Bereaved Solo 3yo Sow

[b.m.c. <3]

Hi there, i currently have a solo 3 year old sow named Cinnamon after loosing my other sow last night very suddenly of an unknown cause (please do not give suggestions or advice about cause of death).
Cinnamon is definitely grieving as i showed her Moon’s (the passing sow) body before taking her to the vets to be put down and she sniffed her a bit. Do i need to show her the now passed body before we bury her?
They have been bonded since a few days old as they are half-sisters from the same breeder and i got another pig at the same time from there. Therefore, this is Cinnamon’s first time living alone. I’ve been trying to spend as much time as possible with her, giving her forage, and lots of tunnels to keep her occupied.
She was living in a 6ft hutch in a shed but i have brought her inside (in a suitable cage) so that i am able to spend more time with her and she will be a bit warmer.
She is spending a lot of time in her bed, but not so much for me to worry about her. She’s eating hay, veggies and forage. But not drinking as it takes her a while to know where water bottles are when u move them. I’ve been giving her cucumber and syringe feeding water to keep her hydrated.
I was just wondering if there is anything i can do so she won’t get depressed, bored or lonely. I know that she needs a new friend but I am very worried about that as what if she hates the new pig and I have to send it back to the rescue. I also don’t want any more guinea pigs unless I absolutely have to.
Does anyone know how to get out the cycle of constantly bonding pigs and having them for eternity?
Getting a new pig is only going to happen if she gets depressed and very lonely.
I’m very worried about her as I’ve lost both her half sisters already and I don’t want to loose her too, I don’t want her to go into acute pining.

I hope you can understand this.
Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Sophia


R.I.P. Moon 1st October 2022 - 24th November 2025

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry for your loss. A sudden loss is always such a shock and can take time to process.

You can show her the body but she is likely to already be aware of what has happened.

The most viable and common option for most people to end the cycle while still ensuring their piggy has a friend is to adopt/foster a new friend for their remaining piggy but you only keep that piggy until your own passes away. Once your piggy passes the agreement is that the other piggies goes back to the rescue to be rehomed. The cycle is thereby ended

At only three years old she is really too young to be kept single as she could still have up to another five years of life.
The issue with deciding to only get a new friend for her if she shows she is depressed/lonely is that most bereaved piggies will appear to behave normally while still feeling the loneliness.
Most piggies can only cope on their own for between one and four weeks.
Acute pining is an extreme form but is actually rather rare. Just because a piggy doesn’t go into acute pining doesn’t mean the loneliness isn’t there. Unfortunately if acute pining is going to happen no amount of human interaction will stop it.

When you get a new friend from a rescue, the rescue centre would be able to ensure the bond is going to work before you commit to the new piggy and thus the chances of you needing to return that piggy due to a failed bond are very low.

If you are not going to get her a new friend then the ‘single guinea pigs’ guide explains a bit more about this

Take some time to have a think and process what has happened before making any decisions

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

 

[b.m.c. <3]

I’m so sorry for your loss. A sudden loss is always such a shock and can take time to process.

You can show her the body but she is likely to already be aware of what has happened.

The most viable and common option for most people to end the cycle while still ensuring their piggy has a friend is to adopt/foster a new friend for their remaining piggy but you only keep that piggy until your own passes away. Once your piggy passes the agreement is that the other piggies goes back to the rescue to be rehomed. The cycle is thereby ended

At only three years old she is really too young to be kept single as she could still have up to another five years of life.
The issue with deciding to only get a new friend for her if she shows she is depressed/lonely is that most bereaved piggies will appear to behave normally while still feeling the loneliness.
Most piggies can only cope on their own for between one and four weeks.
Acute pining is an extreme form but is actually rather rare. Just because a piggy doesn’t go into acute pining doesn’t mean the loneliness isn’t there. Unfortunately if acute pining is going to happen no amount of human interaction will stop it.

When you get a new friend from a rescue, the rescue centre would be able to ensure the bond is going to work before you commit to the new piggy and thus the chances of you needing to return that piggy due to a failed bond are very low.

If you are not going to get her a new friend then the ‘single guinea pigs’ guide explains a bit more about this

Take some time to have a think and process what has happened before making any decisions

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it.
I will take what you said into account. Fostering sounds like a good option for me, and I get to help a/few piggies!
I’m glad that acute pining is rare. I shall keep a close eye on her.

Once again, thank you

 

[DavRz]

Sorry for your loss of Moon.