Cagemate after a loss

[SpringingJ]

I’m heartbroken .. I just had to put my beautiful 3yo girl down today. She bloated I took her right to the vet and after 3 days of ups and downs I lost her. My issue is for her cage mate. I don’t think I can keep getting piglets, I love them so so much and they are so fragile and I’m well over 6k on vet care. I feel I’m being selfish by trying to save myself this heartbreak.

The only piggy I have left now is my sweet girl Pheobe, she’ll be 5 in October. If either of her sisters were left alone I know they would very quickly decline and not be able to live alone. Phoebe I do think would be OK.. my other pigs would sometimes pick on her (nothing violent just mounting and what not) for a few hours so I would separate Phoebe for a day and she would always seem so relieved and seemed to love her separate space.

Now I know that a day here and there is differently that full time living without a cage mate. After these past few days and losing my girl today I have sworn I just can’t do it anymore and will not get any more.

Now being home seeing Pheobe in the cage alone breaks my heart. I don’t want her to be lonely and I know that no amount of attention I give will replace her having another pig.

I’m sad and dont want to keep going though heartbreak for such small amounts of time we get with them. My girl today was only 3 years and the other I lost was only 2. I try to take such care of the and provide them healthy diets, large enclosures, enrichment toys, veterinary care and of course tons of love.

I guess as this point I’m rambling … I just don’t know what to do. I do not want to leave Pheebs alone but I don’t want to get another baby where Pheebs is older and then have to lose Pheebs .. you know the cycle… Adopting a senior would gut me, I can’t take knowing I have such limited time and I can’t imagine another heartbreak so soon.

I don’t know what to do .. any advice on having a single pig?

 

[Siikibam]

I’m so sorry for your loss.

What you call picking on her by the other girls was in fact dominance behaviour and not anything worse. Would it be possible to have her live next to them? Otherwise I think your only other option (tough as it is) would be to surrender her so she can be paired up. It wouldn’t be nice to keep her alone for another (potentially) 2 years.

It’s a tough decision and only you know what will work for you. Wishing you all the best.

 

[SpringingJ]

I’m so sorry for your loss.

What you call picking on her by the other girls was in fact dominance behaviour and not anything worse. Would it be possible to have her live next to them? Otherwise I think your only other option (tough as it is) would be to surrender her so she can be paired up. It wouldn’t be nice to keep her alone for another (potentially) 2 years.

It’s a tough decision and only you know what will work for you. Wishing you all the best.

Yes I know it was just dominance behavior - the only reason I would separate Pheebs was due to it going on for like 6 hours and Pheebs would be doing sooo much complaining - so I would just give her a break. When I put them back together all was always fine.

I would love to have her with the other pigs but they have all passed.

For the record it would be a gift from god if I got another 2 years with her -but I don’t think they will happen. Just last week I had her at the vet, they did a CT scan on her and she has an enlarged heart, nodules on her lungs (could be from past URI) and “something” going on with her salivary gland that could possibly be C (I won’t mentally entertain this idea rn I can’t even imagine).

I took her in bc i weigh them constantly and she was losing weight. So I don’t think I have that much time left with her but you never know.

Sounds selfish but I would never trust someone else to provide the level of care I do for her and wouldn’t want her to have anything but the best. Most people think I’m crazy for spending thousand on my pigs and I would want her to go to anyone with that mindset.

 

[SpringingJ]

Yes I know it was just dominance behavior - the only reason I would separate Pheebs was due to it going on for like 6 hours and Pheebs would be doing sooo much complaining - so I would just give her a break. When I put them back together all was always fine.

I would love to have her with the other pigs but they have all passed.

For the record it would be a gift from god if I got another 2 years with her -but I don’t think they will happen. Just last week I had her at the vet, they did a CT scan on her and she has an enlarged heart, nodules on her lungs (could be from past URI) and “something” going on with her salivary gland that could possibly be C (I won’t mentally entertain this idea rn I can’t even imagine).

I took her in bc i weigh them constantly and she was losing weight. So I don’t think I have that much time left with her but you never know.

Sounds selfish but I would never trust someone else to provide the level of care I do for her and wouldn’t want her to have anything but the best. Most people think I’m crazy for spending thousand on my pigs and I would want her to go to anyone with that mindset.

 

[Merab]

So sorry for your loss.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve