Difficulty re-bonding a bereaved piggie

Jon880

Jon880

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Until fairly recently we've had a stable herd of three piggies. Sadly, since 1 October we've been down to one remaining sow, two and a half year old Sandie.

We've been trying to re-bond Sandie with a new friend this week, with help from Suzy at the GGPR rescue here in South Wales. Sandie has met three potential buddies but unfortunately she's become increasingly aggressive with each one.

Have I tried to re-bond her too soon after bereavement? Have I stressed her out unwittingly? And is she doomed to remain a solo pig?
 
Hello I’m sorry to read you have only 1 piggy remaining from your herd 😢
I cant really offer definite advice as I was very lucky that when I had to find a friend for Geoff the first piggy he met (Freddy) he bonded with.
I’m sure forum moderators and other members will be along to offer you advice.
Good luck 🥰
 
Yes Suzy put Sandie and her potential partners in adjacent cages then tried to bond them in her neutral bonding pen.

I'm goimg to collect Sandie this morning then take her straight to the vet in case some physical problem is making her grumpy.
 
Definitely a good idea to get any potential medical angle checked.

If she is fear aggressive then she can still find a partner but the process can need to be done much slower - weeks side by side with a potential friend etc before attempting neutral territory

I hope she is ok
 
Good luck with the bonding and I’m sorry for your losses. I hope she and you are both ok.

It took our Winnie four dates before she found the right one after her first bereavement, she even took a mouthful of fur out of one (I was so shocked) but we all felt it was fear aggression too. She did choose a friend in the end and they worked out ok. At times I thought it was never going to happen.

Then she was bereaved again sadly, and this time she found a friend in just two dates but this rescue took it much slower, and I think she was happier with this one (Dottie) as Dottie was very scared herself but also completely submissive, so she didn’t present any threat which may have helped. They went on to get along well.

Complex creatures but hopefully there is someone out there for yours.
 
HUGS

Some, especially older sows coming out of partnerships from when very young, find it difficult to accept a new mate and feel very vulnerable when meeting new piggies.
I have ended up with the odd older sow who would not accept any of their neighbours.

Occasionally, I had up to four bereaved singles, none of which would accept one of the others or one of my other groups or pairs, even though they knew them through the bars.

In these cases, a divided cage with another living alongside difficult to bond oldie may be the solution. As long a boar cannot get through or over the divider, you can also think about adopting or rescue fostering a difficult to bond older rescue boar instead of another sow for companionship and social interaction through the bars.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Please accept that you can give your bereaved singles only ever chances for companionship but the tricky journey into a group and a new identity may not necessarily be successful and they can prefer to live as a group of one with their own territory. As much as you wish to, you cannot force them to be happy again with another piggy. Patience can get you there in quite a few cases (sometimes it may take nearly a year) but in other cases, companionship through the bars is the best you can offer.
 
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