My guinea pig died and now her sister is all alone, please help seeking advice

T

Treenie

New Born Pup
Joined
Sep 5, 2023
Messages
6
Reaction score
6
Points
35
Location
New York
I used to have 4 guinea pigs, over time they each passed away. When it came to only having 2 left, one of them had unfortunately a few days ago passed away, leaving only 1 behind. My guinea pig that is still alive was the last one I had ever gotten, so my 4th, she was a rescue and when I introduced her to her new home all she’s ever known was having her big family. Now that she’s the only one left, I’m worried about how she will be.

Today is Tuesday September 5th, I had lost my piggy Saturday September 2nd, so this is very fresh. When I had to put down my piggy, it was a very traumatic experience for me. She went very suddenly and it was a very horrible situation. I was, and still am, heartbroken about the whole thing. Because it was such a tragic loss, I’m really not in any position emotionally to get another guinea pig. I just want to give my last pig all the love and attention I can, I just don’t have it in me to have another one, but I’m scared that won’t be enough.

My last piggy is 5 years old. She seems to be alright, eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, playing with toys. I haven’t changed the bedding yet in her c&c cage, so everything still smells like her sister. She’s been cuddling in the blanket I kept her sister in before she died, so I’m concerned once I clean everything and it doesn’t smell like her sister anymore she’ll go into a depression. Last night I heard her chirping for the first time. That sound scared me because it’s a sound I’ve never heard any of my piggies ever make, and when I researched it, it means she is grieving for the loss of her sister and is possibly scared and confused, it made me very sad.

I know that guinea pigs do best in herds because they are social creatures, that’s why I’ve always had so many, but as I said it isn’t a possibility for me at this time to get another piggy, but I’m so worried about her being alone. I read piggies can go into a deep depression after the loss of their cage mate, or worse they can die of loneliness. That terrifies me. I’m trying to give her as much extra attention as I can; giving her more treats, giving her new toys, spending a few hours holding her and cuddling, hand feeding her and giving her head pats, but I’m worried I won’t be enough. I’m 26 years old, so I work majority of the week, I don’t work long hours so I’m figuring whenever I have free time I’ll just spend it with her, but I can’t be with her 24/7. I wish it was possible but I can’t dedicate all of my time with her, even me just going to sleep is leaving her alone whereas before at least if I wasn’t available she’d always have her other sisters for company, I’m just so concerned.

There’s virtually no articles or videos regarding taking care of a single guinea pig after their cage mate has passed away that doesn’t talk about getting another guinea pig to ease the grieving one’s pain. I’m worried my only option is to get another pig even though I’m really not ready to. I tried calling shelters to see if fostering a guinea pig was at least possible, but I haven’t had any luck thus far. If anyone has any information about guinea pig fostering please let me know as well.

Is it possible for a guinea pig to live happily by his or her self? Does anyone have any experience with taking care of a lone guinea pig after their cage mate has passed on?

I had tried calling my vet to speak about what it is I can do for her, still waiting for a call back. I’m seeking any and all help, this is a situation I’ve never been in before and if anyone has any experience with this please I’d appreciate your advice.

Too long to read: my guinea pig passed away leaving her sister all alone, I can’t get another guinea pig right now but am worried she will suffer and possibly die of loneliness if I don’t. Possibly can foster guinea pig if anyone has info for that. Seeking advice on how to make a lone guinea pig happy after their cage mates death and if that is even possible to do.
 
I’m sorry for your loss. It is difficult when you lose a piggy. Unfortunately you can’t make a lone piggy happy by spending time with them. No amount of time with humans can make up for the interaction they get from another piggy. We don’t speak their language or know the nuances of their body language and smells.

I think you have two options. The first is to find a rescue that would be willing to let you foster a piggy until your girl passes away. You’d then surrender the piggy back to the rescue. Have a look at the rescue list below and see about contacting those near you.

The second is to surrender your girl to a rescue where she can be paired off with another piggy. It’s hard when you want to essentially end the piggy cycle but you do have to consider your girls needs.

I hope you can find something that works for you both ☺️

Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
 
I’m not giving up my guinea pig but thank you for your advice. I’ll look into the fostering option.
 
Please do t think I was telling you to give her up, that was not my intention. I just wanted you to know all the options that are available to you. Hopefully there’ll be a rescue willing to let you foster.
 
Yeah it’s okay. If it just comes down to I’ll have to get another guinea pig to give her a good rest of her life then I will, but I would just rather not. And surrendering her definitely not an option for me, so I’ll just see if fostering can happen but the list you sent me it seems there isn’t anywhere to do that in New York.
 
I think the link I sent has the states at the top.
 
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there are any in New York :( but thank you anyway
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. We lost dear little Desmond on August 25th, suddenly. He left behind 3 year old Terrence. Having read a lot of information on here about guinea pigs need for companionship, we brought home Patch 24 hours later. We were NO WHERE NEAR ready for another guinea pig, we weren't even sure if we wanted to continue with the "piggie cycle", but whilst Terrence was doing ok after the loss of his friend (still eating and drinking), he just seemed down and looked really blank. Desmond passed on the way home from the vets, and when we showed him the body so he would understand what had happened, we could see he absolutely heartbroken. Whilst we weren't anywhere near ready, we knew deep down that it was the right thing to do for his wellbeing.

It's been an emotional roller coaster of 2 weeks (bonding boys/boars is trickier than with girls/sows I believe), and it turns out that Patch is pretty fiesty as well! The last 3 days they have started to settle down, the hierachy has been agreed and they are getting on really well.

Like I said, I was so emotional over Desmond, I cried at least once every day for about 5 days after he passed, and was really anxious that Patch and Terrence were going through a rough patch in the dominance phase of bonding. But it's just what they do, and now they are both happy that they have a friend again. There is a lot of information on this forum too about how to bond guinea pigs.

I still miss Desmond so terribly, but seeing Terrence back to his old self is just wonderful. And Patch is already growing on me, more than I expected.

You don't necessarily need to have a group either. She will get the stimulation she needs from just one companion. I've always kept pairs and they've got on fantastically.

Finally, these three articles on the forum are what I read to help me cope with Desmond's loss and make the next decision regarding Terrence.
Human Bereavement - Grieving, coping tips and support links for guinea pig owners and their children
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

I'm sure you'll figure out what's best for you and your girl ❤️ good luck, and use this forum to your full advantage - I only joined 2 weeks ago, but it's a truly wonderful place to be.
 
I'm really sorry for your loss. It's really hard, I've been there a few times.

First, something to think about... are you unsure if you want to continue to have guinea pigs at all in the future? Or are you concerned that you are not ready right this moment when the grief is fresh? Those are two totally different situations. If you just don't feel ready right now, you can keep an eye on your girl to see how she is holding up. We have typically brought home another guinea pig reasonably quickly... even if we didnt really feel emotionally ready yet. However, during one of my province's COVID lockdowns, we ended up losing a pig and not being able to get another one for about a month. Our remaining girl coped pretty well during the first three weeks, and then the isolation started to show and she was less active, less engaged, spent more time sleeping, and just generally lost her sparkle. Fortunately around 4 weeks non-essential services reopened and we were able to get a friend for her. If you think you'll be ready at some point, you can watch and wait for a little bit to see how she's holding up.

If you don't think you want to keep pigs at all after her, that's trickier. In North America there are fewer rescue services for small animals and finding someone who will foster you a guinea pig for companionship is harder. It might be easier to try to rescue a long similar-aged guinea pig, but ultimately you end up with someone who is the last one. Hopefully the links above will give you a few pointers if this is the case.

All the best and so sorry, again, for your loss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top