Beans Is Struggling Without Toast

If I did get more, would I have to get new hidey houses that have no smell on them? I'm still using all the same stuff that Toast used and I don't want to get rid of it...
 
No sure about that but if you spray everything with F10 which gets rid of almost everything I think that should be good enough to take Toast's smell away.
 
Beans&Toast said:
So a couple of weeks on Beans is coping without Toast, but I'm so worried that she's bored or lonely. She walks about the cage munching but not as much as she used to with Toast.

She's about 6 so she's old and has bad arthritis so part of me thinks she may not be here for a lot longer (I know that sounds horrible) but then I'm also thinking she could very well live another year or so, I'd hate for her to be on her own that long as I'm sure if she had a choice she'd like some company.

The problem is, if I get another pig surely I'll just be stuck in a constant cycle of getting more pigs? Someone mentioned fostering but I know I'd end up getting attached and wouldn't be able to send any pigs back.

What does everyone do in these situations?
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I guess it really depends on what your desires are about having more pigs in the future. I have pigs with an age gap due to the fact that out of my first pair, one lived to be about 2 and the other lived to about 7, so we have a constant revolving door of pigs of different ages (right now Hadley is almost 3 and Leela is about 9 months. There were about 4 years between Sundae and Hadley and about 2 years between Linney and Sundae.) It has worked out okay because my plans involve continuing to own pigs. If you are not planning on more pigs after Beans, that changes things a lot. In that case, you could either look to adopt another elderly pig, with the knowledge that someone will end up on their own at the very end of life but that the lifespans should be fairly similar, or you could foster with the knowledge that you can return later on if you want, or you could just try to make Beans and happy and comfortable and stimulated as you can on her own. Your idea of adopting a younger pair may work well if you want her to have company but want to try to avoid the 'age gap' issue I've ended up in!
 
It's not that I don't want more pigs, I always planned on having pigs but maybe just not so soon, I can't get rid of the thought that I'm replacing Toast. I know it sounds stupid but Toast and I had a very close bond and she would only come to me, I'd hate for her to think I'm just replacing her. And then I worry how Beans would cope with other pigs, she loved Toast so much I don't know if she would accept them.

I've got a lot on this month but mid October I'm going to phone a rescue and see about getting Beans in to see who she gets on with.
 
It's so hard dealing with your own grief and feelings at the same time as planning for Beans. I do understand that completely. But getting more piggies doesn't mean you are replacing Toasty. Toasty will always live on in your heart and memories. She will hold a special place foreve, particularly if she's the first piggy you've lost.

Guinea pigs are pragmatic little creatures. I'm not sure they are prone to deep thinking, but at the risk of anthropomorphising I can't imagine Toast would want Beans to be alone since her passing.

It can take longer for the human to bond with a new piggy or piggies than it does the surviving piggy. From personal experience I've had new arrivals in circumstances where I've had a tragic loss and it's taken me a good while to bond with the newbies. But the happiness their arrival has brought to my remaining piggies has made it worthwhile.
 
Beans&Toast said:
It's so horrible isn't it. Are you planning on getting more? X
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I would love to but my parents aren't to keen and I would have to buy them from a pet shop as the nearest rescue is 150ish miles away :(
 
VickiA said:
I've always re-used all my houses and fleece bedding. Never had a problem.
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Yes I agree. I think the only way you may possibly have a problem is if you were re using toys etc that had been in with sows and you were putting them into a pair of boars cage.
 
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