A Hole In The Herd (bereavement)

[CogGirl]

Hello again, guinea pig forum. It's been a while. Apologies for dropping off the planet.

The Kattegat piggies have had a rough couple of months; their lovely neutered boar Ragnar (formerly Snowy, adopted from the Littlest Rescue) passed away suddenly at the end of September from a suspected stroke, and last Sunday (23/10) Lagertha was helped across to meet him in Valhalla by the emergency vet having declined rapidly over the course of the day with a suspected heart or gut problem. The pigs had a full health check at Mark Bridges' surgery after Ragnar passed and were pronounced hale and hearty but treated with Ivermectin as a precaution in case stress triggered a mite infestation as Thorunn and Helga were scratching themselves a little during the examination. I asked the emergency vet if I needed to get the remaining girls checked again but she said it wasn't anything contagious or indicative of poor husbandry, just 'one of those unfortunate random things'.

The remaining 4 girls seem happy and healthy - they're all eating and pooping well, and have lots of energy - although Thorunn has been barbering the others with a vengeance so they're looking a little ragged (I've been checking they're not losing weight, and aren't showing any signs of mites / fungus / ringworm - it's just where she's been nibbling at their fur making their coats a bit uneven)

I've read the thread about looking after a bereaved pig, but that seems tailored mostly to single surviving pigs in need of new companions, and I'm not sure 'add more pig' is the solution to this one.... what tips do people have for helping a larger herd adjust to a loss?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello again, guinea pig forum. It's been a while. Apologies for dropping off the planet.

The Kattegat piggies have had a rough couple of months; their lovely neutered boar Ragnar (formerly Snowy, adopted from the Littlest Rescue) passed away suddenly at the end of September from a suspected stroke, and last Sunday (23/10) Lagertha was helped across to meet him in Valhalla by the emergency vet having declined rapidly over the course of the day with a suspected heart or gut problem. The pigs had a full health check at Mark Bridges' surgery after Ragnar passed and were pronounced hale and hearty but treated with Ivermectin as a precaution in case stress triggered a mite infestation as Thorunn and Helga were scratching themselves a little during the examination. I asked the emergency vet if I needed to get the remaining girls checked again but she said it wasn't anything contagious or indicative of poor husbandry, just 'one of those unfortunate random things'.

The remaining 4 girls seem happy and healthy - they're all eating and pooping well, and have lots of energy - although Thorunn has been barbering the others with a vengeance so they're looking a little ragged (I've been checking they're not losing weight, and aren't showing any signs of mites / fungus / ringworm - it's just where she's been nibbling at their fur making their coats a bit uneven)

I've read the thread about looking after a bereaved pig, but that seems tailored mostly to single surviving pigs in need of new companions, and I'm not sure 'add more pig' is the solution to this one.... what tips do people have for helping a larger herd adjust to a loss?

Hi and welcome back! I am very sorry for your losses! You are welcome to post a tribute to Ragnar and Lagertha in our Rainbow Bridge section, if you wish to.

Introducing a new "husboar" and/or a young sow or two that do not upset the new sow hierarchy... If you can take your group dating at either The Littlest Rescue or Glynneath Guinea Pig Rescue, that would be best as they both offer dating, I think. The new companions will bring new life into the group, and the barbering will hopefully stop.

It has helped groups of mine that have had to deal with tough losses of major piggies in a short space of time - and it is also going to cheer you up.

PS: You may find the barbering guide interesting. Barbering ( Eating Hair)

 

[CogGirl]

Thanks Weibke; it's good to be back (albeit under such sad circumstances).

The trick with that, I suspect, will be convincing the minion (my partner-in-crime and beloved better half) that we should adopt more; Ragnar was very much his special baby (when we adopted him he was very shy, as a result of coming from a not-so-great background, and the minion was the human he bonded with) so the idea of 'replacing' him is a little rough right now....

Are there any other tips for helping the survivors settle? I'm reluctant to separate anyone out, and the barbering doesn't seem to be upsetting the others... I suppose we're fortunate that the Boss Pig, Siggy, is still around.

 

[Wiebke]

All you can do is let time be the healer or convince your "minion" to take the plunge not for himself, but to see all the piggies happier.

 

[CogGirl]

Update:
It looks like the recent losses have skewed the herd dynamic slightly; without Lagertha backing her up (they were the 'mean girls' of the herd) Siggy is being much less of a diva, and I think Thorunn has her eye on the 'boss pig' space. What's really surprising me though is Helga, who's always been the 'runt', has apparently suddenly massively increased in confidence and is throwing her weight about - rumblestrutting and chasing the others. I've never seen her do that, she's always been on the 'receiving end' of the displays!

I know this is just something I need to 'wait out', as the girls are taking time to figure things out, but it's tough living with the furry soap opera again

 

[Wiebke]

Update:
It looks like the recent losses have skewed the herd dynamic slightly; without Lagertha backing her up (they were the 'mean girls' of the herd) Siggy is being much less of a diva, and I think Thorunn has her eye on the 'boss pig' space. What's really surprising me though is Helga, who's always been the 'runt', has apparently suddenly massively increased in confidence and is throwing her weight about - rumblestrutting and chasing the others. I've never seen her do that, she's always been on the 'receiving end' of the displays!

I know this is just something I need to 'wait out', as the girls are taking time to figure things out, but it's tough living with the furry soap opera again

Changes to the hierarchy are never nice when they are somewhat controversial. Hopefully, it settles down again soon!

If you want to add to your group again, look for younger or submissive piggies that automatically go to the bottom of the heap and don't upset the new hierarchy, so you get a lot less dominance and problems. A good rescue can help you, as they know the personalities of their piggies.

 

[CogGirl]

Update 2:
The dominance struggles seem to have mostly settled down - there's far less charging around and squealing going on - although I've noticed Thorunn doing something a bit odd; she keeps sticking her head under the other pigs' chins (kind of like a cat scenting on a human) and then bumping upwards. Is this her asserting her new role as Head of the Herd?

 

[Wiebke]

Update 2:
The dominance struggles seem to have mostly settled down - there's far less charging around and squealing going on - although I've noticed Thorunn doing something a bit odd; she keeps sticking her head under the other pigs' chins (kind of like a cat scenting on a human) and then bumping upwards. Is this her asserting her new role as Head of the Herd?

Yes, this enforcing her dominance.
You can find all these behaviours in this guide here: Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics

 

[CogGirl]

Brilliant, thanks Wiebke

 

[CogGirl]

Updates from the Kattegat Piggies:
Today we collected a rather handsome neutered chap from The Littlest Rescue. The bonding pen is set up in the front room to enable us to keep a close eye on the girls while they meet Norbert. Fingers crossed for a happy herd!

 

[Wiebke]

Updates from the Kattegat Piggies:
Today we collected a rather handsome neutered chap from The Littlest Rescue. The bonding pen is set up in the front room to enable us to keep a close eye on the girls while they meet Norbert. Fingers crossed for a happy herd!

Best of luck!

Here are our bonding tips: Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Give your sows and your new boy time to gettin used to each other through the bars first. That will take some stress out of the equation.