Grieving Piggy

[Angeladeedah]

I very sadly lost one of my girls last Tuesday which left her 2 friends.
Since then Pixie has become very distant and just hides in one of the houses. She just lies in there most of the time. She still gets excited at getting her veggies and comes running out for them but she has gone off her Naturals Carrot treats which she absolutely loved before. She's acting very out of character as she would normally run to the side of the cage to say hello to me. Summer seems to be totally fine and acting as normal.
I don't know what to do. How long would they normally go through the grieving stage? Is this normal?
I have lost a piggy who had a broken heart when she lost her sister and I don't want it to happen again.

 

[Veggies Galore]

I must admit , this is the main reason I like to keep more than 2 guinea pigs - at least they have some company they are familiar with when one goes.

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Stewybus]

I'm so sorry for your sad loss. I went through this with 3 of my piggies after the other 2 from the group passed away within a week of each other just before Christmas. One post-stroke & the other post-op. I just gave them a bit of extra attention & they're pulling round now. They had a big drop in appetite & were leaving lots of their veggies. They're still leaving some veggies including a little kale & peppers but their weight is going back up after the initial drop over the first 2 weeks down to a trio. It helps when there is more than one so I wouldn't suggest getting another friend as would be the normal thing to do when you have one left by herself x

 

[MerryPip]

So sorry for your loss... Guinea pigs do grieve and quite deeply sometimes. It can take a while for them to return to themselves and if they have no piggy friend left to chat to then they will seem very quiet. Imagine having company, but no-one that speaks your language...

I know it's hard but one of the perks of having girls is that you can have more than two. That way when one sadly leaves us then the remaining piggies tend to cope a bit better. Perhaps when you are ready you could consider finding some friends for your girl, that will encourage her to come out of her shell again. It is a bit difficult but often a guinea pig is ready for a new friend(s) a long time before we are as humans have a more complex grief process and memories. Hutches in Alyth is a wee way form you but is a good rescue who might be able to advise and help your little lady find some new company when you and she are ready. Some piggies also do fine on their own once they get used to it but as they are a social species, most prefer company of their own kind.

Sadly I am in a similar situation with a lone grieving boy at the moment but due to his failing health it isn't fair to re-bond him at this time.

 

[Angeladeedah]

I must admit , this is the main reason I like to keep more than 2 guinea pigs - at least they have some company they are familiar with when one goes.

I am sorry for your loss.

She still has her friend there but isn't taking much interest but lovely Summer keeps lying beside where Pixie is to keep her company.

 

[Angeladeedah]

So sorry for your loss... Guinea pigs do grieve and quite deeply sometimes. It can take a while for them to return to themselves and if they have no piggy friend left to chat to then they will seem very quiet. Imagine having company, but no-one that speaks your language...

I know it's hard but one of the perks of having girls is that you can have more than two. That way when one sadly leaves us then the remaining piggies tend to cope a bit better. Perhaps when you are ready you could consider finding some friends for your girl, that will encourage her to come out of her shell again. It is a bit difficult but often a guinea pig is ready for a new friend(s) a long time before we are as humans have a more complex grief process and memories. Hutches in Alyth is a wee way form you but is a good rescue who might be able to advise and help your little lady find some new company when you and she are ready. Some piggies also do fine on their own once they get used to it but as they are a social species, most prefer company of their own kind.

Sadly I am in a similar situation with a lone grieving boy at the moment but due to his failing health it isn't fair to re-bond him at this time.

Thank you. She's not a lone piggy. She still has her other friend there who is the same age as her. She's keeping her company by lying next to the house that she's in. I'll just need to keep an eye on her. As long as she keeps eating and drinking then that's the most important thing.

 

[Wiebke]

I very sadly lost one of my girls last Tuesday which left her 2 friends.
Since then Pixie has become very distant and just hides in one of the houses. She just lies in there most of the time. She still gets excited at getting her veggies and comes running out for them but she has gone off her Naturals Carrot treats which she absolutely loved before. She's acting very out of character as she would normally run to the side of the cage to say hello to me. Summer seems to be totally fine and acting as normal.
I don't know what to do. How long would they normally go through the grieving stage? Is this normal?
I have lost a piggy who had a broken heart when she lost her sister and I don't want it to happen again.

Guinea pigs grieve no less than humans and some of them absolutely hate being alone.

