Advice needed re elderly rescue piggie

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hadron

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Hello! I'm new to this site as today I'm (hopefully) acquiring a rescue piggie. She's quite old (the previous owner believes she's 6), she did have a companion who died (I don't know how long ago). From what I can tell, the previous owner basically just fed, watered and cleaned the cage of the guinea and that's it. The pets were bought for a child who got bored of it and the parents didn't have time for it.

My question is: as the guinea is so old, might the change of ownership/environment cause distress to it? I'm planning to get a run so that it can get some exercise (it currently gets none at all) and my kids will give it lots of love, but do you think that it might be too much for the poor thing?

Also, it's currently in a cage that has a ramp from one floor of the hutch to the other. I've read that guineas can't climb. Is the ramp a really bad thing?

Thanks for any advice you can give! Hadron x
 
Sorry, a funny face has appeared where I wrote "(the previous owner believes she's six)"!
 
Aaarg! It's done it again! Sorry, not used to this.... the guinea is s i x years old. Let's see if that works!
 
I haven't been keeping guinea pigs for long enough to offer any useful advice about elderly ones. However I can comment on my ramp experience with my piggies. I have had them since they were babies and they initially could not/would not use the ramp in their hutch. They just lived upstairs in the bedroom. I started to get a bit concerned that they were never going to use the rest of the cage. I then remembered that I had some leftover carpet in the loft and cut squares out to fit between the slats on the ramp and glued them in place. I put some lovely veg in the bottom of the hutch and then put the boys downstairs. They had a lovely munch and then realised they were going to have to go upstairs to go back to bed. They were a bit wobbly and hesitant to start with but mastered it quite easily.

I'm not sure if an elderly piggy will be able to learn in the same way (old dogs, new tricks etc) but there will be plenty of mega-experienced people on here who will be able to give better advice. Definitely think carpeting the ramp is worth a try though so piggy can grip on to it.

Good luck in your rescue
 
hadron said:
My question is: as the guinea is so old, might the change of ownership/environment cause distress to it? I'm planning to get a run so that it can get some exercise (it currently gets none at all) and my kids will give it lots of love, but do you think that it might be too much for the poor thing?

Also, it's currently in a cage that has a ramp from one floor of the hutch to the other. I've read that guineas can't climb. Is the ramp a really bad thing?

Thanks for any advice you can give! Hadron x
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We recently adopted a female who's companion had died. She was at least four years old but because I am the 5th owner she could be possibly older than five. Anyway she didn't bond with my girls but was happy enough on her own close to the others. She's in a run with a ramp but for guinea pigs make sure the ramp has some sort of covering eg strip of carpet tile etc to give her some grip when climbing. Also put a side piece on to stop her falling off sideways.

Going back to our old girl, Minnie. We decided it would be better if she did have a companion but as she was feisty with the other girls we got a rescue neutered boar who is only about a year old. They've settled down lovely together during the past eight weeks & I'm glad we went for a companion. She has put weight on and is on par with the other girls weight-wise. If you have the space I would recommend getting her a partner, either sow or neutered boar. They do need more than human company & the cost of keeping two instead of one is very little. If you do go for a companion, please try to get her to a rescue who will let you try her with a few piggies for compatibility before taking one home.
 
My golden oldie Bruce, around the 5 year age mark lost his life long companion Sheila in April and we took him dating very quickly despite us grieving for her :( :(
He has two gorgeous little wife pigs now and I worried they would be too playful for him as he's very laid back and they tried to boss him around when they reached the 3 month age. Bruce soon put a stop to it and the girls know he's boss (didn't think the old boy had it in him :)) Great dynamics in this little trio continues :)
Please find her a friend asap, it's wonderful to see what I call 'elderly' piggies with a gleam in their eye again - there's always a little needy piggy looking for love x
 
Hi and welcome!

I have rehomed quite a few 4 and 5 year old piggies and know of piggies as old as 9 nine years that have successfully settled into a new home and group. Older piggies generally know who they are and really appreciate your good care; they are often a joy to have! Please take it easy at first so she can get her bearings and settle into her new life. She will let you know when she is ready for more.

You may consider finding her a companion of her own liking; older piggies love company, too, and will blossom if they have a friend (or a few). However, it is important that they can choose themselves under expert supervision; depending on how dominant an older sow is, she can be rather picky or difficult to bond.

