Caring For A Very Recently Bereaved Piggie

[Cov pig]

Sadly our older boar died on Saturday night. We got him almost two years ago from a welfare in Rugby to pair with our baby boar Ben, who we bought from Pets at Home.
(Ben came as a pair, but sadly his first hutchmate escaped/was taken one night)
Ben is now alone again, he is two years old.
What is the best course of action?
Cashew appears to have died in his sleep, he looked so peaceful when we found him yesterday.
Ben is eating etc, OK but looks a little lost in the pen this afternoon.

 

[piggyfan]

I am so sorry for your loss. I would take Ben to your nearest rescue were he can choose his own friend so he does not have to live alone. You cannot just get another piggy and hope they get along as they have to be compatible. By going boar dating you can be sure Ben finds a boar he really likes. In the meantime you could get him a soft toy suitable for babies to snuggle up to.

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your loss! We have got tips on how best to look after a bereaved piggy in this thread here:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/

Sadly, RNGP Welfare in Rugby have closed down at the beginning of the year, but if Cashew is from there, I assume that he is neutered? I have three of their piggies myself.
Your currently closest good rescues for piggy dating are Honeybunnies by Fosse Park/Leicester, new rescue Hunsbury GP Rescue in Northampton or the RSPCA Walsall to the west who offer either baby boar or cross gender dating.
You should be able to get their contact details from the rescue locator on the top bar.

You are welcome to post a tribute to Ben in our Rainbow Bridge section.

 

[madguinealady]

sorry you lost your piggy. You could try putting in a toddler safe soft toy for company until you can find a friend

 

[Cov pig]

Thanks for the replies. I heard that RNGP had closed down, we will get in touch with the other rescues and see what they suggest.
Cashew was from RNGP, he is the one that passed away. Ben is the younger one from P@H and he is not neutered, so we would ideally need to pair him with another boar.
I will dig out an old baby toy from the girl's room and pop it in the sleeping compartment for Ben to snuggle up to - thanks for the suggestion.

xx

 

[neuroticmum]

So very sorry to hear of your loss, I too lost one of my boys (Patches) last week and my remaining piggy (Bubbles) has been looking a little lost. He has a teddy to snuggle up to but really doesn't seem to like it, he's just missing his friend.
Bubbles is going piggy dating tomorrow to Milhaven rescue in the hope of finding him a lovely new friend. He isn't neutered so is looking for another male friend.
I hope you can find somewhere close to you so that you can find Ben a new pal. Good luck to you both x

 

[Mamaguineapig]

When my elderly piggie Snaggle Puss died I was left with his brother Daniel who was very elderly. He was lost without Snaggle Puss. I bought him a snuggle safe pet heat pad and he used that to keep him warm at night as they always slept together. Sadly Daniel died about 2months after Snaggle , I think he kind of gave up. He was too ill towards the end to consider boar dating . They were both nearly 7 years old. So .... Sorry for my ramblings ..... I'd recommend a snuggle safe pet heat pad in the short term then boar dating ! Hope it all works out !