Life Without Guinea Pigs...

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Piggiemum7

Piggiemum7

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Well, it's only been 3 days but I'm already having withdrawal symptoms since losing my remaining piggy. My family swear they wont have any more but ultimately it would be up to me. If I were to get more pigs I'd probably build a cage instead of using the pet shop ones and now I know so much more about diet and health that I feel it would be a waste to not at least look after guinea pigs! This is a question for those members who have had more pigs after losing one or have had pigs for many years, how do you deal with the loss? Not just the grief (even though I know it's a horrible pain) but the pig from the pair that's left over, I've now learnt that they grieve in very subtle and different ways and it's sometimes hard to tell and want to replace them. Maybe getting pigs of mixed gender and age would be a good idea? I feel like I would want more than 2 if i were to get more, maybe 2 babies and then a couple more in 6 months-1 year?

From experience, what's the best way to own them and how many is too many?
 
I would start slowly - you can have as many piggies as you like, but you have to be aware that group dynamics can change as piggies age and new ones come in; they won't always necessarily get on and may fall out as they get older and crankier.
You need to be able to cope with higher food and vet cost (that especially!) and more cleaning as well aws holiday cover etc.

I have currently 24 piggies. It is quite a commitment cleaning them all out twice a week! I have worked up to it gradually, but I have now definitely reached my own limit. With some permanent and temporary fosters I have been up to 28 piggies last year, and that was too much.
You have to be aware that you are more likely to lose piggies close to each other with a higher number. In 2014 I lost most of my then old generation - 7 piggies overall, and 4 of them within a month of each other, each to different causes. That can be hard to cope with, even when you know that you haven't done anything wrong and you are familiar with the grieving process. The actual pain of the loss is never going to be less, and some piggies can really get under your skin. I currently have got 6 piggies of 5 years and older and another 6 that are turning 5 years old this years, so I am going to be in for another domino of piggies leaving for the Rainbow Bridge in quick succession anytime in the next two years.
it is also a major logistical operation dealing with mange mites and ringworm with those numbers - not just the medication, but getting all fleeces and towels washed at high temperatures and getting all piggies bathed etc. (plus washing those towels, too!)\

I hope that you will go on having piggies in your life - they make your life rich, but there are always times when they can really test you!
 
Wiebke said:
I would start slowly - you can have as many piggies as you like, but you have to be aware that group dynamics can change as piggies age and new ones come in; they won't always necessarily get on and may fall out as they get older and crankier.
You need to be able to cope with higher food and vet cost (that especially!) and more cleaning as well aws holiday cover etc.

I have currently 24 piggies. It is quite a commitment cleaning them all out twice a week! I have worked up to it gradually, but I have now definitely reached my own limit. With some permanent and temporary fosters I have been up to 28 piggies last year, and that was too much.
You have to be aware that you are more likely to lose piggies close to each other with a higher number. In 2014 I lost most of my then old generation - 7 piggies overall, and 4 of them within a month of each other, each to different causes. That can be hard to cope with, even when you know that you haven't done anything wrong and you are familiar with the grieving process. The actual pain of the loss is never going to be less, and some piggies can really get under your skin. I currently have got 6 piggies of 5 years and older and another 6 that are turning 5 years old this years, so I am going to be in for another domino of piggies leaving for the Rainbow Bridge in quick succession anytime in the next two years.
it is also a major logistical operation dealing with mange mites and ringworm with those numbers - not just the medication, but getting all fleeces and towels washed at high temperatures and getting all piggies bathed etc. (plus washing those towels, too!)\

I hope that you will go on having piggies in your life - they make your life rich, but there are always times when they can really test you!
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Thanks Wiebke some really great information! :) I think my limit would be 4! Hahaha
 
I have had ten in the past but had to rehouse some due to financial difficulty and poor health.Am now at five piggies.That is my limit financially and physically now.With so many piggies that need homes seems a shame to waste your enthusiasm and knowledge.I couldn't live without them now, they are such little characters.
 
In April of 2015 I lost my last piggy she was 6 years old. I decided then that I was not going to get anymore after her. That decision lasted all of 6 months until I went to the spca to donate some dog blankets. There was a beautiful pair of girls and I couldn't resist taking them home. That was in October and I now have 4 haha. Four isn't bad but I personally don't think at this time that I could handle any more than that.
 
