Grieving pig help

[threnodynx]

My 5 year old pig, Theo, passed this morning after a long illness. His cagemate, Wally, doesn't seem to understand what has happened. Theo was his whole world - Wally has always wanted to spend every single moment of every day with him. Theo just politely tolerated Wally. They have only ever been separated for Theo's vet visits, and Wally was anxious each time and had to come over and make sure Theo was ok afterwards. Same with medication time - Wally would be right there with Theo as soon as he went back in the cage.

We decided leaving Theo in the cage with Wally for a bit would be good, he would see him and maybe understand, as most animals do... but it's now been nearly 5 hours and Wally is still either laying next to him or face-to-face, nudging him, trying to wake him up. He hasn't left his side. We need to remove Theo soon to bury him, but I don't know how to get Wally to understand that Theo isn't going to wake up. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to explain death to a very naive guinea pig?

 

[Wiebke]

My 5 year old pig, Theo, passed this morning after a long illness. His cagemate, Wally, doesn't seem to understand what has happened. Theo was his whole world - Wally has always wanted to spend every single moment of every day with him. Theo just politely tolerated Wally. They have only ever been separated for Theo's vet visits, and Wally was anxious each time and had to come over and make sure Theo was ok afterwards. Same with medication time - Wally would be right there with Theo as soon as he went back in the cage.

We decided leaving Theo in the cage with Wally for a bit would be good, he would see him and maybe understand, as most animals do... but it's now been nearly 5 hours and Wally is still either laying next to him or face-to-face, nudging him, trying to wake him up. He hasn't left his side. We need to remove Theo soon to bury him, but I don't know how to get Wally to understand that Theo isn't going to wake up. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to explain death to a very naive guinea pig?

Hi!

I am very sorry for your loss!

Please remove Theo but leave the cage unchanged and especially leave the cosies with Theo's smell in (no matter how grotty) for Wally to snuggle into the lingering scent of hismate while you are looking for a new friend for him. If you can find a good rescue that offers boar dating, that would be best. How soon you need to find company depends on how well a piggy copes with being alone. Some don't at all, others simply carry on.

If Wally is not eating or drinking (acute pining), then please step in with syringe feeding.
You can find more information in this link here, including on acute pining: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

Here is support advice for you: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

It would be very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to location in your account details (click on your username on the top bar); this makes it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice and recommendations, including on suitable rescues or other options if rescue access is an issue straight away to save everybody time. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. Thank you!

 

[threnodynx]

Thank you for your response! I am in the US, and not near any rescues. All we have here is a county shelter, which currently does not have any guinea pigs... or there is a pet store, but I would prefer to avoid that if I can.

Wally has always had Theo to bond with, so his bond with us a bit lacking. He will take food from my hand, but he doesn't like to be petted, picked up, etc. We never forced the issue, so I'm not sure if me spending extra time with us is going to be of much help. Do you have a suggestion as to when it would be a good idea to clean the cage? We've just swept up poops and hay for the last few days, as Theo has been very unwell and we haven't wanted to stress him too much, but a full cleaning is needed ASAP. However, I don't want to take away Theo's scent too early and distress Wally any more than he already is.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your response! I am in the US, and not near any rescues. All we have here is a county shelter, which currently does not have any guinea pigs... or there is a pet store, but I would prefer to avoid that if I can.

Wally has always had Theo to bond with, so his bond with us a bit lacking. He will take food from my hand, but he doesn't like to be petted, picked up, etc. We never forced the issue, so I'm not sure if me spending extra time with us is going to be of much help. Do you have a suggestion as to when it would be a good idea to clean the cage? We've just swept up poops and hay for the last few days, as Theo has been very unwell and we haven't wanted to stress him too much, but a full cleaning is needed ASAP. However, I don't want to take away Theo's scent too early and distress Wally any more than he already is.

Can you wait until tomorrow and then leave at least one cosy or something with Theo's smell for Wally to snuggle into.
You may find that Wally is transferring his need for companionship to you while he is alone and may even become somewhat clingy; this is not at all uncommon.

Sadly the US Midwest is a desert when it comes to rescues.

If you want to adopt from free-ads, please be aware that people wanting to get rid of pets can be more than economic with the truth and that you need to have a plan B and vet access in case there is an unpleasant discovery. As much as I hate to say it, with a pet shop your customer rights are somewhat better protected but these are your two likeliest options.

