New friend?

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Cara100

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I have a situation.
I had three boys (one single and a pair) and the single died almost a month ago from pneumonia and complications due to that, he was two. I got the shock of my life when I walked in to heat up the heating pads of the paired males a week ago and one of them, Gus a one year old skinny pig, had passed away. He had been popcorning, eating, drinking and happily coming to my hand earlier that day.
His cage mate is almost two years old and has obviously taken an impact from the death. He’s the shyer type but now he just sits in the same corner of the cage (which is over five foot long). Luckily, he’s still been nibbling at his food and hay and drinks his water but he’s so skittish now. Even when I have him out he just finds a corner and huddles in it.
I’m worried about getting him another friend because of the fact that we don’t know the cause of Gus’ death and if it was a bug, that it might have lingered despite the disinfecting of the cage and bedding and could potentially harm the remaining piggie, never mind adding another pig to the mix. I’m also worried if they don’t get along, though Carl has been with Gus ever since he was 3 weeks old (born at my house, due to an unfortunate gender mistake). There’s someone online round the corner who is selling six week old baby boys - I just don’t know what to do. Any advice?
 
Boys are notoriously bad at bonding but if you pair with a really young pig they can potentially get along since the older pig will be viewed as dominant and therefore no little disagreement in who will be boss.
Having said that, all pigs are different and if your guy is showing signs of depression i think a cage mate would be helpful. So sorry to here about your pigs and i hope things work out! x
 
Sorry for your losses. Have you had Carl checked by a Vet? You must help him to eat enough - there are really useful sections on here about feeding and syringe feeding and weight checking are vital to keeping him going. Best option if/once he's ok is a pairing/bonding visit at a rescue where he stays for a few days. There are sections here on Bereavement for both you and him. Wishing you all well.
 
I am sorry for your losses

It’s not true that boys are difficult to bond, It comes purely down to character compatibility - find the right piggy and there aren’t any problems! Character compatibility is the key to success rather than age.

It is correct that the baby won’t be seen as a threat to your boys dominance, but equally babies grow up and have their own ideas on dominance and nobody can tell the future. Once the baby becomes a teen in a matter of 10 weeks, then you don’t know what will happen - they will need to find their balance of one dominant and one submissive. There is nothing you can do to influence it.

The safest way to go about finding him a new friend would be to do boar dating at a rescue centre (not possible with the Lockdowns at present) as you will only bring home a piggy of your boy’s choosing which results in a good match. Bringing home unknown babies may well work out absolutely fine, but the risk is on you down the line. Do remember that more boar pairs make it together than not, and I’m not saying don’t get the baby, but doing it that way is the riskier way.

Before that though, I would keep an eye on Carl, weighing him regularly to ensure he is still eating, if you choose to go down the boar dating at a centre route, then contact them to get your name on their lists. Sadly piggies can suddenly die from heart attacks or strokes so it may not be something contagious but it might be an idea to have him checked.

The guides below may help you

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
Hi guys, thank you so much for your advice and links. I’ll give them a read today.
Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, we can’t see a vet to get Carl checked over for any potential illnesses as they’re only taking emergencies. We don’t have any rescues near us either, even if we could go to one.
 
If you let us know roughly where you are there may be someone who knows one. They are also willing to rehome further afield if the fit is right for the piggy.

My advise is not to take on the 6 week babies. The main issue being that boar trios rarely work out. And the babies will eventually reach their teenage months. So although they may get on with your boar at the moment, come three months time relations could break down and you could end up with three single piggies.

Keep him entertained for now and consider rescues that are further afield.
 
all you can do is monitor him and his health.

If you are in the uk, then this is our rescue locator - it may help Rescue Locator. Most rescues are not rehoming at present in any event but are taking contact details for rehoming once lockdowns change.

As I said, if you choose to take on one of the babies (boars can only live in pairs, so you could only take one baby) then you need to go about bonding the right way (links below) and otherwise hope for the best but prepare for the worst in the case of failure down the line (as I said, your boy is likely to accept a baby as he won’t pose a threat, but down the line when baby grows up can be when things change)

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
The closest one i've found is over an hour away - i don't drive so I unfortunately won't be able to get there even if they did have boars that I could introduce Carl to. This really is such a frustrating situation. I can see Carl's excercise levels decreasing, he won't come out his house for floor time and he 's stopped popcorning when I refill his hay. I'm just grateful that he's still eating and drinking - he's snacking on cucumbers on my stomach as I type aha. Thank you for all your advice and help, it's nice to know that there are people out there that know what to do when I don't!
 
You can always use public transport if needs be. I wouldn’t discount it because it’s far. And there’s also a piggy train option, if people are willing and able. Have hope ☺️
 
Piggy train?! I’ve never heard of that! Is it for when you have to use public transport and obviously can’t bring your piggie with you to the place you need to take them?
 
Cara100 said:
Piggy train?! I’ve never heard of that! Is it for when you have to use public transport and obviously can’t bring your piggie with you to the place you need to take them?
Click to expand...

No, a 'piggy train' is transporting piggy by volunteers; however it is generally more for shifting piggies between rescues when there is a large operation with hundreds of neglected and often pregnant piggies that a single rescue simply couldn't cope with.

However, I have travelled by train and public transport all over the UK to adopt piggies - as far as the east coast of Kent (via London), South, Mid- and North Wales, West and South Yorkshire, including piggy dating once or twice with a group. And I have on occasion helped with 'piggy training' rescue piggies for a leg.
Travelling with guinea pigs
 
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