Newly bereaved single piggy housing options?

[Mikatelyn]

Hello,
My newly bereaved single piggy, Bandit (4.5 y/o Male) currently lives in a spacious 4x5 C&C pen in the living room/kitchen (we have an open concept home).
Someone is home almost all the time, but not necessarily in that room. I'm not ready to get another piggy, nor am I ready to give him up to someone else so that he can be with a buddy. In the meanwhile I want to provide him with more constant human companionship, so i was thinking of making a smaller pen on a rollling table that we can wheel around to the different rooms we are hanging out in (office during the day, bedroom at night)
This would be a 1.5 x 3.5 C&C pen, much smaller than the other. Below is a side by side comparison (smaller pen on the right is incomplete).



Would it be better to leave him in the bigger pen, but he would have less human companionship, or have him in the smaller pen and be able to hang out next to someone nearly 24/7?

This is Bandit showing support to his then ailing cagemate, Bunker, by also eating Critical Care.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

This is always a tricky situation.

Your boy will be ok on his own for around 1-4 weeks but will then be ready for a new companion.
Sadly, no amount of human interaction is enough, as there is no mutual communication between you and him.
You obviously do need to interact with him and being in the same room as him is a way to do that, but it can’t replace another piggy long term.

Just quick calculations so I may have made errors - but a 1.5x3.5 c&c (bearing in mind a c&c should not be less than 2 grids wide) would calculate to around a 52.5x122cm cage which converts to just under 7 square feet. That means a cage of that size would provide less than minimum cage sizing - minimum being 8 square feet.

There is also the consideration that going to new space and territory is a big thing for them.

So this is why it’s a tricky situation - there are pros and cons to both - and really it’s going to come down to what you feel is best for him.

 

[Mikatelyn]

Thanks @Piggies&buns. Your mathematical approach is helpful. I will widen the base. Unfortunately it wont fit through our doors at 2 grids wide (which looks to be 28"), so i'm going to make it a couple of inches narrower. I now plan to have a 26" x 50" mobile pen, which now calculates to over 8.5 sq ft.
I will keep his original pen up for now in case he appears to hate his portable, interactive pen.
Then i will look into piggy dating...

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hope your little man find a new friend soon, a good rescue might offer boar dating, good luck