Does Ernie need a friend?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hoggle*&*Ludo

Hoggle*&*Ludo

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
3,089
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Preston, Lancashire
I don't want to sound naive, I do know piggies thrive in company but do you think he is miserable alone? His brother died when he was 12 weeks, he is now 19 months, and has been alone all that time.

I really would like to get him a friend, would a spayed sow be a better choice? I don't want to upset him when that is his home but I feel bad for him being alone and he isn't excitable yet, not seen him popcorn although I have spied on him happily munching veg and running about. He is outdoor so doesn't get the normal noise and interaction of an indoor piggy.

How would I look at getting a rescue pig? Would like to do it sooner rather than later. His hutch is about 4ft x 2ft, is that enough?
 
I think it would be better for Ernie to have a friend. They are naturally gregarious animals. You could go for boar dating. Have a look in the rescue & rehoming section and hopefully you can find a rescue near you. :)
 
I would say get a friend. Piggies really do need piggy company. Two boars can be great you just need to find a friend he gets on with :-) x x
 
I agree take him boar dating, taking one of mine at the moment although might take a while as hes picky :)) That way you can find a piggy he really likes :)
 
I also agree that it would be nice for him to have a friend :) As far as I know not many rescues spay sows, so maybe another boar would make a good friend for him?
 
i don't think it really matters if he has a friend or not, as long as you get him out regularly , he has you for company... my sows tolerate each other but thats about it, they were put together in the pet shop i bought them from .. they never cuddle to each other & prefer to do their own thing, i don't think they would care if they were seperated as we sometimes get them out for nail clipping etc seperately , i'm probably going to get slammed for this post rolleyes
my niece had a lone pig for 9 years & she was always out so in some circumstances it can be okay. hamsters live on their own ...
 
gingersusie said:
i don't think it really matters if he has a friend or not, as long as you get him out regularly , he has you for company... my sows tolerate each other but thats about it, they were put together in the pet shop i bought them from .. they never cuddle to each other & prefer to do their own thing, i don't think they would care if they were seperated as we sometimes get them out for nail clipping etc seperately , i'm probably going to get slammed for this post rolleyes
my niece had a lone pig for 9 years & she was always out so in some circumstances it can be okay. hamsters live on their own ...
Click to expand...

I am not slamming your post but just wanted to point out that Syrian hamsters are solitary animals so have to live alone therefore if they were made to live with another hamster, they would fight to the death.

Guinea pigs are herd animals so that is why they usually prefer to live in pairs and groups.

I just wanted to explain the difference between the two :)
 
uummmm ok, i was just saying that it's not always the right circumstances to have 2 guinea pigs , if you get another then one dies , what then? it's a vicious circle otherwise, i was just saying it's perfectly acceptable for any other animals to live alone , i know guinea pigs are herd animals but like i said it's not always feasible to have 2 pigs, just my opinion and i was using a hamster as an example, i had mice & one died but i didn't get another one because if the older one died then i would have kept on & on getting new ones all the time :)
as long as they are loved & well cared for in a lovely enviroment with plenty of cuddles then it shouldn't be a problem...
everyone's opinion is different :)
 
And I fully agree with you :) I just wanted to point the hamster thing out.

I have a single degu. Before he came to live with me, he lived in a pair but him and his brother had a huge fight where they both ended up being seriously injured.

It isn't easy to bond degus to one out of the litter. In an ideal world, I would prefer for him to have a friend but it isn't possible due to the reason mentioned.
we give Marley lots of attention and he is happy.

I also have a single gerbil after his brother died last July. Again, it isn't easy to bond gerbils, especially older ones.

I just feel that if an animal can be bonded and if the owners finances allow, it should be tried :) I do appreciate that not all piggies get along though.
 
Last edited:
i agree with * too. it isn't always possible to bond animals & there's the cost of two pigs e.g. Vets fees etc. some people can only afford one and there is the vicious circle of them becoming lonely again if one dies etc. maybe some might not want to keep going in that circle? i wouldn't want too..
 
You could take him on a couple of dates & see how behaves.

I lost a boar last summer & a few weeks later took his twin brother on a date - it was really interesting to see him suddenly spring to life in the company of another pig (albeit separated to begin with) he was visibly a bit chuffed!

They have been happy together for 6 months now... It's worth a try x
 
I understand the comment about the circle tho, I sometimes think now if anything happened I'm not sure i'd like more because it infuriates me I have to do a 130 mile round trip to find a decent pig vet.

At some point I guess most ppl have to stop, unless they want to be a pigmummy forever...

It's a valid point...
 
Well he has been alone since a baby, it's what he knows. I will just get myself settled financially and think about boar dating. :)
 
PAMELAKT said:
I understand the comment about the circle tho, I sometimes think now if anything happened I'm not sure i'd like more because it infuriates me I have to do a 130 mile round trip to find a decent pig vet.

