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Grieving piggie

Emmalou46

Emmalou46

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
52
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Points
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Location
England
Hi everyone

I’ve just had to have my little baby Rolo put down this morning due to him having a tumour, he took a turn for the worst this morning and the vet didn’t think surgery would be kind as this type of tumour will most likely grow back. I’m absolutely devastated as I’m sure you can imagine but I’m now worried about my other piggie Coco as I don’t want him to start fretting or get depressed, do you have any tips on what I can do to keep him as happy as possible please?
Thank you so much
Emma
 
Hello Emma, I’m so sorry, how sad you lost Rolo :hug:

The safest bet would be to take him boar bonding at a rescue, he can then choose a friend. I don’t know where you live but have a look on our Recommended Rescue list above and see if there is one near you. If you find one within reach send them an email explaining your position they often take kindly to bereaved pigs and want to help as best they can
 
Thank you so much for your replies, those links are amazing, really helpful, I’m so happy I found this lovely forum. I haven’t had piggies since I was a child and didn’t realise how much the loss of him would hurt 😢Thank you again ❤️
 
I can only echo the advice you have been given but having just had one of my piggies pts I understand the pain you feel.
I am so sorry for your loss but you gave him that last gift of love.

Please feel free to post a tribute to Rolodex on the Rainbow Bridge thread.
 
Thank you for your replies, it does help when you know others are going through the same thing.
Coco has been doing really well, he’s eating, drinking and had a good roam around last night when I got him out for his run. I’ve contacted two rescues close to me. One said to give him at least a week to grieve before thinking about getting him a new friend, she also said some single boars usually do fine on their own? I thought it was cruel to have only a single piggie?
Also another question which may not be able to be answered to be honest, the other rescue was were I got my two piggies from initially, she has some of his brothers left (coco and Rolo were brothers, 8 boys in total) which I thought might be easier to bond with them already being brothers? My other worry is with Rolo getting the tumour so young could this be a genetics thing? I know I can’t predict what will happen to them but I wondered if I got another brother would there be more chance of that one getting a tumour too? I’m probably being ridiculous and over thinking things 🙈 sorry for the ramble ❤️
 
Emmalou46 said:
Thank you for your replies, it does help when you know others are going through the same thing.
Coco has been doing really well, he’s eating, drinking and had a good roam around last night when I got him out for his run. I’ve contacted two rescues close to me. One said to give him at least a week to grieve before thinking about getting him a new friend, she also said some single boars usually do fine on their own? I thought it was cruel to have only a single piggie?
Also another question which may not be able to be answered to be honest, the other rescue was were I got my two piggies from initially, she has some of his brothers left (coco and Rolo were brothers, 8 boys in total) which I thought might be easier to bond with them already being brothers? My other worry is with Rolo getting the tumour so young could this be a genetics thing? I know I can’t predict what will happen to them but I wondered if I got another brother would there be more chance of that one getting a tumour too? I’m probably being ridiculous and over thinking things 🙈 sorry for the ramble ❤️
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I’m sorry for your loss.
It’s not the case that boars do ok on their own. All piggies should be with a friend. It’s fine to give him time to grieve though - they are often ok for a few weeks while you sort out plans.

Being genetic brothers will not necessarily make a bonding easier. It all comes down to character compatibility and a pair of brothers will work or fail just the same as a pair of non related piggies.
 
Emmalou46 said:
Thank you so much for your replies, those links are amazing, really helpful, I’m so happy I found this lovely forum. I haven’t had piggies since I was a child and didn’t realise how much the loss of him would hurt 😢Thank you again ❤️
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We are always around if you need help or just a chat and we all understand just how much it hurts right now x
 
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