Four Year Old Piggie All Alone Now.

[Matt A-H]

Hi guys, I signed up just to ask this. This morning I had to have one of my two piggies put to sleep, he suddenly fell ill overnight and this morning he wasn't himself so I rushed him to the vet and they said to put him to sleep. Now his brother is all alone, and even after a few hours he is a polar opposite to his usual self.
I know guinea pigs a very sociable creatures and are best kept as a pair or more so I do think that eventually I will get another one most likely from the RSPCA or another charity. But I'm not too sure wether I should wait a bit for my remaining piggie to get used to his brother not being there or should I get a fellow pig as soon as possible?
I obviously don't want to stress him out by introducing a stranger straight away but I don't want him to get too lonely ... any advice would be hugely appreciated.

 

[Dorothy&Coco]

Hi, I'm really sorry to hear about your piggy. There is a sticky thread at the top of this section called Looking after a bereaved guinea pig (sorry I don't know how to put a link to it). It would definitely be worth reading as there is lots of helpful advice there.

 

[Veggies Galore]

I'm so sorry to hear you have lost one of your Guinea Pigs Here is a link to the thread Dorothy and Coco mentioned .

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

You are right that Guinea Pigs are best with company of their own kind so, as far as your remaining Guinea Pig is concerned , you can start looking for a new partner straight away. But .... please think of yourself too . You are grieving too - don't start looking until the time is right for you too.

It would be helpful to have an idea of your location . We have members from all over the world and it is really helpful to know whether you are based in the UK/US – or elsewhere. Having an idea of your Country + location can sometimes help us tailor our advice .

Here is a link to help you do this …

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/

Guinea pigs have personalities and, not all guinea pigs get on with each other . I advise you look at our rescue locator and see if you are near any recommended rescues .

Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

Rescues can help you find a compatible companion - and most offer a " Boar Dating " service.

 

[Matt A-H]

Thanks for the advice guys, I updated my location and have found a guinea pig rehoming service not too far from us that ask that you bring in any single guinea pig first (I imagine that's the dating service mentioned above). Obviously I am still grieving but I'm also very wary of how my remaining boy is behaving since being alone so I will be getting another friend as soon as possible. Again thanks again for the help and advice.

Regards
Matt

 

[sport_billy]

Hello Matt. Sorry to hear you have lost one of your boys Please feel freeto leave a memorial post to hem in our Rainbow Bridge section should you wish.

Can't add any-more to @PiggyOwner helpful post above. Just wanted to say hello and sorry

Is your remaining piggy eating okay etc...?

Lee

 

[Matt A-H]

I haven't seen him eating but the food bowl did get turned upside down and moved around a bit so difficult to tell whether the food levels have gone down or not as it all seems to be spread out, I have refilled it and will keep an eye on hime over the next few days. He's drinking and munching his hay but just seems very jumpy around me at the moment

 

[VickiA]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's great that you have managed to find a rescue/rehoming service near to you. I hope you manage to find a good match for your boy.

 

[Matt A-H]

Thanks, not too sure when I can get there but will give them a call tomorrow to see when they have an opening to visit them.

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Pigs grieve just like humans do. Some will appear fine after a loss, others are subdued but keep on eating/drinking and normal behaviors, and some others will pine and go off their food and be obviously distressed. In the latter case, it's probably best to introduce a new companion sooner rather than later.

I have sows, which can be a bit easier to bond than boars, but I've done post-bereavement bonding twice now and my bereaved pigs were always really happy to receive a new companion. There are some bonding tips in the sticky section above to help things go smooth when you do introduce.

Again, I'm really sorry for your loss and I know it's not an easy thing to go through.

 

[Tiamolly123]

Thanks for the advice guys, I updated my location and have found a guinea pig rehoming service not too far from us that ask that you bring in any single guinea pig first (I imagine that's the dating service mentioned above). Obviously I am still grieving but I'm also very wary of how my remaining boy is behaving since being alone so I will be getting another friend as soon as possible. Again thanks again for the help and advice.

Regards
Matt

I know how you feel Matt, but the piggy left behind will very quickly become lonely, it's hard on us, because we will grieve for ages.

 

[Matt A-H]

I can't get a response from the supposed rescue centre I found and the nearest one on the recommended list is a fair few miles away as I don't drive and I would be going by bus, what can you recomend?

 

[pig in the city]

I can't get a response from the supposed rescue centre I found and the nearest one on the recommended list is a fair few miles away as I don't drive and I would be going by bus, what can you recomend?

We (Barnsley animal rescue charity) rehome to Derbyshire but don't have any suitable single boars available at the moment. You could try Honeybunnies in Leicester who are probably your closest reputable rescue. They should be able to advise you on the boar dating too

 

[Matt A-H]

It's a bit too far to go on the bus with a sad guinea pig

 

[Lily & Rose]

Hi guys, I signed up just to ask this. This morning I had to have one of my two piggies put to sleep, he suddenly fell ill overnight and this morning he wasn't himself so I rushed him to the vet and they said to put him to sleep. Now his brother is all alone, and even after a few hours he is a polar opposite to his usual self.
I know guinea pigs a very sociable creatures and are best kept as a pair or more so I do think that eventually I will get another one most likely from the RSPCA or another charity. But I'm not too sure wether I should wait a bit for my remaining piggie to get used to his brother not being there or should I get a fellow pig as soon as possible?
I obviously don't want to stress him out by introducing a stranger straight away but I don't want him to get too lonely ... any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Hi, I'm sorry for your loss. I've heard that if you change their hutch around a bit and change their normal routine it can help a bereaved piggy.

 

[Matt A-H]

Hi, I'm sorry for your loss. I've heard that if you change their hutch around a bit and change their normal routine it can help a bereaved piggy.

We've moved Mango indoors for now, it's a very small cage (one of those pets at home ones). He has a new cardboard tube to play in, a new wooden bendy thingy, and a new fleece bed. I did put Chutney's old nibbled fleece in with him but he went and sulked in the back corner of the cage (that was a week ago)

He seems a lot more like his old self, not as vocal and a bit more nibbly than before, but I think he's coping OK, I just refuse to put him outside on his own despite the indoor cage being so small. I just haven't the time or the transport to get to a proper guinea pig rehoming place to get him a proper friend.