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Adopting Adding more guinea pigs to our pair

2cocos

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We have a pair of 6 month old females, which we got at 5 weeks old, that are doing great. We got them from a locally-owned pet store, which was our best option at the time (we live in a smaller city where there are no rescues and only occasional listings online, and we were being impatient) and they were not in the best of health (lice, missing patches of fun, scrawny). However, they are thriving now and my two daughters, 8 and 10, are great with them. I maintain the cage, they help with feeding and play/spend a lot of time with them. We feed them a very high quality diet (Oxbow products and lots of fresh veggies, no store bought treats/crap).

We have a 2x5 C&C cage. We are planning to add a 2x2 "L" section, where we will place their hidey and a fleece forest so that they have the run of the 2x5 area.

One thing we are considering is adding another another pair of females to our pair. I know that cavies tend to live in groups in the wild, and I am wondering if it would make them happier being in a larger group? They are by themselves from 8-4 Mon-Fri. They have each other but I am worried about them being bored. They are really not into toys, so maybe other pigs would liven things up a bit? I know there can be issues with personalities when you add piggies. We have a Midwest cage that we can use for initial quarantine, and we can expand and separate the C&C while the pigs are getting used to one another.

There has been a lone pig up for adoption in our area for a few months now. She was initially a rescue and now is 3 years old. I would bring her to the vet to make sure she is female. The plan would be to keep looking for an older pig as a partner for her if three's a crowd. Or, would it be better to wait for a pair of bonded females to adopt? They are pretty rare around here, most pigs come from the pet stores and tend to be male in our area. I think this particular pig has been alone for most of her life.

Is this a good idea or am I just rocking the boat? Our two girls get along super well, and it does not seem like one is dominant at the moment. The only time they squabble is when they don't have space, like when they are in a small cage because we are traveling or cleaning their C&C. But even then, it tends to be just a few seconds until they get comfortable. They came with us for xmas vacation, 12 hour car ride there and back and they did great. They are pretty mild mannered. We have no other pets in the house. Extra cost is not an issue. My goal is to ensure that our two pigs have a happy life, and to accommodate another pet that could benefit from a better standard of living.

Thanks!
 
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bpatters

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I think it's fine to add additional females (males are another story entirely). Just be aware that it's harder to introduce groups than individuals, and you should plan for a much longer time in the neutral area. Be sure to read https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html before you start.
 

rotto77

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we went from 2 to three girls with no major problems.
 

new2piggs

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So I went from two girls, added another pair, then another pair, then one and one more.

So we have 8 girls now. We have a 4x5 cage with a 2x2 loft and they get lots of floor time.
@bpatters gave you a fantastic link on introductions. We used our long hallway with grids at each end with water bottles and food. I sat with them for the first hour to two hours then cleaned and changed up the cage before putting them all together.

We have two dominant girls but they are best buds. The rule together over our group. Good luck!!
 

jaycriae

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I had two girls together for a year and a half before adding my third, females don't typically mind living in groups of three the way males do. If you have the space, I say go for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

sallyvh

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If you like the 3 year old girl, I would go for it!

In the summer I introduced a 5 week old baby to my pair of sows who were 2.5 years old at the time. Everything went very smoothly. A month after that I acquired a 1.5 year old sow. Introductions with her took over 12 hours before I felt comfortable putting them in the cage. It's been 6 months though and the 4 of them get along great!
 

2cocos

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I am going to go see her this week. Check out her personality and make sure she is in fact female (the current owner is not sure of gender "she" may very well be male, in which case, our search will continue). I think we'll take her if all looks good. She looks to be an all brown american crested, dark brown with light brown variations. Really cute! She's in a really small cage right now which annoys me. I was mostly concerned about potential fighting, but looks like as long as we follow introduction procedures, chances are good that all will go well. I don't want to get into a situation where we need to maintain separate cages, or worse, have to give her back/away again.

I'll post pics of our trio if/when it's all settled.
 

sallyvh

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I will add, there is always a chance that things won't work out and you do unfortunately need to be prepared for it. Some pigs get along wonderfully and other just seem to hate each other.

I would suggest for you to prepare yourself supplies wise and mentally for the fact that it may not. Females usually do well together and generally accept friends but it isn't a guarantee, even if you follow proper introduction protocol.

I've had luck with my group of 4 but I also have two older ladies who are very dominant and do not get along with anyone.

I've got a stacked 2x6 C&C, the group of 4 lives on the top and the two aggressive ladies live on the bottom, each with a 2x3 section of their own.
 

2cocos

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Thanks! I do have the space to add another level to our C&C, and am willing to add a 4th piggie as well. We also have a Midwest cage that we use when going out of town for long stints that I will be using at first. I already have the supplies to add a 2x2 L to our 5x2, so I can also put in a divider for a while if necessary, once quarantine and introductions have been done.

It will be interesting to see if either of our current pigs is dominant. Right now, we have our "princess" Charlie, who is the more dainty, picky and skittish one, and seem to have the most attitude, though she is also the one who enjoys behind held the most. Lucky is our more athletic and bold one, who enjoys floor time the most. She's a rex and the bigger of the two. They tend to stick together, but every so often one of them is kicked out of their house and spends time in the tunnel. I would say Lucky gets kicked out more often but they do take turns. It's interesting because it seems like Charlie has the upper hand, but physically, Lucky could take her down.
 
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