At some point I guess most ppl have to stop, unless they want to be a pigmummy forever...

It's a valid point...
Click to expand...
thanks hun.
it is a vicious circle and in a perfect world all piggies wouldn't be alone..
Its one of those things sometimes that can't be helped..
 
gingersusie said:
i agree with * too. it isn't always possible to bond animals & there's the cost of two pigs e.g. Vets fees etc. some people can only afford one and there is the vicious circle of them becoming lonely again if one dies etc. maybe some might not want to keep going in that circle? i wouldn't want too..
Click to expand...

If you can't afford to keep an animal as it SHOULD be kept, i.e. in a pair/group as is recommended for pigs, pick something else.

Not really any different to 'I can't afford to feed it' IMO but there you go. Pigs need feed, so if you couldn't afford their feed, you shouldn't get them. Pigs need company, so if you can't afford their company, you shouldn't get them, and can go get one of these lone hamsters instead.

It is also a bit unkind to call it a 'vicious circle' to have to get another one when one dies! I do hope you don't lose a pig at a young age so his/her friend has to live for 5/6/7 years alone, because you don't like that 'vicious circle'

But of course you're needs and emotions should always come before your animals rolleyes

I really do wonder why I come back to this forum sometimes.
 
i certainly don't want to keep getting pigs if one dies all the time, for you to say that is ridiculous! so until i die then i'm going to have to keep getting pigs because one is left on it's own by it's friend dying? are you real?
in her original post the lady said she had 2 pigs so she didn't get one on it's own to start with.
people's financial circumstances change too, you could end up getting loads of animals because you can afford it then end up losing job, splitting with partner etc....
i really do wonder why you came back on this forum rolleyes
to cause trouble maybe?
 
I must admit, I do think the last comment was a little harsh. People's circumstances do change.

I have noticed an increase in people rehoming their animals due to them having a baby. I personally do not agree with that but you're right in the fact that people's circumstances do change.
 
I think wether a guinea pig ‘needs’ a friend or not is a touchy subject depending on the person’s views and really it just requires someone to put things into perspective.

If you get 2 guinea pigs at 6 weeks old and then 2 weeks later one of them dies, then maybe it’s a reasonable thing to look for a companion for your guinea pig.

But

If you have 2 guinea pigs at about 6-7 years old, and one dies, is it really reasonable to go through the process of bonding that animal, not only because of the stress it may cause but because your basically setting up the new pig to go through the same system (or 'vicious cycle')with a few months down the line having to go through bonding all over again.

I don’t think getting another guinea pig is about the owners emotions. The animals emotions come into it as well, the stress of bonding is alot for any aged guinea, but even more so on an elderly pig. So is it really all worth it.
My rescue piggy is quite traumatised from the amount of failed bondings he was put through, not by myself, but through past homes, he becomes distressed around other piggies and for that reason he’s still alone until i feel he’s settled enough to move on to the next stage. Now that may be cruel to some. But i’m putting his emotions first not my own, i’d happily take on more pigs any time but i don’t want to rush into it and have it all ruined.

When it comes to affording an animal, if you can only afford one of an animal but there social then maybe that isn’t the pet for you, the animals welfare does come into it and you should always research your pet and it’s expenses/needs thoroughly first.
I know adding another pig into my household didn’t add much of a cost but it’s true you should be worried about vet costs and things however you should at least be able to cover one animals vet bills and the chances of them both being ill at the same time is slim so personally i wouldn’t worry much about that, for guinea pigs anyways.

I think it really depends on the person and the situation and no one can really make any quick judgements without knowing the owner and the animal.
 
Last edited:
I think to have one pig because it 'isnt feasible' to have two is going against their natural genetic make up. The only time I may possibly have the one alone is if the cage mate dies and the remaining pig is very elderly. Some pigs wont tolerate other pigs and that's fine but I think they should be given the chance to express that choice. You wouldn't get a Syrian hamster and force it to live with another when you know it shouldn't so why force a natural herd animal to live alone?
 
sometimes it isn't feasible to keep having another pig when one dies, like you said if the one was elderly, the lady who started this post said that her pig has been on his own for a long time and that's all he knows, why force another pig onto him? he hasn't died from loneliness has he? rolleyes
it just isn't fair to them sometimes, i think it depends on the circumstances of each pig
 
Claire W said:
I must admit, I do think the last comment was a little harsh. People's circumstances do change.

I have noticed an increase in people rehoming their animals due to them having a baby. I personally do not agree with that but you're right in the fact that people's circumstances do change.
Click to expand...
thanks hun, at least some see my point.x
 
Aww I thought that when people got piggies they signed up to be a piggy parent forever? Also no one dies of loneliness! If we were not given another human to talk to we wouldn't die we would just be sad :( I suppose it depends how piggy mad a person is. I can't imagine my life without them so I would be happy to carry on the cycle :) x x x
 
I can't imagine my life without piggies either and am happy to carry on the cycle.

