Piggymomma19
New Born Pup
Hello! I am brand new to the forum because of a very unfortunate circumstance.
Yesterday, one of my two guinea pigs of three years passed away from age (we adopted them from a rescue as adults, so it was expected that one would die before the other, we were just unsure when). My other boar is now alone, though has been eating, drinking, and sleeping all the same it seems. I have been doing my research after this devastating incident, and am in the process of looking into a new partner for him. A few sources have told me to wait until he is done grieving, then go through with bonding, though I cannot tell exactly what grieving looks like in a guinea pig.
He is about four years old, perhaps more, and also wondered if getting a similarly aged boar would cause issues with temperament and dominance, or if it would work well? The only piggy at a rescue nearby is four years old, and I was planning to call and ask about him soon to figure out the specifics there. Meetups to do a bonding are not possible right now given the current situation, but I also don't want to risk having them get in a spat and have to set them up in separate cages.
I also feel awful about going to a chain pet store to purchase a guinea pig, as I am all for pro-rescue and love giving animals a second chance when I can, but if a younger piggy works best for my boar, that might have to be the case.
Please, any suggestions about when and what I should do so that my little guy isn't alone for too long would be extremely appreciated. (I have done research on bonding and such, but would love to get help for my situation in particular)
Thank you so much!
Yesterday, one of my two guinea pigs of three years passed away from age (we adopted them from a rescue as adults, so it was expected that one would die before the other, we were just unsure when). My other boar is now alone, though has been eating, drinking, and sleeping all the same it seems. I have been doing my research after this devastating incident, and am in the process of looking into a new partner for him. A few sources have told me to wait until he is done grieving, then go through with bonding, though I cannot tell exactly what grieving looks like in a guinea pig.
He is about four years old, perhaps more, and also wondered if getting a similarly aged boar would cause issues with temperament and dominance, or if it would work well? The only piggy at a rescue nearby is four years old, and I was planning to call and ask about him soon to figure out the specifics there. Meetups to do a bonding are not possible right now given the current situation, but I also don't want to risk having them get in a spat and have to set them up in separate cages.
I also feel awful about going to a chain pet store to purchase a guinea pig, as I am all for pro-rescue and love giving animals a second chance when I can, but if a younger piggy works best for my boar, that might have to be the case.
Please, any suggestions about when and what I should do so that my little guy isn't alone for too long would be extremely appreciated. (I have done research on bonding and such, but would love to get help for my situation in particular)
Thank you so much!