However, it is a good sign that your girl is still eating, so she is not in any danger of pining away. But I would certainly recommend to look for new company for her sooner rather than later if she is not going back to her normal behaviour after about 4 days or so, even if it is without the sparkle. That will come back as soon as she has got company.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[MerryPip]

She still has her friend there but isn't taking much interest but lovely Summer keeps lying beside where Pixie is to keep her company.

Sorry I missed this bit too... I think if she has a friend still with her then you just have to ride it out I'm afraid... She was obviously closer to her than her friend but it's hard to watch them be sad.

It also depends why you lost your other girl, is there any chance that she has the same illness? Otherwise making sure she is eating and drinking in the meantime is the right thing

 

[Angeladeedah]

I'm so sorry for your sad loss. I went through this with 3 of my piggies after the other 2 from the group passed away within a week of each other just before Christmas. One post-stroke & the other post-op. I just gave them a bit of extra attention & they're pulling round now. They had a big drop in appetite & were leaving lots of their veggies. They're still leaving some veggies including a little kale & peppers but their weight is going back up after the initial drop over the first 2 weeks down to a trio. It helps when there is more than one so I wouldn't suggest getting another friend as would be the normal thing to do when you have one left by herself x

Thank you. Summer has been very good at lying next to the house that Pixie keeps hiding in. Hopefully over time she will return to her normal cheeky self. Miss her running to the side of the cage to say hello.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. Summer has been very good at lying next to the house that Pixie keeps hiding in. Hopefully over time she will return to her normal cheeky self. Miss her running to the side of the cage to say hello.

If she has still got company and is still eating and drinking, then you have to let time be a healer. Like humans, guinea pigs grieve differently; some bounce back immediately and other take a long time, especially if they had a very close bond with the departed piggy.

 

[Angeladeedah]

Sorry I missed this bit too... I think if she has a friend still with her then you just have to ride it out I'm afraid... She was obviously closer to her than her friend but it's hard to watch them be sad.

It also depends why you lost your other girl, is there any chance that she has the same illness? Otherwise making sure she is eating and drinking in the meantime is the right thing

Sadly, I came home to find Flower had died with no previous sign of illness so unsure what was wrong. Perhaps the shock of this has taken it out of little Pixie too.
It's horrible seeing her so sad like this. It's the opposite of her wee character.

 

[Angeladeedah]

If she has still got company and is still eating and drinking, then you have to let time be a healer. Like humans, guinea pigs grieve differently; some bounce back immediately and other take a long time, especially if they had a very close bond with the departed piggy.

Thank you. She's definitely still eating and will run out to get the best veggies but then runs back in and hides when finished. I'll keep a wee eye on her.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. She's definitely still eating and will run out to get the best veggies but then runs back in and hides when finished. I'll keep a wee eye on her.

You can still consider whether a new addition in the form of a neutered boar or a yunger sow or two may perk Pixie up again. A sudden death can really whack guinea pigs as much as it does humans.

 

[Angeladeedah]

You can still consider whether a new addition in the form of a neutered boar or a yunger sow or two may perk Pixie up again. A sudden death can really whack guinea pigs as much as it does humans.

I don't really want to add any more to that cage as I have 2 boars in another cage. One of them will be 5 in March, the other is only one so the plan eventually (when the older one says goodbye) is to have the younger one neutered and put him in with the girls.
I want to move house so don't want to add any more until I'm settled as depends on size and garden. Not planning on moving for a few years but need to think ahead.

 

[scott1]

Sorry for the loss. What is the hierarchy of the two girls left? I think they grieve but not as long as we do, and then they are trying to find out new roles after a sudden change. She might've got direction from the one who passed so she's trying to see if she could be herself again or indie-pendant. Sounds like out of the two she's now low man on the totem pole and why shes retreating. I think she'll be fine.

 

[Dindypig]

I've found that extra cuddles for a grieving piggy helps us both. The piggy senses that I'm grieving to and seams to take comfort in that.

 

[Angeladeedah]

Sorry for the loss. What is the hierarchy of the two girls left? I think they grieve but not as long as we do, and then they are trying to find out new roles after a sudden change. She might've got direction from the one who passed so she's trying to see if she could be herself again or indie-pendant. Sounds like out of the two she's now low man on the totem pole and why shes retreating. I think she'll be fine.

Thank you. The piggy that died was the oldest and so I'm assuming head of the hierarchy. The 2 remaining girls are the same age, possibly sisters. She seems to be a little better today. This morning she came running to say hello but tonight she's gone back to hiding. Her friend has been really good and seems to be spend a lot of time with her so hopefully giving her some comfort.