I'm sorry for your loss. I've always kept pairs of sows, but have had to deal with losing one and having a bereaved pig twice thus far. I originally bought a same-aged pair expecting them to have a similar lifespan, but one of them passed from a severe dental problem at 18 months and the second lived to be over 6 years, so I've since learned that even matching up ages doesn't mean that you won't end up with an age discrepancy! Since Frenzy (first pig who passed away young) died, we've always had an age gap... we went on to have Linney (surviving pig) who was 18 months older than Sundae for years... then when Linney died when she was 6, we ended up getting Hadley (baby) to pair with Sundae (who was then 4.5 years old.) We still have these two, but Sundae is getting on in years at almost 6 so I know at some point we will very likely be looking at pairing Hadley up again. I would love to have a bigger group, but because I travel back and forth to the cottage all summer I am restricted in the number of pigs/size of cage that I can transport, so two will be my maximum for the foreseeable future. My pigs have dealt with losing a friend differently- Linney seemed okay when Frenzy died (she was very much the boss pig and probably didn't rely on her buddy for security.) Sundae was REALLY distressed when Linney died and kept wheeking whenever she was alone. It was really hard for us to see. She is very passive and always a follower and I think she had no idea what to do on her own without following a more dominant piggie. When we got baby Hadley she went right back to following a little pipsqueak half her size!
 
My hubby and I had this discussion a few years ago. We had one of our most honest discussions when I told him that I couldn't see a time in life when I would not keep piggies. I seriously cannot envisage a life with no little creatures wheeking at me. I keep 4 in 2 cages. The most I would go to would be 5 in 2 cages. The cage cleaning, food bill and vets bills are what limit my numbers.
The grief at losing piggies is very real. I'm still grieving the loss of Mr Ted in such traumatic circumstances but piggies are pragmatic. Mollie has accepted a new baby cage mate and is the happier for being part of a pair again. But if you are going to keep piggies then losing them and dealing with that grief is just part of the deal. I can't say it's got any easier over the 18/19 years I've been caring for piggies but I adore the little creatures so much and there're are so many in rescue needing loving homes that I can't see me ever being without piggies. They entered my life before the children came and they will be part of my life long after the children leave home.
 
:D Since the age of 7 I have always had something with fur, scales or feathers in my life. AT present, there are 8 little people counting on me, and I am having to buy veg twice a week now. If I could get Inka and Bonnie to share a cage, I would have space for another 2 and that would be my absolute limit - space- and money-wise. I would let numbers go down to four and keep it at that, just so I could afford to get them insured. But as long as I am fit enough to look after them and have enough money to feed them, I will always have piggies. I just love the little fur-balls so much!
 
It would definitely be a waste of your knowledge not to have anymore, after my Jerry passed away in 2008 I always wanted more but it always put us off because of how hard we took it when Jerry died, but that's the sad part of life that everything dies eventually but if while they are here we can give them a loving happy life and a forever home then we should always think of good times we had with them and if we didn't have them they could have ended up with bad owners and we should all be proud of ourselves for educating ourselves to give them the best possible life they could have.

We eventually got another and he led to 3 more. Me personally I wouldn't be able to have more than 4 at a time because I don't have the space for them and I work different shifts so most of the time I'm cleaning them out at midnight because I don't want to upset their routine. Also please make sure your vet is knowledgeable with Guinea pigs because I have visited 2 vets that didn't know much about them and it must have cost me around £200 to be told "I'm not sure, try this and come back if it's no better".

They are such beautiful little things I couldn't imagine my life without them.i sit for hours and watch them, they make me so happy hearing them weeking and the way they form a bond with each other is so lovely. Their lips and noses are the cutest things I have ever seen I could not imagine coming home to a quiet house :)
 
Also have you ever thought of fostering them for a rescue? I have heard this is very rewarding although I have never done it myself as I would get too attached to them but at least when they leave you know they are going to a nice home and you can be proud of all the hard work you put into looking after them X
 
I had 7 until Noodles and Nuggets passed away last year - Nuggets was 4 and passed without warning - his wife pig noodles who had been unwell stopped eating and refused syringe food when she realised he had gone and passed away almost 24 hours to the minute that Nuggets did.I still sometimes cut a cucumber into 7 chunks instead of 5.My remaining piggies are all over 5 and 6 ,so I too will have the domino of loosing them.
I have decided that I will always have piggies and will probably see if I can take on a pair of oldies from a rescue who need to see out their twilight years in a big indoor pen,or perhaps some special needs piggies as i am lucky to have a brilliant cavy savy vet who also keeps piggies.
 
Wow, all such wonderful replies thank you! It will take some convincing my family to get more as I am planning to go travelling for 3 months meaning leaving them to look after any future pigs. although I live with my sister and mum and dad who all love guinea pigs too I was always the one who sorted out the food and checked them over and groomed them.

Would you say in a group of 4 it works best to have 2 sets of pairs? Or all 4 in one cage? I've never had to bond piggies before as my two boys Ben and jerry lived seperately as they never got on (even though pets at home told us they were bonded!)
 
I have got 2 males and 2 females so I have them in 2 separate cages but if they were all females I'd probably have them all in 1 so I just had the one to clean, if you visit a rescue they might already have a bonded 4 or you just got 2 to start with, a rescue could help you find another pair to go with them x
 
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