to keep more than two boars together and expecting them to end up as either a pair and two singles, or at worst four single piggies is the normal outcome.

If you are determined to join Spice, Pumpkin and Cookie back together, then you need to make sure their cage/hutch measures 300x100cm to ensure they have one square metre of territory each, along with a back up plan for living arrangements. Anything less than that will mean they dont have enough room (normal cage sizing requirements do not apply to anybody brave enough to attempt to keep more than two boars together - cages need to be considerably larger). However, as compatibility is the key factor, even with a large enough space, it is still sadly, not likely to work.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Swissgreys]

Sadly 4 boars were never likely to get along, and 3 is also a recipe for disaster.

I would keep your bonded pair as they are for now.
Honestly the fact that Fortune has fallen out with 2 other males isn't really surprising - he just hasn't met one he likes yet, and some piggies can be very picky.

As your boys are quite young I would suggest contacting a rescue and asking to date one of your remaining single piggies so he can choose his own companion that he gets on with.
Hopefully this willed to 2 stable pairs, both in their own appropriately sized accommodation (a 6 foot hutch each).
You may be able to give the remaining single piggy to the rescue to bond separately, so he is not labelled as unbindable and subjected auto a life alone.

The other option would be to keep your single boys separate, but with contact though the cage bars.
This form of social interaction is very important , but sadly almost impossible to achieve with hutches. It really only works with indoor cages of a grid like construction.