You may find these guides below helpful. The first one deals with the various options for single piggies in a range of situations, including bereavement and also with the species needs that are transferred onto humans; the second tells you what to look out for when you do not have access to a no kill rescue with a mandatory quarantine and vet care:
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

 

[threnodynx]

Thanks for all your help! I can leave the cage until the weekend, if you think that will be ok. Wally never seems to mind if the cage gets a bit dirty, so I think he'll be ok with that. Theo was the stickler for a perfectly clean cage and would start getting antsy if we waited too long to clean it. Wally would just wallow lol

This is my first bonded pair of pigs to suffer a loss, and they react differently than other bonded rodents I've had in the past. My gerbils have always been able to understand that their sibling has passed after some time with them, and usually were ready to move on fairly quickly. Scrubbing the cage clean actually has helped them through the process. But, I'm not sure it would be the same with Wally. He did eat his veggies, almost all of them, so I guess we do have that going for us. As soon as he finished, he went back and laid down with Theo. My husband is home with them and I'm about to run over on my lunch to take care of everything, so I'll really get to see how Wally is doing.

And yes, there isn't much here for pigs, or any rodents in general. We actually rescued our first pig, Archie, from a Craig's List ad and he had all kinds of medical issues. We couldn't find a companion for him anywhere, so 6 months later we purchased Theo from the pet store and he was horribly ill and took quite a long time to recover. Once he was healthy, we tried to pair the two, and it was a disaster. Archie had been alone for so long that I think he didn't know how to interact with other pigs, and Theo, while not quite an alpha pig, is definitely not submissive and would not bow to Archie. After multiple attempts to bond them, we decided they just weren't compatible, so then went looking for companions again... and eventually took Wally from the same pet store, after watching him sit there alone for weeks. He was healthy and has had no medical issues to speak of, so we did get lucky there. Archie tormented him, but Theo politely tolerated him, so we paired him up with Theo and Wally just fell in love. The sun rises and sets on Theo. This will be quite the adjustment for him, but I am hopeful since he did go ahead and eat. We had been syringe feeding Theo for a couple of weeks, and that's not a fun process.

Thanks again for your replies, I really am feeling a bit out of my depth here!

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for all your help! I can leave the cage until the weekend, if you think that will be ok. Wally never seems to mind if the cage gets a bit dirty, so I think he'll be ok with that. Theo was the stickler for a perfectly clean cage and would start getting antsy if we waited too long to clean it. Wally would just wallow lol

This is my first bonded pair of pigs to suffer a loss, and they react differently than other bonded rodents I've had in the past. My gerbils have always been able to understand that their sibling has passed after some time with them, and usually were ready to move on fairly quickly. Scrubbing the cage clean actually has helped them through the process. But, I'm not sure it would be the same with Wally. He did eat his veggies, almost all of them, so I guess we do have that going for us. As soon as he finished, he went back and laid down with Theo. My husband is home with them and I'm about to run over on my lunch to take care of everything, so I'll really get to see how Wally is doing.

And yes, there isn't much here for pigs, or any rodents in general. We actually rescued our first pig, Archie, from a Craig's List ad and he had all kinds of medical issues. We couldn't find a companion for him anywhere, so 6 months later we purchased Theo from the pet store and he was horribly ill and took quite a long time to recover. Once he was healthy, we tried to pair the two, and it was a disaster. Archie had been alone for so long that I think he didn't know how to interact with other pigs, and Theo, while not quite an alpha pig, is definitely not submissive and would not bow to Archie. After multiple attempts to bond them, we decided they just weren't compatible, so then went looking for companions again... and eventually took Wally from the same pet store, after watching him sit there alone for weeks. He was healthy and has had no medical issues to speak of, so we did get lucky there. Archie tormented him, but Theo politely tolerated him, so we paired him up with Theo and Wally just fell in love. The sun rises and sets on Theo. This will be quite the adjustment for him, but I am hopeful since he did go ahead and eat. We had been syringe feeding Theo for a couple of weeks, and that's not a fun process.

Thanks again for your replies, I really am feeling a bit out of my depth here!

Like humans, guinea pigs can react very differently to a death. You can remove Theo's body now. Most piggies accept a death but some simply struggle. For Wally it is important that you can keep his connection to Theo as much as possible for his comfort until you can find a new possible companion; I guess that either a laid-back bereaved older boar or a baby boy may be best if you have to get a new mate on spec that has the best chance of working.