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.
 
Wiebke said:
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.
Click to expand...

PS: I do hope that you can find the solution for Sandie she is most happy with. Unfortunately, we cannot go and ask our piggies outright and have to do it indirectly by trial and error.

Suzy is a very experienced bonder and the best place in South Wales, so if she has not been able to, then thinking sideways and looking for different options is the next step. You can always ask Suzy whether she has a suitable next door companion, though.

Please don't feel bad about it. You are the most caring of owners. Piggies are very much their own persons and every bit as complex as humans, the longer I know them and try to work out their personal kinks.
I am sure that you will find and create the setting Sandie is most happy with - and that is the mark of the best of us. It may not be quite or straight forward, tough, but never stop believing in your good heart, @Jon880 . :tu:
 
Thanks for your feedback everyone. I took Sandie to the vet straight after collecting her from Suzy, and the vet diagnosed cystitis- maybe that was in the background making her grumpy. Anyway, she has a course of meds and we will discuss a way forward for her at the end of the week.
 
Jon880 said:
Thanks for your feedback everyone. I took Sandie to the vet straight after collecting her from Suzy, and the vet diagnosed cystitis- maybe that was in the background making her grumpy. Anyway, she has a course of meds and we will discuss a way forward for her at the end of the week.
Click to expand...

Please be aware that there is a bacterial urine infection (UTI) and - these days much more common although still not known much past vet circles dealing regularly with guinea pigs - a sterile/non-bacterial recurring cystitis (sterile interstitial cystitis/IC), which is stress related.

If there are some bacteria in the system (and most piggies have a small amount of faecal bacteria in their urinary tract), the antibiotics can temporarily suppress symptoms in mild to medium sterile interstitial cystitis cases but these will return. However, the first step is always to exclude a UTI as symptoms are very similar. Red/maroon pees at the onset of either are actually from a natural dye, porphyrin, and not from large amounts of blood.
Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones

I hope that helps you when things don't quite run to plan. It is a very stressful time for both of you, as I know from my own experiences with helping my own piggies find new happiness.
 
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