Help have a depressed piggy!

[guineapigfan]

One of my two female guinea pigs died yesterday very unexpectedly. She was only two and half which has left me with my other little sow (Sweep) all on her own.

I have a bit of a dilemma as to what I should do:

Since the death of Sooty, Sweep has been quiet and withdrawn (as to be expected so soon after!). My concern is that Sweep is usually a very lively charater which enjoys the company of other pigs. I can't see her ever returning to her usual self without the company of another piggy. Of course Sweep is two and a half now so it would have to be a pig of a similar age.

HOWEVER:

Sweep can be quite aggressive and dominating and, although Sweep and her sister Sooty were together from birth, Sweep often fought with her in the beginning; to the extent where we considered rehoming Sooty/Sweep as they could not live together. However, after alot of time and patience they sorted out their differences. They had to be seperated at one point as Sweep has an operation and when they were reintroduced history repeated itself and they fought again. We managed to calm this after a few days but I do worry about Sweeps aggressive nature. I understand that there is always a bit of fighting to establish dominance but this went further than that and, watching Sweep, she can be quite aggressive. Is it a bad idea to introduce a new guinea pig?

I don't know what to do!

 

[Lucky]

All little piggles have their own personality! She does sound like she could do with a friend though.

You have several options.

You could try Sweep with a baby sow that she could 'mother'. In a lot of cases this can work quite well.

You could try Sweep with other females of similar ages, or you could pair her up with a neutered boar for companionship.

the best way to do this is to arrange to take Sweep to a rescue, where they can best advise you on good matches for your piggie, and Sweep can 'choose' her pal herself. This way you can experiment with different piggies, and see what works best.

Here is a list of rescue centres:

http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/gp/centres.asp

 

[Lucky]

Another option if Sweep is too aggressive and really doesnt get on with any other piggie at all (which does happen in some cases) could be to get a C&C cage with a divide in the middle, so that she and another piggie can live alongside each other, without physical contact but will still have the company.

 

[Wiebke]

I was going to give exactly the same advice as Lucky!

Don't overlook the possibitliy of bonding her with a neutered boar either - dominance and age difference are not as important in a cross gender relationship (provided she accepts him right at the beginning; preferably in a rescue); I had one 3 1/2 year old sow that happily bonded with a 12 month old neutered male; they had a very loving "marriage" for as long as she lived.

Ring around your closest rescues and ask for what they have in to possibly bond with your girl and whether they would allow you to bring Sweep with you. Take Sweep to the one where she has most choice and start from there.

I have been twice very successful this way; although on either occasion I did NOT come home with the guinea pig I would have chosen, I came home with the makings of a great friendship!

 

[Lucky]

Luckily when I took Lucky to Irene, she fell in love with Poppy the same as I did!

Lucky is very very friendly though so I had a few different choices. I'd definitely recommend going to a rescue.. that way you can find a piggie who is a better match for your Sweep, rather than picking up a pig from a pet shop... you would never know what the relationship would be like then, until its too late!

 

[guineapigfan]

Thank you very much for your advice. It never even occured to me to get a neutered boar! And I had no idea that some rescue centres will allow you to take your piggie along! The vet recommended I play it by ear and see how she is feeling in a week or so but I also feel she could do with a friend as I hate the idea of leaving her alone and her having nobody to speak to in her own 'language'.

I will definately investigate into your suggestions! I am taking Sweep to the vet today to have her checked over in case Sooty's illness was contageous and will also mention it to the vet; he may know of a good place to get a pig!

I will keep you updated and thanks again

 

[guineapigfan]

I thought I'd update you; We managed to get hold of a ten month old girl to keep my little Sweep company. We got Maisie (the new one) last night. I have divided the 'play pen' in half and provided double of everything so they can live next to eachother for a few days to get to know eachother.

So far: Maisie is absoloutely scared stiff of us! Sweep doesn't seem all that interested in the new piggy. They had a little sniff through the bars initially and there wasn't much noise. Sweep has since been biting the bars near where Maisie's sleeping bit is...do you think this is an act of aggression?

I really don't know what's normal!