Depressed pig living alone after fight

[mikroulis]

In June 2020, I got three male guinea pigs. They were about 6 weeks old at the time, already neutered.

(I got them from a breeder here in Switzerland. Assuming that everything in Switzerland is rainbows and
unicorns, I did not do my due diligence, simply contacted the breeder and went to pick the piggies up...)

Last week, two of the piggies had a major fall-out, which resulted in one of them getting a bite on the nose. I rushed him to the vet and he got three stitches on his little nose. There had been some warning signs (teeth chattering), but I had assumed they would sort it out.

Now I have two of the piggies living in the main cage area (6 x 3 CC cage). The one that got bitten lives "upstairs", I built a second floor for him. They have no direct contact.

The two piggies seem to be getting along just fine, there has never been teeth chattering. I pray this remains the case.

However, the other pig is getting depressed, including loss of appetite and loss of weight. What is the best solution for him?
- I cannot get him a female friend, because this will upset the pair living peacefully downstairs.
- Can I get him an elderly male friend (assuming that older pig means less testosterone and more chances to get along)? What are the chances it will work?
- The lone pig is getting lots of hugs, he is totally relaxed on my lap, but it is obviously not enough.
- Should I rebuild the cage so that the downstairs pigs and the upstairs pig can have some contact through the grids?

 

[Wiebke]

In June 2020, I got three male guinea pigs. They were about 6 weeks old at the time, already neutered.

(I got them from a breeder here in Switzerland. Assuming that everything in Switzerland is rainbows and
unicorns, I did not do my due diligence, simply contacted the breeder and went to pick the piggies up...)

Last week, two of the piggies had a major fall-out, which resulted in one of them getting a bite on the nose. I rushed him to the vet and he got three stitches on his little nose. There had been some warning signs (teeth chattering), but I had assumed they would sort it out.

Now I have two of the piggies living in the main cage area (6 x 3 CC cage). The one that got bitten lives "upstairs", I built a second floor for him. They have no direct contact.

The two piggies seem to be getting along just fine, there has never been teeth chattering. I pray this remains the case.

However, the other pig is getting depressed, including loss of appetite and loss of weight. What is the best solution for him?
- I cannot get him a female friend, because this will upset the pair living peacefully downstairs.
- Can I get him an elderly male friend (assuming that older pig means less testosterone and more chances to get along)? What are the chances it will work?
- The lone pig is getting lots of hugs, he is totally relaxed on my lap, but it is obviously not enough.
- Should I rebuild the cage so that the downstairs pigs and the upstairs pig can have some contact through the grids?

Hi!

Do you have the option of letting your single boy meet any potential new partners before you bring them home only if acceptance has happened? Barring that, he will do better if he has interaction with his mates through the bars.

Sadly the cast majority boar trios fail when the boys hit teenage. Neutering cannot change personality and doesn't change natural development. A trio is most often a 2+1 constellation; there seem to be as about as many successful teenage trios as there are trios that end up with three singles.

Please take the time to read this guide here: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

 

[Siikibam]

Please do change the layout around so he’s living next door to the pair. They really do need that interaction, even through the bars. Interaction is also about body language and smells, which can still be done through a divider.

I’m sorry you were unknowingly given a trio of boars. Hope you find the singleton a friend soon.

 

[mikroulis]

Do you think I should leave a gap between adjoining cages?
I am scared there might be biting through C&C grids...

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry you have found yourself in this situation.
Hope you can find a good solution

 

[Siikibam]

They not likely to be able to bite each other through the grids. Their eyesight also isn’t great so do put them next to each other. If there is bar biting then you can cover the divide with cardboard or something else. Once it’s calmed down you can slowly remove it and hopefully they will be okay.

 

[mikroulis]

Update:
The pigs now live side-by-side: Two boys in a 3x6 and the lone pig in a 2x6 next to them.
The two boys are doing fine together. I hope it is going to stay this way (they are now about 8 months old, so)!
There is some interaction through the bars, but they mostly mind their own business.
I am still worried about the smaller one, he is gaining weight very slowly. I am feeding him extra, small pieces of banana, extra vegetables.
Last measurements were: 980g, 790g, 650g (the lone pig). He has always been the small one, even as a baby, so maybe it is just the way he is built..?

Thank you for your advice and support!

 

[Wiebke]

Update:
The pigs now live side-by-side: Two boys in a 3x6 and the lone pig in a 2x6 next to them.
The two boys are doing fine together. I hope it is going to stay this way (they are now about 8 months old, so)!
There is some interaction through the bars, but they mostly mind their own business.
I am still worried about the smaller one, he is gaining weight very slowly. I am feeding him extra, small pieces of banana, extra vegetables.
Last measurements were: 980g, 790g, 650g (the lone pig). He has always been the small one, even as a baby, so maybe it is just the way he is built..?

Thank you for your advice and support!

Hi!

