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Importance Of A Friend?

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lilies4lace

New Born Pup
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Hey!

I recently got a new (male) skinny pig, and I'm wondering how important it is that he has a friend. I used to have a herd of female guinea pig, and I'm aware they're very social animals, so I'm wondering if its best to let him settle in a bit and then get him another male (baby) friend, or if he should remain a single pig.

Here's a bit of a back story;

I rescued him from a local shelter group, so he's a bit older (around 2). Apparently he used to have another male friend, but the two of them didn't get along so they were separated. His friend was adopted a month before, so the option of adopting both and housing them separately but next to each other wasn't available. I've had him for 3 days now, and he seems to be adjusting well. He doesn't really play much though, so i'm wondering if its just him settling in or if he's missing pig companionship. So, basically my question is whether or not I should get him a baby male to play with (after a quarantine period of course) or whether I should let him live alone because I know he's had issues with at least one man-pig friend in the past.

Thanks!
 
I would say take him to a rescue and have a look at the male piggies. Maybe see the young males and try and test them out together. If they like each other and get on well you can bring them home. This is what I did with my black guinea pig Romano when he needed a friend. :)
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I think taking him to a rescue for a bit of boar dating is a fantastic idea to find him a friend. It may take several attempts but there is a piggy out there to match him :)
 
Hello,

Thanks so much for the replies :) I think I will try to get him a friend, and just prepare to separate them if they don't get along done the road. He likes to lick my hands, so I think he probably is a bit lonely and could use some gpig company :)
 
Hello!

Well, I took your guys' advice and got another skinny pig. The issue is, however, that I mostly agreed to take this pig because the woman who owned him was treating him VERY poorly (she threatened to let him go in a field if no one "took him off her hands"). He appears quite sick...his skin is dried and cracking (and it has a layer of what I hope is just dried skin and not some sort of fungal infection) and he has an eye (possibly sinus) infection. I have an appointment to take him into the vets' tomorrow, however, I'm wondering if anyone has any at-home remedies for helping his eye/skin along? I was going to put a warm compress on his eye, and I have some polysporin eye drops that I can use until his apt. I was also going to give him a warm bath in diluted cinnamon (which is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial) and put some vit. E (or maybe bio-oil?) on his skin, however, I thought I should make sure these are appropriate ways to deal with dried pig skin, or whether this could make the issue worse.

I will keep the two quarantined for the next 2 months (min) so that they don't get each other sick, and my new pig doesn't have to stress about being in a new place, with a new friend, while trying to get better physically.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
 
Hi I don't have any advice I'm afraid but just wanted to say what a lovely thing to have done, rescuing your new piggy and hope he gets better soon. I don't think I could have walked away without him either, poor little thing, he's lucky he's got a lovely new home. Good luck
 
Thanks :) He seems really sick...I'm not convinced he'll make it into the morning. He's not moving much and his ears are flopped down :( I gave him a heat pack and made him as comfortable as I could. I guess now all I can do is wait until morning, when I can see if I can reschedule my vet apt. for earlier in the day.
 
My Lola was very withdrawn when she lost her 2 hutchmates within 2 weeks. Since I've got Alfie from a rescue, she has perked up big time and is enjoying life again. ;)
 
Well, I'm hoping that the lethargy is just the result of him being re-homed so much. The lady I rescued hi from sold him to another person before me, and their dog was (apparently) very aggressive with him and so they returned him. I don't know how long he was with this lady before coming to me, since she seems like the type to hoard, and then sell, her pets.

I was also told that, like my first pig, he had a brother/friend who he was separated from. I kept new pig away from resident pig because I knew new pig was sick, however, new pig seemed to get very excited when he heard resident pig whooping. I'm hoping that he'll pull through tonight, and after a couple of months I can try to introduce the two. Ive only had him for a couple of hours, but I really care about him and I'd hate to have him come here just to die :/
 
I took him to the vet, and he's been given an oral antibiotic, as well as antibiotic eye drops and pain meds. :) The vet said his heart is good, but his eye infection (chlamydia) is pretty advanced and he has a URI. I have to take him back in two weeks for a checkup, and possibly get some intravenous antibiotics if the oral ones and eye drops don't work. He also has a fungal skin infection, so I was advised to put vitamin E and an anti-yeast cream on him. Poor pig. I can't believe anyone would let him get like that, let alone have him suffer with it for so long.
 
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I took him to the vet, and he's been given an oral antibiotic, as well as antibiotic eye drops and pain meds. :) The vet said his heart is good, but his eye infection (chlamydia) is pretty advanced and he has a URI. I have to take him back in two weeks for a checkup, and possibly get some intravenous antibiotics if the oral ones and eye drops don't work. He also has a fungal skin infection, so I was advised to put vitamin E and an anti-yeast cream on him. Poor pig. I can't believe anyone would let him get like that, let alone have him suffer with it for so long.

Poor boy!

What antibiotic and what dose have you been prescribed? Please split the dose if your vet hasn't already done it for you because of the metabolism. Please see your vet sooner if the eye or the breathing are not getting any better and even more so if there is a deterioration.
You can support the URI by placing a bowl of steaming water next to the cage; that will hopefully help to ease the breathing.
 
The eye drops are Ciloxan, and his oral antibiotic is ChlorPalm (Chloramphenicol). He's also on Metacam for the pain and I got Miconazole (the generic form of Monistat) for his skin. The bowl of steaming water is a good idea :) I was going to let him run around on the bathroom floor while I took a hot shower, but having something near his cage can only help.

The vet told me to give him the ChlorPalm (0.8 ccs) twice a day, but I can certainly give it to him four times a day most days if you think that will work best. The Ciloxan is supposed to be given every two hours for the first two days, and then 4 times a day after that. I have 10 days worth of Metacam, which is to be given once a day. Monistat/Vit E. treatment is also once a day, but once his skin stops cracking and bleeding I will do it once every few days.
 
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