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Adopting 3 Boars - Should I separate them?

CoolCavys

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Hi all! I am adopting three guinea pigs on Saturday (these will be my first guinea pigs of my own as an adult). They are three young boars being rehomed by a lady who bought them for her kids and they then lost interest. At the moment, all three boars are living together in one cage. I know from doing my own research that the majority of three boar herds fail, particularly herds with young boars that will all be go through puberty/hormonal changes at the same time. My first step will be taking them to the vet to confirm that they are in fact all boars. If they are though, what do y?all think I should do? Should I preemptively split them up? Like, keep two in a pair and find a fourth piggie to pair with the now single piggie? Should I let it play out as a trio and just be prepared that it will probably go south? I?d appreciate any ideas or input that you all have.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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The best chance you have, especially while they are young, is to find a fourth young boar and have two pair. It's virtually guaranteed that it WILL go south (speaking from experience with two babies and a senior).

In your shoes, I would already be planning for either 2 boars and rehoming the third, or planning for two separate cages and 4 little men. If you have the space, you'll find all 4 of them very rewarding. Young boars are hilarious.
 

CoolCavys

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How do you recommend choosing which two piggies to keep together and which one to separate and find a new companion for?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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How do you recommend choosing which two piggies to keep together and which one to separate and find a new companion for?

That's the hard part. Until they hit puberty, you really won't know which two will get along and who the third pig out will be.

Do they seem to pair off at all now, and leave one out?
 

CoolCavys

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That's the hard part. Until they hit puberty, you really won't know which two will get along and who the third pig out will be.

Do they seem to pair off at all now, and leave one out?

I’m not getting them until this Saturday. I guess I’ll keep them together initially and observe how they all interact to see who gets along best. I’ll be sure to have a second cage option ready to use at any moment. Honestly the toughest part of the whole situation might actually be finding a fourth piggie that’s not from a breeder or pet store. I think I heard somewhere that the local rescue doesn’t adopt out guinea pigs to people who have dogs (I’ve got two). Hopefully a piggie pops up soon on Craigslist that isn’t from a breeder.
 
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