My point is, not everyone is in this position and unfortunately people's circumstances do change.

I can understand both side of the story. Some people just get to the point where they can no longer keep piggies and if one dies leaving an elderly one behind, there may not be any other choice.
 
Too true :-) to be honest I work with a rescue and have seen some aweful situations that piggies are in my first priority would be is the piggy healthy. If so this is not a bad owner! They must care for their pig! But we would advise another if possible :-) x x x
 
Claire W said:
I can't imagine my life without piggies either and am happy to carry on the cycle.

My point is, not everyone is in this position and unfortunately people's circumstances do change.

I can understand both side of the story. Some people just get to the point where they can no longer keep piggies and if one dies leaving an elderly one behind, there may not be any other choice.
Click to expand...

Me too! I think I'll always have piggies and like I said, only keep one alone if they are VERY elderly. Like I said above, I just think a pig should be given the choice to express their preference :)
 
I can see both sides. I am currently in the neverending cycle for want of a better phrase. I took in 3 guinea pig girls from a "friend" 2 passed leaving a lone girl of 4-5 years, after contacting many rescues and finding that nowhere who would rehome to me (I have house rabbits) had lone females of that kind of age anywhere in the north I happened to find a pig not via a rescue that deals with pigs but one that deals with rabbits who knew somebody who had a pig left from a similar group so I got her bonded them and they were happy, only my own girl passed leaving the new old girl alone, I dont wish to keep bonding pigs and have them passing frequently I cant cope with that and its hard work finding a lone piggy who isnt a baby but I dont to commit to babies (my future plans wont really allow for the zoo I have now and babies could still be here when the plans happen, of my current zoo its likely only 1/2 rabbits and my cat will be here as most of mine are either hams with short lifespans or older piggies and stuff) so I have took the decision to try to find old new piggy a herd to live with. Being in teh situation of having an older pig and the stress of trying to find older pigs etc I can see why people just dont, rescues are keen to bond pigs which means most come in pairs which is a big increase in space needed and commitment from a lone pig. For a young pig there is no way id not bond another or atleast try several. Its a tough one.
 
Bekki2308 said:
I can see both sides. I am currently in the neverending cycle for want of a better phrase. I took in 3 guinea pig girls from a "friend" 2 passed leaving a lone girl of 4-5 years, after contacting many rescues and finding that nowhere who would rehome to me (I have house rabbits) had lone females of that kind of age anywhere in the north I happened to find a pig not via a rescue that deals with pigs but one that deals with rabbits who knew somebody who had a pig left from a similar group so I got her bonded them and they were happy, only my own girl passed leaving the new old girl alone, I dont wish to keep bonding pigs and have them passing frequently I cant cope with that and its hard work finding a lone piggy who isnt a baby but I dont to commit to babies (my future plans wont really allow for the zoo I have now and babies could still be here when the plans happen, of my current zoo its likely only 1/2 rabbits and my cat will be here as most of mine are either hams with short lifespans or older piggies and stuff) so I have took the decision to try to find old new piggy a herd to live with. Being in teh situation of having an older pig and the stress of trying to find older pigs etc I can see why people just dont, rescues are keen to bond pigs which means most come in pairs which is a big increase in space needed and commitment from a lone pig. For a young pig there is no way id not bond another or atleast try several. Its a tough one.
Click to expand...

This is a great example of the point I am trying to get across.

When my Eleanor was sadly pts in January, 3 guinea pigs wasn't enough for me and my remaining piggies. I contacted local rescues and they only had bonded sows. I would have loved to take on a pair of sows but this would have meant my herd going up to 5. Although I could house 5 quite comfortably, this would have meant space would have been reduced in many ways. I was advised by a good friend to try a neutered boar which I did. Things worked out well and I have learned that four piggies is the maximum amount I can have for them to live comfortable with extra space without adding a fifth.

I have seen your piggy Bekki and I hope she finds a home soon. She is gorgeous xx
 
Claire W said:
I am not slamming your post but just wanted to point out that Syrian hamsters are solitary animals so have to live alone therefore if they were made to live with another hamster, they would fight to the death.

Guinea pigs are herd animals so that is why they usually prefer to live in pairs and groups.

I just wanted to explain the difference between the two :)
Click to expand...


Sorry, but I have to disagree with your comment about hamsters... we have 2 boys hamsters that live together and get on fine - there has been no fighting at all between them - i think saying that they will fight to the death is a bit extreme.

I have 2 boy piggies and they get on great with each other. I think getting 2 is fine, but is whatever is easier for you.... Dont feel you HAVE to get 2 because everyone is saying you have to.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top