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Losing a brother.

K

kerrie2002x

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone. Unfortunately today one of my piggies lost his battle with an infection :( He was sick and old and it was just his time to leave us. Unfortunately he has left behind his brother, who’s been with him pretty much all of his life. I don’t really have the energy for a new pig, so I know he’s going to be super lonely without his brother. Is there anything I can do to help him? I’ve cuddled him a lot and gave him treats etc, and he was with his brother when he died. We found him sitting right behind him in one of their plastic homes :( Does anyone have any advice for me? I just want to make him as happy as possible and make sure that he doesn’t feel too lonely.. any suggestions would be great, thanks. x
 
I am sorry for your loss.
He will be grieving himself and it is important to look after him and yourself at this difficult time. This guide Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig gives details of how to look after a grieving piggy.

The important thing is to not rush into any decisions though. How old is your remaining piggy?
Unfortunately, no amount of human interaction can replace the companionship of another guinea pig in the long term though.
 
He’s 6 in august, the same as his brother.
Thank you for your condolences.
 
A good age then, but your piggy could still have a couple of years and that is a long time for him to be alone. It is hard when you want to stop the piggy cycle, but there may be an alternative. If you have a rescue centre near you, you could consider fostering a piggy for the remainder of your piggy’s life. That way, your piggy gets a friend but you don’t have to commit to another piggy for its life - you can hand back the foster pig when the time comes. Not all centres will allow that, but it is a possibility,
As I say though, take time
 
Piggies&buns said:
A good age then, but your piggy could still have a couple of years and that is a long time for him to be alone. It is hard when you want to stop the piggy cycle, but there may be an alternative. If you have a rescue centre near you, you could consider fostering a piggy for the remainder of your piggy’s life. That way, your piggy gets a friend but you don’t have to commit to another piggy for its life - you can hand back the foster pig when the time comes. Not all centres will allow that, but it is a possibility,
As I say though, take time
Click to expand...
Piggies&buns said:
A good age then, but your piggy could still have a couple of years and that is a long time for him to be alone. It is hard when you want to stop the piggy cycle, but there may be an alternative. If you have a rescue centre near you, you could consider fostering a piggy for the remainder of your piggy’s life. That way, your piggy gets a friend but you don’t have to commit to another piggy for its life - you can hand back the foster pig when the time comes. Not all centres will allow that, but it is a possibility,
As I say though, take time
Click to expand...
Thanks! I’ll look into that once we’ve both grieved enough. Is it not at all possible that if I’m not ready for another pig I could keep him alone? If not I will definitely look into fostering and finding him a friend.
 
it also comes down to his needs just as much as your own and in short, social herd animals shouldn’t be kept alone. It’s very difficult to do the best for everybody when you want to end the cycle though.
All you can really do is give it time and see how he copes.
 
Piggies&buns said:
it also comes down to his needs just as much as your own and in short, social herd animals shouldn’t be kept alone. It’s very difficult to do the best for everybody when you want to end the cycle though.
All you can really do is give it time and see how he copes.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I will see how he goes and ask around shelters for fostering. ❤️
 
I was left with one piggy alone a couple of years ago after losing my elderly pair close together and then the other younger one due to complex health issues. Daisy was fine, as in she didn't go into acute pining and she was active and eating etc. This did give me some time to grieve myself and think about my options. Sadly though I noticed daisy became much more vocal and interactive with us as humans. It was lovely to build on our bond and have her needing us so much but also sad as I knew that meant she was lonely so there was no way I could let her continue on her own.

If your piggy is not suffering then it means you have time which is important. I would start the conversation with some local rescues to discuss your options with them to see what their opinion is and what they are willing to do. 6 is a good age but we have seen piggies live to over 10 so you could be looking at your remaining piggy being around for days or years at the moment. Unfortunately there is no crystal ball to help you make the right decision. You need to do what's right for your piggy and for you.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I was left with one piggy alone a couple of years ago after losing my elderly pair close together and then the other younger one due to complex health issues. Daisy was fine, as in she didn't go into acute pining and she was active and eating etc. This did give me some time to grieve myself and think about my options. Sadly though I noticed daisy became much more vocal and interactive with us as humans. It was lovely to build on our bond and have her needing us so much but also sad as I knew that meant she was lonely so there was no way I could let her continue on her own.

If your piggy is not suffering then it means you have time which is important. I would start the conversation with some local rescues to discuss your options with them to see what their opinion is and what they are willing to do. 6 is a good age but we have seen piggies live to over 10 so you could be looking at your remaining piggy being around for days or years at the moment. Unfortunately there is no crystal ball to help you make the right decision. You need to do what's right for your piggy and for you.
Click to expand...
Thank you for taking the time to reply and I’m sorry for your loss :( For the most part so far he seems alright, so fingers crossed. I will definitely look into my options soon, thank you.
 
Hi!

Here is more information on what looking after a single piggy implies and what the signs are that what you are doing is not enough.
However, if your boy is eating and drinking, then you have on average between a week to a month to look around

I have taken in several bereaved older piggies whose owners didn't want to continue but wanted their beloved and gradually depressed piggies have the company they needed. It is always amazing to see how quickly these piggies gained a renewed zest for life and often lived a lot longer because of that than if they had stayed alone.

You may find this guide here helpful that has a chapter dealing with bereaved single guinea pigs, the specific challenges they pose; how to best go about finding new companionship (which is not always all that easy when you can't let your bereaved piggy choose their new mate) as well as a chapter on human/single piggy interaction on the background of cavy social interaction and cavy social expectations.
Here is the link: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

We also have a grieving guide for owners, which may help you cope better with your own feelings and experiences in the coming days and weeks: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
 
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