Does bradders need a friend

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sqeeker

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As said in the title do you think that bradders needs a friend, he seems fine on his own and has cuddle times everyday, i just cant afford another piggy at the moment but i also dont want bradders to feel lonely. what you all think?
 
i think all piggies need a friend or at the least "through cage contact with others",my little Basil is the perfect example he was as shy and quiet as anything but now he is the brightest little piggy since we got Ralph for him,maybe Bradders would be even happier with a mate x
 
Thanks its just he seems content by himself and i didnt want to make him feel unhappy by getting a friend if he didnt really want one.
 
Hiya, i had a piggy live on his own for about 6months, he was about 4 at the time i think. He seemed fine never down in the dumps, quite a happy chap! But then i got him a girlfriend and i saw the difference in him immediately he ADORED her, was leaning on her and cleaning her etc within minutes it was quite cute and i was shocked as i always thought he was happy alone. I'd say if you can't afford another at the moment he's probably happy enough i'd not stress over it, just keep it as an option for when you can afford another because its lovely to see two piggies happy with each other x
 
Well when marble was with us they were in separate cages but next to each other and it was always marble who was trying to get to bradders, but bradders didnt want anything to do with him he just kept himself to himself if you know what i mean x
 
Yep that's what Ralfie was like, he lived in between 2 sets of girls and never bothered even looking through the C&C but when i got Panda he fell in love it was lovely. I'm not one for pushing people into getting other animals etc, he is probably happy enough on his own as i said especially if you give him lots of attention. But it has to be said that most pigs do come alive when they have company x
 
even if they don't pay attention to the other guinea pigs, it'll comfort them being able to hear them and see them if they want to.
just put yourself in his shoes, how would you feel being owned by a strange ginormous creature with no other humans to talk to your whole life? would being cuddled and petted by this giant be a good enough substitute for interaction with someone who can understand your language? even if you're a solitary person you still need contact with other humans to function properly.
 
I know what you are all saying but i really cant afford another piggy right now, as my partner is the only one working it is very hard for us. i dont mean to sound selfish but i dont wanna get another piggy knowing they wouldnt be getting the proper stuff they need, where as bradders gets everything because we already have him so we make sure he is well looked after before ourselves. x
 
sqeeker said:
I know what you are all saying but i really cant afford another piggy right now, as my partner is the only one working it is very hard for us. i dont mean to sound selfish but i dont wanna get another piggy knowing they wouldnt be getting the proper stuff they need, where as bradders gets everything because we already have him so we make sure he is well looked after before ourselves. x
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you are doing a great job and i agree that it would be great if he could have a friend but only when you could afford to;)its good that you dont want to affect the quality of care because that would be wrong,dont feel guilty about it as long as Bradders is loved he is alot better off than alot of other piggies x
 
I see what you mean, taking on another animal is a big responsibility. However, if his cage is big enough for two then you're probably only looking at the expense of initially getting the new pig which would be a donation to a rescue probably? Veg wise my pairs of pigs get the same as what my solitary pig got more or less, same with hay and dry food should really be kept to a minimum anyway because you want to encourage them to eat more hay and veg. Only you know your situation though, if you can't afford another you don't have to get one, he's done ok alone so far x
 
jnenbnb said:
I see what you mean, taking on another animal is a big responsibility. However, if his cage is big enough for two then you're probably only looking at the expense of initially getting the new pig which would be a donation to a rescue probably? Veg wise my pairs of pigs get the same as what my solitary pig got more or less, same with hay and dry food should really be kept to a minimum anyway because you want to encourage them to eat more hay and veg. Only you know your situation though, if you can't afford another you don't have to get one, he's done ok alone so far x
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i think its the possible vet expenses which are a worry also,as we all know our furries cost so much at times x
 
Ah yep forgot about the vets! I for one know how much they can cost! Sorry ignore that post then x
 
Haha they do indeed cost a fortune at times! Ralfie cost me nearly £600 in about 2months. Lucky i had savings! If pigs can cost that much imagine a big dog with similar problems :O x
 
^ you can try PDSA if you live near one, they provide free vet care for people who struggle with vetinary bills.
I work part time and own a pittance, but my four piggies live perfectly happily and are never without any of the care they need. It really wouldn't work out to that much more money unless you needed to buy a bigger cage.
 
If at the moment you are finding times hard it would be better to give Bradders the love and attention you are giving him and still been able to give him right level of maintainance too, rather than get another and not being able to afford the things they will both need.Don't feel bad you sound like your both doing great. Another reason being you could end up getting a new friend for Bradders then find you can't afford to keep them both and it would be heartbreaking not just for you but for him if you then had to let his friend go.

Think of it this way you are giving him a kind loving home lots of attention which is more then alot of animals are getting out there.He his one lucky piggy!
 
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I have to speak from the other side - I had Maddie who lived very happily with Albie til he passed. She then lived alone & did seem to love Toddie thru the mesh divider; thinking she'd like to share her life with him i had him neutered (he craved piggy company) but she hated sharing her space & became withdrawn.
She lived extremely happily in her own space & she was as happy in the house on her own as she was in the shed where she could still hear & smell the other piggies :)
 
Yep i agree, i think some pigs do fine alone and i had Maddie in mind thinking about it but Maddie lived with friends for years and always had pigs around her whereas bradders has never had the chance, would be nice in the future if he could choose himself whether he wants a friend or not but as the others say i'm sure he's happy enough alone for now x
 
He may not have lived with another piggy but he has lived beside one. However, I can't comment on wether he's happy or not as he's not my pig & i'm not saying what to do either i am merely showing that what we think is best for them isn't always right & some make their own decisions.

Take Toddie he craved piggy company yet would NOT accept another boar - he bullied his brother as a baby in rescue & was separated, he bullied baby Irving & was separated & was a nightmare with my older boys; it took neutering him to finally give him what he wanted.

As for Maddie; she did live with other piggies when she arrived & yet wouldn't accept her cage-mate back after she'd become ill. She also would not accept any babies nor older sows & she caused havoc in the run.

The general opinion, esp regarding sows is that they should never be alone - Maddie wouldn't live with another piggy - when i tried her with Howie & his girls she allowed herself to be bullied & you could physically see how sad she was.
She had other piggies beside her & didn't really bother with any of them, then took what seemed like a liking to Toddie however, to share her space with him was a different matter. Being a sow & people's general opinions of sows she shouldn't have been like this.

We can only speak from our OWN experiences & mine is that not all piggies wiil share with another piggy be it same sex or not.
 
Thanks guys for all your help we are gonna see if we can save a bit of money and then perhaps rescue a new friend for bradders. x
 
Yeah I agree Niki, you have to judge each pig on his/her own. Who would have thought I would have got Twinkle paired up with Milo! he is so unhinged and scatty it was a complete shock but you know I am one of these guinea owners who isn't scared to try! Hmmm I have this feeling about Ron, but if Glynis is pregnant I'll try him with a baby boar. He seems happy at the moment next to Pudsey and Eccles. I only see his ass he runs off, but he has got so big! Its a big ass! :(|)

Trudy I think as you say you can't afford it at the moment so I wouldn't do it. Wait until you can afford it, if Bradders seems ok now. As many know I'm all for pigs having friends of their own kind but you have to be able to afford it. :)
 
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