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Bonding Adding a Third Male?

AbuBalooandMe

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Hi, I know that this is a question that has been asked on the forum before, but I would like to know others experiences with this, and my options. I have two male guinea pigs that are bonded, and have been together their whole lives. I adopted them five months ago today. At the shelter that I adopted them at, there is another single male guinea pig. He has been there since before I adopted my piggies and I want to give him a loving home. The shelter does not have a policy that you have to have multiple piggies, and after seeing how happy mine are together, I don't want him to have to live alone. These are some of the things I could do that I have in mind:

Plan A: Before I adopt him, I could do a bonding session with my piggies. I realize that this almost never works, though. Has anyone had any luck with this before? If so, how did you do the introduction? If the bond with my piggies breaks, will they ever bond again?

Plan B: If plan a doesn't work, or if it's too much of a risk, I could have an extra cage for him of the appropriate size. I don't have enough room to put the cage next to it, but I could do a stacked c and c cage type of thing. If I do this, realize that I would have to get another piggie to be his friend. I'm not sure if it is a good idea to have four piggies, seems like quite a lot.

That's all I have in mind, Let me know if you have a better idea.

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Guinea Pig Papa

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You are correct, bonding sessions or not 3 boars almost never works. I have tried it myself. And by almost never, it can quite easily result in serious and even fatal injuries to one or more pigs. In my experience and in others, it simply is not worth the risk.

4 piggies is not significantly more work than 3. You WILL have to have 2 cages, 2 boars in each. Basically what you have with your 2, double it for a 2nd cage. I applaud you for wanting to give that little guy a home, but I must say if you're going to do it, do it right for both him and yourself.
 

AbuBalooandMe

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You are correct, bonding sessions or not 3 boars almost never works. I have tried it myself. And by almost never, it can quite easily result in serious and even fatal injuries to one or more pigs. In my experience and in others, it simply is not worth the risk.

4 piggies is not significantly more work than 3. You WILL have to have 2 cages, 2 boars in each. Basically what you have with your 2, double it for a 2nd cage. I applaud you for wanting to give that little guy a home, but I must say if you're going to do it, do it right for both him and yourself.
Thank you so much for your reply. I was afraid that might be the answer. I feel a lot for the one waiting for a home, but I'm willing to take on more. Now I just have to convince my mom that need two more friends haha.

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bpatters

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You may even to have three cages. It's possible that your original pair will decide not to live with any other guinea pig. It's just. not. worth. it. to add a third male.

If you want more pigs, just let your new one be the lone pig, or get two. But don't risk breaking the pair bond between the two you've got.
 

AbuBalooandMe

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I know strange question, but will the the piggies that I have now mind that there are other piggies in the room? We are just worried that the piggies might smell the other piggies, and start to fight with their buddy. I'm thinking of a stacked c and c cage with the piggies I have now on one level, and the other pair on the other.

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Thunder

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I wouldn’t think they would fight because there were other boars in the room. However, if you were to get females that may cause the boars to fight.
 

Soecara

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I have boars and sows in stacked cages (4 cages total, so 2 stacks). The girls are on the top, the boys are on the bottom, the cage stacks are next to each other in an L shape. They for the most part seems completely ignorant to the existence of the guinea pigs in the other cages. Just don't give them dirty items from the other cages that smell like the other guinea pigs and it shouldn't be a problem.
 
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