New owner, tons of questions!

[Unicorn365]

So while on vacation my daughters and I adopted up three, assumingely brothers, from a pet-shop. All are around 10-12 weeks now going by what we were told. All three are wonderful in their own ways. Benny, black and white, has taken to us all wonderfully and bonding is going great with him! He’s fantastic. Our other boy Bubbles, tiny tricolor with black on face, is coming around. A little slower but explores us when we sit and have him out. Now Biter, tricolor, he gets his name honestly! He has bitten both my daughters just about everyday since we got him. Not nibbles, bites, he leaves marks. So I’ve taken over working with him. He hides so much. Runs when I come near. Refuses to come to me for even his favorite treat. So we are going slow. I’m hoping he’ll see the other two and come around to me. Now Bubbles and Biter are close. Benny is always off on him own, in his own hide, doing is own thing. Sometimes him and Bubbles will play, but Biter quickly stops it with chattering and bulling. My questions are, for this situation. Should I look into getting a forth boy for Benny to have a bud and separate them into groups of 2? Leave in group of 4?! Or just let the three be and they can work out the dominance issue their own?

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[Guinea Pig Papa]

Groups of 3 boars virtually never work out, and knowing this I still tried myself and failed. You absolute best option is two have two pairs, in two separate, large cages.

 

[Unicorn365]

Oh man. Ok. Is 3x3 C&C cage not big enough? I mean for two boars each?


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[Guinea Pig Papa]

No, not even close. Two boars really need at minimum 2x5, and the bigger the better. I realize not everyone can do this, but my 2 boars have a cage and attached pen that is 4x7

 

[Unicorn365]

Well now I feel horrible. Thanks. I’ll upgrade them now then.


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[Guinea Pig Papa]

I apologize, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I was just trying to give you some idea of what a pair of boars require for size. They need as much space as you can give them, so that they can get out of each other's way if they're in a grumpy mood.

 

[Smileandnod]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to guinea pig ownership.

First thing I would suggest is to turn each over and compare their genitalia just to make sure you really have 3 boars. You will see that having missexed guinea pigs, particularly when they are bought from somewhere, is pretty common. If you notice differences and aren't sure which is which, participants on this forum can help you.

I look forward to hearing more updates on how things go.

 

[bpatters]

Ditto to @Smileandnod. If one set of private parts doesn't look like the other two, separate them immediately.

 

[Unicorn365]

Papa pig I didn’t mean it that way! Hahah. I was simply told by another piggy owner that for right now 13sqft would be ok until I got their other cage(s) set. Since they were small and all. Of course I plan to upgrade them immensely! I’m planning on a whole room just for them, just gotta make it work.

Ok as far as sexing omg please help! I’ve looked and I seriously can’t tell. I’m good with sexing rats, kittens, heck even dormice but these pigs got me all cross eyed and drooling. I’d assume Bubbles should be checked first since it’s always being mounted? Biter, I might have the vet check, he got me good today just when I was giving them a treat. Kinda tired of being bit Hahahah.

Thanks all for the help! I hate sounding dumb but I’ve never even thought of a guinea pig as a pet before! But my two 7 years olds convinced me. And despite my quick reading and asking prior to coming here I might have misunderstood a few things. Thanks so much for helping and not judging!


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[bpatters]

Take clear, close-up, well-lit pictures and post them here. Someone can help sex them.

And turn them both over at the same time so you can compare them. You need to sex them both, not just one. Also see https://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm.

 

[MerryFriarTuck]

Hopefully this can help you out too! https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html

One of my piggies was downright nippy as a baby, too, but he hardly ever bites now! If he nipped I would say "no" or "ow" in a firm but calm voice and pull my hand away. Guinea pigs, especially young ones, explore everything with their mouths because they can't feel with their paws the way dogs and cats do.

There's fantastic info for new owners on here under About Guinea Pigs ( it's right at the top ) This site is really good too: www.guineapigmanual.com

Guinea pigs have so much personality and wonderful quirks; they're wonderful pets. Your boys are adorable--- best of luck to all of you!

 

[Unicorn365]

Bppatters: yup I read that! But I’ll give it another go when I get home. Never thought my day would be popping guinea pig peewees! Always an adventure!


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