Lonley guinea pig

[litty2.0]

Hi people. My guinea pig passed earlier today (Scruff) and I'm worried about my other guinea pig (Smudge). Smudge prefers cuddles and being out with me which is good but he is acting strange. I can notice his change in character- just seeming down
Firstly i noticed he did a weird hop- not popcorning- but more of a twitch with a jump. he did this three times.
Secondly, i found him sleeping in the corner of the cage in the open. he never does this and this was something i noticed Scruff was doing before he passed.

He is drinking ALOT of water which is strange, constantly drinking for last 10-15 ish minutes? He is eating perfectly which is a good sign because i'm just so worried he will stop doing all these things out of depression.
Ive been adviced not to get a baby guinea pig as when they turn teenager they tend to rebel and it starts the whole cycle again, and its very diffuclt to pair him with an older boy as it could cause even more stress.
I am going to have him out for cuddles as much as possible when I'm at home but i have school for 7-8 hours a day as i do alot of extra. I have family at home and he is in my room which is downstairs, so my family speak to him alot but dont cuddle him.
I'm really worried and if anyone has any advice or ideas on why he is doing these things. i expect he would just be sad but I'm anxious of him dying aswell.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m Sorry for your loss.

If you are concerned for his health, then it’s best he sees a vet.
Ensure you stick to/increase the routine weekly weight checks so you can ensure he is eating about hay.

The guide below details how to look after a bereaved piggy.

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

If you can date smudge at a rescue centre to find him a new companion then that would be best. It means he is choosing his own new friend which is more likely to reply in a good bond. Age is not really a factor in a successful bond, it’s about character compatibility.

If you can’t date him then we would advise that you do look to bond him with a baby boy as the baby will not challenge for dominance.

 

[litty2.0]

Ive heard paring them with a baby causes problems further down the line when the baby grows up and continues to cause the repertive cycle.

however for an update it has been quite awhile and me and smudge are really happy. me and him have a strong bond and i think he might even be happier ahahah. he loves cuddles and i get him out so often. I'm studying for exams atm so he sleeps on me while i revise and my family are allways home and my bedroom is downstairs and right next to mums makeup area so he allways has people talking to him. i also have a 3 year old sister and she talks to him and feeds him throught the day. honestly i think hes really happy which makes me so happy.

but i stress for summer when i will be busier and working more.
i think the best possible awnser for paring for me and him is to get him a girl, but is neutering him so late in life (hes a rescue but i recon hes 3 or 4) a risk and a waste of stress and discomfort?

 

[MCarly8]

Ive heard paring them with a baby causes problems further down the line when the baby grows up and continues to cause the repertive cycle.

however for an update it has been quite awhile and me and smudge are really happy. me and him have a strong bond and i think he might even be happier ahahah. he loves cuddles and i get him out so often. I'm studying for exams atm so he sleeps on me while i revise and my family are allways home and my bedroom is downstairs and right next to mums makeup area so he allways has people talking to him. i also have a 3 year old sister and she talks to him and feeds him throught the day. honestly i think hes really happy which makes me so happy.

but i stress for summer when i will be busier and working more.
i think the best possible awnser for paring for me and him is to get him a girl, but is neutering him so late in life (hes a rescue but i recon hes 3 or 4) a risk and a waste of stress and discomfort?

Hi!
I'm really sorry for your loss. One of my two piggies passed away a week ago, so I've had the same experience as you lately.

To address your problem, remember that piggies are primarily social animals and your piggie has always lived with a companion. In my opinion, your best choice is to adopt a new companion. Neutering is a possibility, but you should consider all the pros and cons, like age (3 is not yet old but not even too young), general health, and costs.

As far as bonding goes, in my experience, there aren't usually that many problems when bonding an adult male with a baby boy. In most cases, the younger one will view the older one as a sort of mentor and mirror his behaviours. This happens especially when bonding with an established adult (he has no need to show off, more so if you have 2 piggies and not a big herd). For now, I have lived through bonding a 3-year-old with a 6-month-old, 4 years with 3 months, and currently 2,5 years with 3 months. The second case has been the best one, with the younger one even becoming a piggy caretaker after the older one became blind in one eye.

Love the cuddling and studying part, I can totally relate to that.

 

[MCarly8]

Hi!
I'm really sorry for your loss. One of my two piggies passed away a week ago, so I've had the same experience as you lately.

To address your problem, remember that piggies are primarily social animals and your piggie has always lived with a companion. In my opinion, your best choice is to adopt a new companion. Neutering is a possibility, but you should consider all the pros and cons, like age (3 is not yet old but not even too young), general health, and costs.

As far as bonding goes, in my experience, there aren't usually that many problems when bonding an adult male with a baby boy. In most cases, the younger one will view the older one as a sort of mentor and mirror his behaviours. This happens especially when bonding with an established adult (he has no need to show off, more so if you have 2 piggies and not a big herd). For now, I have lived through bonding a 3-year-old with a 6-month-old, 4 years with 3 months, and currently 2,5 years with 3 months. The second case has been the best one, with the younger one even becoming a piggy caretaker after the older one became blind in one eye.

Love the cuddling and studying part, I can totally relate to that.

Ah, I also almost forgot about the neutering window. Usually, there has to be a window of 5/6 weeks after neutering before a female can be introduced. This may be a problem if your piggy starts exhibiting signs of loneliness.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ive heard paring them with a baby causes problems further down the line when the baby grows up and continues to cause the repertive cycle.

however for an update it has been quite awhile and me and smudge are really happy. me and him have a strong bond and i think he might even be happier ahahah. he loves cuddles and i get him out so often. I'm studying for exams atm so he sleeps on me while i revise and my family are allways home and my bedroom is downstairs and right next to mums makeup area so he allways has people talking to him. i also have a 3 year old sister and she talks to him and feeds him throught the day. honestly i think hes really happy which makes me so happy.

but i stress for summer when i will be busier and working more.
i think the best possible awnser for paring for me and him is to get him a girl, but is neutering him so late in life (hes a rescue but i recon hes 3 or 4) a risk and a waste of stress and discomfort?

Any bonding comes down to compatibility. If they are compatible there won’t be any issues. If you can get a rescue centre to help you find the right piggy then that is best.
If you were to go to, for example, a pet shop and buy another piggy then with any on spec bonding there is a chance the bonding will fail because you won’t have been able to test for comparability first.

I’m afraid human companionship does not compare. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend with him, he will be craving piggy interaction. He may appear to be ok alone but they hide it so as to survive. If a piggy shows how lonely they are then it becomes a very serious and urgent situation. You have between 1 and 4 weeks where they grieve and manage alone but after that they need a new friend.

The success of neutering comes down to the experience of the vet as well as your piggy’s general health.
You can talk to your vet about whether they are happy to neuter a piggy of his age.
He then must be kept away from a sow for a further 6 weeks after neutering to become infertile.
During those 6 weeks he can live alongside his prospective wife but you need make sure the cage is very secure so he doesn’t try to escape. It also then means you won’t have been as to test for compatibility prior to bringing home the sow so the only time you know whether they like each other is the day he is six weeks safe and you attempt the bonding.

If a bonding fails then the two piggies have to live alongside each other in separate cages. This is a suitable way for them to live as it enables interaction between the bars. Of course you have to have the space for for two separate cages