Julia Kk - Bonding Bereaved Guinea Pigs

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JuliaKK

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 1, 2017
Messages
12
Reaction score
6
Points
75
Location
Somerset
We have got a bereaved Guinea Pig at home. Ideally, we would like to find her a companion but take advantage of the Guinea Pig dating/bonding. Having contacted the approved Guinea Pig rescue centres, they either haven't got any single Guinea Pigs, or in the case of a big rescue in Wales, they are booked up for dating up until July.
It appears that one of our neighbour's Guinea Pigs will be put down over the next week or so due to illness. They approached us asking if we would be interested in taking in their second Guinea Pig as a companion to ours. That's fine with us as long as they get on. How would we go about bonding/dating in these circumstances? It would break our heart pairing them if they don't like each other, so it's not an option for us.
They are both females and our Guinea Pig is 3.5 years old and our neighbour's is about a year older. Thank you so much for your help. With best wishes, Julia
 
Hi Julia
It's great that you are looking to solve the problem of 2 bereaved sows. And I do hope that it works well. Just be prepared that they may simply not like or tolerate each other as sows can be very particular about who they will accept.
To give it the best chance please read the following threads very carefully.
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Please conduct the introductions on totally neutral ground, in a plain pen with hay/veggies as a distraction. Allow plenty of time as these things can't be rushed.

Good luck.
 
Here are a couple of pics of my recent bonding.
Started with a completely empty pen with just hay.
After watching the behaviours and after a few hours I added cuddle cups (1 per pig) and nothing anyone could get trapped in.
After best part of a day together I moved them into a completely disinfected cage (no previous scent) with fresh bedding and nothing but a couple of stools and the cuddle cups so no one could get trapped. Plus one of everything per pig (bowls, bottles, hay piles etc.)

IMG_0816.webp

IMG_0837.webp
 
@VickiA has given you our very detailed bonding guides. Please take the time to read them. They talk you through the whole process stage by stage.
You may also find this guide here helpful for the dominance phase: Sow Behaviour

PS: You can help us by typing what your post is about in the title instead of your username, so the members with specific experiences can spot any threads they can contribute to. Thank you!
 
Thank you so much for all your advice. We will read carefully and may come back to you with some questions, when we actually start the introduction/bonding.
I take your comment about the subject line - apologies for any confusion; I will make sure to describe the topic in future. With very best wishes, Julia
 
May I ask why their other piggy is being put down? It could potentially be a contagious illness so a quarantine period and vet visit may be necessary. Seems odd to me that they'd wait a week or so to do it though? Hope she/he's not suffering during the wait, or are they seeing if treatment works first?
 
I think our neighbour's piggy has had a number of problems and one of the main ones was a stone or a crystal in her bladder, as she was passing urine with blood traces. She lost weight, and looked bald, so there may have been some hormonal disorder issues too which affected her coat and weight. Very sadly, she had to be put down sooner, as she deteriorated quicker and looked uncomfortable.
We are still waiting for the ashes for our Guinea Pig and wouldn't want to start bonding until we have had a proper funeral and good-bye to our little one. She died of Aspiration Pneumonia following an anaesthetic at the Vets. The Vets assured us that this is not contagious and wouldn't have affected our bereaved Guinea Pig. Thank you for your message. With very best wishes.
 
Aw bless, poor wee things. Hope the bonding goes well when you are ready and that you're all okay :)
 
This thread is exactly what I was looking for. My girls are almost 5 and last night I got the terrible news that one of them has cancer. She is in a lot of pain, so we made the tough decision to let her go. I am absolutely heartbroken. I am also very worried about her sister, as they've been together from the moment we rescued them. I don't want her to be alone, but I am afraid of stressing her out by adding a new piggie. I will start looking for a possible single rescue, and will take your detailed instructions in consideration. Thanks again.
 
Vancitygal83 said:
This thread is exactly what I was looking for. My girls are almost 5 and last night I got the terrible news that one of them has cancer. She is in a lot of pain, so we made the tough decision to let her go. I am absolutely heartbroken. I am also very worried about her sister, as they've been together from the moment we rescued them. I don't want her to be alone, but I am afraid of stressing her out by adding a new piggie. I will start looking for a possible single rescue, and will take your detailed instructions in consideration. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Hi! I am very sorry for your loss. You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section if or whenever it feels right for you.

If you can, please contact any good standard rescue within your reach that offers dating at the rescue under expert supervision, so you come home only with a new mate if there has been success. If you use one of the recommended rescues, you are guaranteed to only rehome a healthy/fully quarantined, properly sexed and - in the case of a sow - guaranteed not pregnant piggy, so there are no hidden problems and you have the support of the rescue during the whole lifetime of their adopted piggy. That is much more than you get in a shop, from a for sale breeder or from the free-ads where people can be amazingly economical with the truth when they want to get rid of a piggy. If you source a new companion otherwise, the risks are all on your side and you may have to conduct a quarantine before you have to conduct introductions which may or may not come off.
Here are our forum tips of what you can do for your remaining girl immediately after and later on; the guide also contains rescue links to good standard rescues in several countries: Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Importance Of Quarantine
 
Hi All, I have read the articles about Bonding and Dominance etc. and I am very grateful for the detailed information. I have also watched the video which was very helpful too.
I am planning to start with our Guinea Pig and our Neighbour's Guinea Pig in two separate hutches next to each other - would a day or two be enough? Then we can use our family bathroom which is quite spacious as a neutral space for them to be together to start with. Depending on how the introduction in the neutral space go, we will put them together in a disinfected and re-arranged hutch with everything in quantity of two (water bottles, food bowls etc.).
If they are OK with each other in the hutch - what do we do for the night? Do we leave them with no supervision? I read that separating them would mean the start of the introductions again but feel very nervous about leaving them at night time? I guess it all depends on how the relationship develops, but we will have to go to work/school (for the kids) after the weekend, and I am not clear at which point it is safe for them to be left together? How do the rescue centres handle bonding at night-time or is it usually clear after a full day if they are safe with each other or not? With best wishes, Julia
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top