Hello, i have 2 guinea pigs at the moment and one piggy (Lina) is really sick and is said to have about a few months left according to my vet. Her sister (Marley) is older and is outliving all her sisters who has passed away so eventually she'll be alone once Lina passes away. What can i do about this? Guinea pigs shouldn't be left without another piggy I'm pretty sure and I don't think we have plans on getting any more guinea pigs especially since my current pigs are already 8 and sick
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What to do if guinea pig outlives her sisters?
- Thread starter Puppiii
- Start date
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry Lina is poorly. I hope you have many more happy days left with her.
With regards to Marley if she is 8 years old then I personally think she could live her final days as a lone piggy. 8 is a great age and shows what good care you take of your piggies. If you really don’t want to keep her on her own then you would have to surrender her to a rescue.
With regards to Marley if she is 8 years old then I personally think she could live her final days as a lone piggy. 8 is a great age and shows what good care you take of your piggies. If you really don’t want to keep her on her own then you would have to surrender her to a rescue.
This is a difficult situation that most of us face at some point.
You have several options, but a lot will depend on where in Australia you live.
There are several good rescues around, and often they will let you foster a piggy to keep your remaining one company and then return it to the rescue.
You could also consider handing your single piggy over to a rescue, however if she is 8 years old then this is an incredible age and she would be far better off living out her remaining time as a single piggy in a home she knows well.
Hopefully you will still have some time left with her sister, and this isn't something you need to think about for a while.
You have several options, but a lot will depend on where in Australia you live.
There are several good rescues around, and often they will let you foster a piggy to keep your remaining one company and then return it to the rescue.
You could also consider handing your single piggy over to a rescue, however if she is 8 years old then this is an incredible age and she would be far better off living out her remaining time as a single piggy in a home she knows well.
Hopefully you will still have some time left with her sister, and this isn't something you need to think about for a while.
Hi and welcome
What a wonderful age to live to and what a credit to your good care!
I've been faced with the same situation earlier this year when 8 years old Morwenna survived both her closely bonded litter sisters. I do have other guinea pigs but she was not interested in them; not even in my second unbondable 6 years old widow. Their interaction through the bars consisted in mutual teeth chattering. Morwenna followed her last sister a few months later in June.
Unless you want to continue with guinea pigs, in which case companionship through the bars would provide stimulation (even if it is just a 'stay away from me'), many really old sows generally prefer their usual surroundings and daily routine over any changes and companionship. You may have to review if a creeping depression sets in. A lot depends on your last standing girl's personality.
But I have also adopted the last standing member of a group at 7 years old when she became very withdrawn in the wake of the loss and her busy owner (a nurse working 12 hour shifts) felt she couldn't be with Calli as much as Calli needed. It took about 10 months of living next to each other for my widowed rebel Tegan and Calli to consent sharing a cage. But as the spark between them has always been there, I did persevere. Calli lives to celebrate her 9th birthday thanks to having found new company, and 6 years old Tegan had learned the valuable lesson that companionship was more important to her than coming out on top all the time. She genuinely missed Calli.
You may find the links below helpful; they address the various practical challenges you can face with single guinea pigs in a range of situations (including bereavement) and how to spot signs of depression past the initial mourning as well as how transferring their companionship needs onto you can manifest. What you can practically do, very much depends on your local options, unfortunately, so there is not a clear one solution fits all cases.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
You may also find this very practical but sensitive guide about caring for the elderly and frail and also about support for yourself when you are confronted with the challenges that come with an end of life care situation: co.uk/threads/caring-for-older-piggies-and-facing-the-end-a-practical-and-supportive-information-collection.190997/
It is never easy; especially not after all that time but the links will hopefully make it easier for you in charting your own way of doing what is best for your own situation and tackling common problems associated with that.
What a wonderful age to live to and what a credit to your good care!
I've been faced with the same situation earlier this year when 8 years old Morwenna survived both her closely bonded litter sisters. I do have other guinea pigs but she was not interested in them; not even in my second unbondable 6 years old widow. Their interaction through the bars consisted in mutual teeth chattering. Morwenna followed her last sister a few months later in June.
Unless you want to continue with guinea pigs, in which case companionship through the bars would provide stimulation (even if it is just a 'stay away from me'), many really old sows generally prefer their usual surroundings and daily routine over any changes and companionship. You may have to review if a creeping depression sets in. A lot depends on your last standing girl's personality.
But I have also adopted the last standing member of a group at 7 years old when she became very withdrawn in the wake of the loss and her busy owner (a nurse working 12 hour shifts) felt she couldn't be with Calli as much as Calli needed. It took about 10 months of living next to each other for my widowed rebel Tegan and Calli to consent sharing a cage. But as the spark between them has always been there, I did persevere. Calli lives to celebrate her 9th birthday thanks to having found new company, and 6 years old Tegan had learned the valuable lesson that companionship was more important to her than coming out on top all the time. She genuinely missed Calli.
You may find the links below helpful; they address the various practical challenges you can face with single guinea pigs in a range of situations (including bereavement) and how to spot signs of depression past the initial mourning as well as how transferring their companionship needs onto you can manifest. What you can practically do, very much depends on your local options, unfortunately, so there is not a clear one solution fits all cases.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
You may also find this very practical but sensitive guide about caring for the elderly and frail and also about support for yourself when you are confronted with the challenges that come with an end of life care situation: co.uk/threads/caring-for-older-piggies-and-facing-the-end-a-practical-and-supportive-information-collection.190997/
It is never easy; especially not after all that time but the links will hopefully make it easier for you in charting your own way of doing what is best for your own situation and tackling common problems associated with that.