Lone piggy

[DebbyTr]

Hey everyone I’m new here! I’m gonna give you guys some back story. So previously we had two piggy’s, they were brothers and we had them for a couple months. They showed no signs of aggression and were super sweet then one day randomly they got in to a huge fight while I was at work. My husband broke up the fight and because I had the car and because it was the middle of the night we couldn’t get them seen right away. When I got home we started our trek to the emergency vet but it was a 2 hour drive one way and unfortunately both boys didn’t make it there. They said that there wouldnt be much they could’ve done for them any way. So fast forward a couple months and I still want piggies so we decided to start looking for a single piggy. I know they are supposed to be with a friend but we were scared to get two again after what happened we were all heart broken including our two year old!
Couple months go by and nothing and then we were out one day and came acrossed a recuse piggy. The pet store said he had to be alone because he doesn’t do well with others and he had even killed another piggy but he does great with people. We got him home and put him in his
Cage then left him alone for a couple days to get used to everything. We have had piggly wiggly for probably 3-4 months now and he doesn’t much care for us we try to hold him everyday and he is hard to catch and is kinda uncomfortable when you hold him and what worried me the most is he makes no noise at all! I want him to be happy and make piggy noises and he doesn’t he just sits at one end of his cage all day he eats and drinks and stuff but if we come in the room he hides. Idk how to make him happy I think he’s depressed! A few days ago I had him out and he was sitting on my chest while I was playing on my phone and a piggy video popped up of a piggy making noises and for the first time since we have had him he made a piggy noise! You know just the typical week week kinda noise then I called my hubby in to try and show him the pig made a noise and he wouldn’t do it again
So I now have a depressed lonely pig that I can’t get a friend but he wants a friend and a husband that thinks we just have a quiet pig but I don’t think so I think he’s sad

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi and welcome to the forum. He does sound like he is lonely and unfortunately it's a myth that any piggy needs to be kept alone. It is an extremely rare occasion in which a piggy is better off alone, more often than not they were just incompatible personalities. The best way forward would be to seek a local reputable rescue that offers boar dating. You could then take him alone and they will try him with any single boars they have, they will also make sure they are well bonded before you take them both home. On top of this you get ongoing support from the rescue so if the bond becomes tense at least you can get further support in helping them to get along again. We have a rescue locator on the top bar which may be of use

 

[flintstones]

Aw he's a lovely little fella, I am very sorry to read about your boys. To be honest I think it's quite uncommon for guinea pigs to fight to the death, certainly I've never came across it. I can understand why you would be worried about this happening again.

He definitely sounds like he's not happy and who could blame him, all he has to do is eat nobody to have a wheek at. I would definitely look into a guinea pig rescue if it's at all possible. Where about's are you in the world/country, we have a rescue locator at the top of the page. The other option is having a friend side by side I guess that way they can still interact although in my experience finding the right pairing can make all the difference.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey everyone I’m new here! I’m gonna give you guys some back story. So previously we had two piggy’s, they were brothers and we had them for a couple months. They showed no signs of aggression and were super sweet then one day randomly they got in to a huge fight while I was at work. My husband broke up the fight and because I had the car and because it was the middle of the night we couldn’t get them seen right away. When I got home we started our trek to the emergency vet but it was a 2 hour drive one way and unfortunately both boys didn’t make it there. They said that there wouldnt be much they could’ve done for them any way. So fast forward a couple months and I still want piggies so we decided to start looking for a single piggy. I know they are supposed to be with a friend but we were scared to get two again after what happened we were all heart broken including our two year old!
Couple months go by and nothing and then we were out one day and came acrossed a recuse piggy. The pet store said he had to be alone because he doesn’t do well with others and he had even killed another piggy but he does great with people. We got him home and put him in his
Cage then left him alone for a couple days to get used to everything. We have had piggly wiggly for probably 3-4 months now and he doesn’t much care for us we try to hold him everyday and he is hard to catch and is kinda uncomfortable when you hold him and what worried me the most is he makes no noise at all! I want him to be happy and make piggy noises and he doesn’t he just sits at one end of his cage all day he eats and drinks and stuff but if we come in the room he hides. Idk how to make him happy I think he’s depressed! A few days ago I had him out and he was sitting on my chest while I was playing on my phone and a piggy video popped up of a piggy making noises and for the first time since we have had him he made a piggy noise! You know just the typical week week kinda noise then I called my hubby in to try and show him the pig made a noise and he wouldn’t do it again
So I now have a depressed lonely pig that I can’t get a friend but he wants a friend and a husband that thinks we just have a quiet pig but I don’t think so I think he’s sad

Hi!

How big is your cage? It is extremely rare that full-on boar bites are fatal; he must have accidentally hit a sensitive place. Guinea pigs do not fight to the death although they can do real damage in serious fights. These are usually the result of two dominant hormonal teenage boars that cannot get away from each other as they would normally do and are forced to face each other again and again. Fighting boars are generally as shocked when it happens and goes out of control as any onlookers.

Your boy is not a killer; he is a guinea pig that has been badly failed by humans due to shops selling babies not for character compatibility and also selling far too small cages. He still needs the company and round the clock stimulation from other piggies. Key to any successful piggy bond is mutual liking and personalities that complement and match each other - and that is something that no shop or for sale breeder can provide.

Please read up on these guides here so you can make informed decisions and find the best way forward for your boy with your individual possibilities in terms of space, access to good rescues and vets and financial resources. They include a range of possible options for you as well as lists of good standard rescues for several countries. Depending on where you are, you could consider having your boy neutered so he can live with a sow (which is the most stable of all bonds) or he can live with another failed boar as a next door neighbour with round the clock interaction and stimulation through the bars.

Companionship
Cage Size Guide

Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts

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