Please see a vet if your boy has lost a full third of his body mass and step in with syringe feeding support. That is well beyond normal. Before you diagnose depression, you need to always exclude a medical problem first and foremost.

What he needs is hay/grass fibre which makes around 80% of the daily food intake and not more veg, which should only make around 15% of what he eats in a day.
Weight - Monitoring and Management (including how to check whether your boy is a healthy weight for his size at any age, i.e. feeling for the BMI), underweight and how soon to see a vet with weight changes)
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Pigwhisperer]

Hi!

Please see a vet if your boy has lost a full third of his body mass and step in with syringe feeding support. That is well beyond normal. Before you diagnose depression, you need to always exclude a medical problem first and foremost.

What he needs is hay/grass fibre which makes around 80% of the daily food intake and not more veg, which should only make around 15% of what he eats in a day.
Weight - Monitoring and Management (including how to check whether your boy is a healthy weight for his size at any age, i.e. feeling for the BMI), underweight and how soon to see a vet with weight changes)
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

No I think the weights are the current weights of the three different pigs, rather than weekly measurements of the same pig?

 

[Wiebke]

No I think the weights are the current weights of the three different pigs, rather than weekly measurements of the same pig?

I hope that the poster can clarify.

The weight guide link does explain how to check whether a piggy is a good weight for their individual size or not. This is especially important with piggies that are not quite in the average 50%. Nothing wrong if they are not a standard model but are perfectly healthy in themselves.

 

[mikroulis]

No I think the weights are the current weights of the three different pigs, rather than weekly measurements of the same pig?

Exactly! In comparison to the other two pigs (of which one is rather overweight and the other looks just perfect), the little one looks small.

Here are some pictures of the little one:


And finally, here you can see where he was bitten on his nose (he had two stitches).

 

[Wiebke]

Exactly! In comparison to the other two pigs (of which one is rather overweight and the other looks just perfect), the little one looks small.

Here are some pictures of the little one:

View attachment 164312View attachment 164313
And finally, here you can see where he was bitten on his nose (he had two stitches).
View attachment 164314

Would you consider having your two boys neutered so they can live with a sow each for company? It is the most stable of combinations; fall-outs are very rare. Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

I would however have your boy vet checked first in case there is an underlying health issue.

 

[Swissgreys]

Exactly! In comparison to the other two pigs (of which one is rather overweight and the other looks just perfect), the little one looks small.

Here are some pictures of the little one:

View attachment 164312View attachment 164313
And finally, here you can see where he was bitten on his nose (he had two stitches).
View attachment 164314

Welcome to the Forum.
It's lovely to see another Swiss member here

All UK and US members should probably stop reading now - please remember the situation here in Switzerland is VERY different to that in the UK/US.

I would suggest getting in touch with a breeder and asking about bonding your boy with another male.
Obviously becasue he is neutered a female would be a possibility, but clearly adding a female to your piggy room may cause issues with your existing boar pair.

In my experience breeders here are often happy to work with you in pairing a single animal up.
If you can give me a rough idea of where you are (Kanton) I can be more specific (particularly in Kanton SZ and ZH), but many breeders use Meerschweinchen Inserate | Alpaka, Coronet, Peruaner, Rex, Rosetten, Satin, Sheltie, Cuy to advertise their Meeris. This is a good place to start, and then contact them directly asking for their help and what animals they have available.
Because breeding here is strictly controlled and animal welfare regulations are high you are unlikely to find a rescue guinea pig, so expect to travel and expect to pay, but I am sure you can find a friend for your boy.

 

[BossHogg]

Before we get a flurry of reports over the mention of breeders, things are completely different in Switzerland with regards to animal welfare. The use of breeders for boar dating is acceptable. For those that don't know, it is actually illegal to own a solitary piggy in Switzerland.
Why it's illegal to own one guinea pig in Switzerland

 

[mikroulis]

If you can give me a rough idea of where you are (Kanton) I can be more specific (particularly in Kanton SZ and ZH), but many breeders use Meerschweinchen Inserate | Alpaka, Coronet, Peruaner, Rex, Rosetten, Satin, Sheltie, Cuy to advertise their Meeris. This is a good place to start, and then contact them directly asking for their help and what animals they have available.
Because breeding here is strictly controlled and animal welfare regulations are high you are unlikely to find a rescue guinea pig, so expect to travel and expect to pay, but I am sure you can find a friend for your boy.

I am in Kanton Bern, close to Meiringen.

I am afraid I am running out of space: I now have one 6x3 cage (2 boys in there) and one adjoining 6x2 cage (the third boy who lives alone).
I hope that the small piggy is getting some interaction through the bars...

By the way, the breeder where I got my three piggies (also in Kanton Bern) was a very bad experience: I trusted her, and she sold me three male (neutered) pigs, even though, as I now know, this would probably lead to a fall-out.

However, if you have someone trustworthy to recommend, that would be nice! Thank you!