What can I do for my alone guinea pig

[Mizuli]

Hi everyone! I posted yesterday about death of one of my four guinea pig, boy, Bamba. I want to ask about his cage mate, also a boy, Carlos.
I have two female pigs in one cage, boy pigs in the other cage, so after we lost Bamba, Carlos became alone.
Although me and my husbad thinks its best for him to be neutered and be with girls rather than welcoming a new boy, I do not want him to feel uncomfortable and sad all by himself until we arrange his surgery. (I want to wait for a couple weeks for him to grieve as well and also, he has to wait for another several weeks after his surgery to be with others)
What can I do for him to feel loved and feel comfortable?
He is a shy boy and not a bit fan of cuddles or being touched.
So I am giving him many treats, toys and talking to him as much as possible as well as sleeping in a room where I keep pigs.
He seems okay although he is a little nurvus being completely alone in his cage.
What is the best thing to do for him in this situation for next few weeks?

 

[Merab]

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss.
It is lovely that you are thinking of Carlos’ need for companionship.

Neutering is an option.
I have a neutered boar, Micah, living with 2 sows.
While he was waiting the 6 weeks until he was safe he lived next door to his future wives - with extra high grids to stop him getting into them.
It also meant that I knew the girls had accepted him and so bonding stood a good chance of success.

Your other option is another boar.
Do you have rescues in Japan where they would do boar dating to help Carlos find his own companion?

Hope you find a good solution.

Don’t forget to allow yourself time to grieve for Bamba.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Long term, neutering him, having the six week wait after surgery to become infertile, and then bonding him with the girls is a good option.

In the meantime, are all the piggies in the same room? If so, then that is enough to stop loneliness. If his cage is next to other piggies, then they will interact and communicate through the bars so he will still have a form of companionship even though he doesn't currently live with another piggy

 

[Mizuli]

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss.
It is lovely that you are thinking of Carlos’ need for companionship.

Neutering is an option.
I have a neutered boar, Micah, living with 2 sows.
While he was waiting the 6 weeks until he was safe he lived next door to his future wives - with extra high grids to stop him getting into them.
It also meant that I knew the girls had accepted him and so bonding stood a good chance of success.

Your other option is another boar.
Do you have rescues in Japan where they would do boar dating to help Carlos find his own companion?

Hope you find a good solution.

Don’t forget to allow yourself time to grieve for Bamba.

Thank you so much!
I am not sure if such place exists in Japan considering rescues for small animals are not very common here - but I will certainly have a look too.
Thank you for your very nice word as well.

 

[Mizuli]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Long term, neutering him, having the six week wait after surgery to become infertile, and then bonding him with the girls is a good option.

In the meantime, are all the piggies in the same room? If so, then that is enough to stop loneliness. If his cage is next to other piggies, then they will interact and communicate through the bars so he will still have a form of companionship even though he doesn't currently live with another piggy

Thank you for your reply and glad to hear that just being in the same room with girls, he won't feel too lonly!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your loss.

Any single boar can live alongside sows, as long as he cannot climb or jump into their cage because he has no other boar to fall out with. Make sure that he can see, smell and interact with your existing piggies via pheromones, body language and sound for round the clock interaction and stimulation.

You may find the in-depth information in these links here helpful for your research:
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

 

[Mizuli]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your loss.

Any single boar can live alongside sows, as long as he cannot climb or jump into their cage because he has no other boar to fall out with. Make sure that he can see, smell and interact with your existing piggies via pheromones, body language and sound for round the clock interaction and stimulation.

You may find the in-depth information in these links here helpful for your research:
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Thank you so much! And thanks for the link as well!