If could give us your location, we may be able to give you recommendations as to good rescues where you can try to have her bonded safely with a congenial companion and where you will only come home with a new friend if things are working out between them, so there is no risk to you or the new girl. It is well worth travelling just that little bit further for that kind of support and safety.

It is great that you are going to do your best to make this poor girl as happy as possible!
 
I've got two 5 and a half year old sows who live inside during the winter; when I put them into their double decker hutch this summer they had no clue how to use the ramp and avoided it at all costs (despite having used it every year since we got them rolleyes ) In the end I just took the ramp out and let them use the bottom section. I think with older pigs who may be a bit more unstable on their feet, it's worth either not having a ramp at all or adding a bannister and something nice and grippy so they feel as safe as possible. Good luck with the new pig!
 
Hi Hadron
I took on two elderly guinea girls, Caramel and Cotton (who I renamed Moomin) a few years ago. The little girl wasn't looking after them properly, they weren't neglected, but not appreciated as much as they should have been. Both girls have now passed away, after reaching the grand old age of 8 yrs old, maybe slightly older. They soon settled in, very happy to be getting lots of good food, and clean water. They had both been handled a lot and were lovely girls. I still miss them now. Guinea pigs can climb, but don't particularly like to. My guineas have tunnels on their ramps, which they are more than happy to run up and down in. Good luck, and hope this advice helps you.
 
We offered a permanent rescue space to two 5 year old girls about a year or so ago and they settled in really well without any problems. I've just taken in a 7 year old sow, who is currently rather under the weather, but the hope is to bond her with Martha and Nora when she is well enough :) Well done for offering an older piggy a new home.:)
 
older piggies are fab and not as frail as you think towards other piggies especially by reading the above posts and my own experience with my Dylan who is 8 and he just lost his friend he does not do well on his own so even though i grieved i took him the next day to get a friend and he definately rules his cage. Older guinea pigs just know how to tell the younger ones to back off or if he feel like it he just goes sleep and totally ignores his friends sillyness. I would highly recommend a friend Dylan even pop corns around with his new friend its like it gives them a boost. With regards to the ramp a fleece/cotton tunnel you can buy from a lady on here but cant remember her name really helps dylan still zooms up and odwn his outside one so i think it depends on your little girls personality as if to she will and wont use it, i also dont think she will get stressed aslong as she is loved and cared for piggies dont seem to mind change as much as some other animals.
 
Wiebke said:
If could give us your location, we may be able to give you recommendations as to good rescues where you can try to have her bonded safely with a congenial companion
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Thank you all for your replies, your advice is very much appreciated! We brought home the lovely piggie yesterday (which my children have renamed 'Sniggles'!) and she didn't mind being held by me, so I hope she'll get used to us soon. I feel reassured that so many of you have rescued elderly piggies - I was so scared that Sniggles would be dead from the shock of being rehoused this morning when I looked in her cage!

I'm going to take your advice and either put carpet on the ramp or get a tunnel for it. She seems a bit overweight and the owner said she's pretty sedentary so I'm going to try and get a run sorted out asap.

Is it ok to put the run directly on freshly-cut grass? I mowed it yesterday and I read that freshly-cut grass is bad for guineas. Is that right?

In response to Webke, I'm in Harrow - are there any good rescue places around here? I'm definitely considering rescuing a neutered boar so that Sniggles have company.

Thanks again! Hadron x
 
I'd recommend putting Sniggles out a couple of days after grass has been cut, runs the risk of bloat if she eats any cut bits as they ferment. Maybe give her some hand picked if possible and a couple of dandelion leaves if you have any :) Wash well of course.
Well done on her home coming, she's certainly going to be very spoiled with you by the sound of it...we all love pigtures too...;)
 
Regarding the weight, I would expect her to be in the 1100g to 1400g. It's best to weigh her weekly. Lost of weight is often the first indicator of something being wrong health-wise. Don't worry if she loses weight in the first week or two as the change of habitat & diet can do this. She should settle down after that & you'll find she'll eat more when she has a companion. It's down to competition, when they're alone they tend to eat less. When we got Minnie 4 months ago she was under 900g now she's about 1300g

You should never give her fresh grass clippings from a lawn mower but you can cut her some with scissors. Putting her out on the lawn the day after cutting the grass is OK. Make sure that most of the previous days clipping have been removed. If she hasn't had fresh grass recently you should just give her a little to start with & build it up. Ours need to be supervised while on the grass because our lawn is at the front of the house with open plan garden. They usually tell me when they've had enough by laying down & chilling out. Anything from 30 to 60 minutes.
 
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