Old Piggy Detaching Herself From The Herd

Bekialice

Bekialice

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hiya!

I'm just looking for some thoughts on how to best care for my old and terminal piggy.

We have five piggys in total, one boar and four sows. My oldest is almost 7 years old and my youngest is estimated 6-9 months (recent rescue).

We bonded our newest rescue around 2 weeks ago and she's settled in fine, she's a little assertive but she's not a bully. She's still figuring out where she belongs in the herd but they're all getting on great, no squabbles or arguments, just the usual purrs and butt wags every now and then.

So my 7 year old piggy was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour a few months ago, she's in good health otherwise. She doesn't seen to notice the lump, and is on metacam twice a day, and has regular vet visits every month to check her progress. She's not lost any weight and she's eating normally.

In the last few days she's been sitting in the corner with her fur fluffed up, which I know is a big warning sign. So I popped her in the temp cage to monitor her. As soon as I popped her in, she was wondering around and exploring. She seemed a lot better. So I kept her in for the day and she was showing no signs of illness at all. So I popped her back in the main cage and left her overnight.

This morning I returned and she was back in the same spot with her fur fluffed up. So I've got her on the sofa with me and she's wondering around, having naps in my dressing gown, eating veggies, again nothing wrong with her.

So I'm wondering if the younger pigs are just a bit too much for her now, that maybe I should segregate a bit of the cage off so she can have her own retirement spot? She's never been much if a pigs pig, she always ignores her cagemates anyway.

We have a very large C&C so it would be quite easy to do. But I know that once she's segregated it could be irreversible and I don't want to make a rash decision based on her being in a mood for a couple of days. She'd still be able to see and chat to the others through the bars, but it just wouldn't be the same as being a complete herd.

Would she be more comfortable on her own? Has anyone done this before?

Sorry for the long post, here's a photo of the gang to brighten it up

Beki
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What a beautiful gang.
I'm no expert on elderly piggies - my oldest will be 6 in July, but when I had a sick piggy she took herself off to a separate part of the cage.
Sadly she died very quickly before I could get her to a vet, but maybe your old lady just wants peace and quiet from the others in the latter stage of her life. Your idea of separating part of the cage sounds good - she'll have the company but also her own space.
You have a beautiful herd.
 
Unwell piggies can be treated differently by the herd. I would watch their interactions closely. Maybe you could put the poorly pig with a placid member of the group, one she has previously got on well with, rather than be alone.
The other possibility is she is a bit cold in the larger cage? I use heat pads for my poorly pigs. Just a thought.
 
Bekialice said:
Hiya!

I'm just looking for some thoughts on how to best care for my old and terminal piggy.

We have five piggys in total, one boar and four sows. My oldest is almost 7 years old and my youngest is estimated 6-9 months (recent rescue).

We bonded our newest rescue around 2 weeks ago and she's settled in fine, she's a little assertive but she's not a bully. She's still figuring out where she belongs in the herd but they're all getting on great, no squabbles or arguments, just the usual purrs and butt wags every now and then.

So my 7 year old piggy was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour a few months ago, she's in good health otherwise. She doesn't seen to notice the lump, and is on metacam twice a day, and has regular vet visits every month to check her progress. She's not lost any weight and she's eating normally.

In the last few days she's been sitting in the corner with her fur fluffed up, which I know is a big warning sign. So I popped her in the temp cage to monitor her. As soon as I popped her in, she was wondering around and exploring. She seemed a lot better. So I kept her in for the day and she was showing no signs of illness at all. So I popped her back in the main cage and left her overnight.

This morning I returned and she was back in the same spot with her fur fluffed up. So I've got her on the sofa with me and she's wondering around, having naps in my dressing gown, eating veggies, again nothing wrong with her.

So I'm wondering if the younger pigs are just a bit too much for her now, that maybe I should segregate a bit of the cage off so she can have her own retirement spot? She's never been much if a pigs pig, she always ignores her cagemates anyway.

We have a very large C&C so it would be quite easy to do. But I know that once she's segregated it could be irreversible and I don't want to make a rash decision based on her being in a mood for a couple of days. She'd still be able to see and chat to the others through the bars, but it just wouldn't be the same as being a complete herd.

Would she be more comfortable on her own? Has anyone done this before?

Sorry for the long post, here's a photo of the gang to brighten it up

Beki
XxView attachment 83670 View attachment 83671 View attachment 83670
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Hi

There are no fast and firm rules. Guinea pigs that feel very ill will remove themselves from a group; this is instinctive behaviour to minimise the risk of infection sweeping a group. if your girl is feeling happier on her own next to the group, then please let her - as long as she can hear, see and smell them, she will be happy.

I have made the same experience with my Llewelyn who died from an abdominal internal tumour that had already gone onto the guts.
I made him a little special corner by the radiator that he'd chosen himself where his friends could come to visit, but where he was as comfy as could be until his time had come.
 
Merab's Slave said:
What a beautiful gang.
I'm no expert on elderly piggies - my oldest will be 6 in July, but when I had a sick piggy she took herself off to a separate part of the cage.
Sadly she died very quickly before I could get her to a vet, but maybe your old lady just wants peace and quiet from the others in the latter stage of her life. Your idea of separating part of the cage sounds good - she'll have the company but also her own space.
You have a beautiful herd.
Click to expand...


Thank you, they're all super special. This is new for me too, she's the oldest piggy I've ever had. New territory for me and it's so sad watching her age x
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
It's hard to tell, often sick piggies are looked after by the herd so might like the comfort.

What dose of metacam is she on and is it dog? What kinda weight is she? It might just be that she needs a little more pain relief.
Click to expand...

That's what's holding me back.. we lost her sister last year to polysystic ovary complications and she got looked after immensely by the herd. Thing is they don't seem to be looking after Wilma very well. The young one keeps annoying her and the older ones are just staying out of her way.

She's on 3ml metacam for dogs twice daily and she weights just under 1kg (has done consistently for years). Do you reckon the vet will up the dose? Our next appointment isn't due for a few weeks but I might bring it forward if she's in pain. She was fine on our last visit a week ago so I don't know if she's being moody about the new piggy or on pain x
 
pig in the city said:
Unwell piggies can be treated differently by the herd. I would watch their interactions closely. Maybe you could put the poorly pig with a placid member of the group, one she has previously got on well with, rather than be alone.
The other possibility is she is a bit cold in the larger cage? I use heat pads for my poorly pigs. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Oh I wish I could, they're all hyper. We have a very lively mix and I don't want to break up the other close friendships in the herd. We lost her sister last year and she's not been close to another piggy since then. Probably because they're all under a year and a half so she's a bit of a grandma.
It won't be chilly for her, they have a radiator in their room and the room is a nice temp. I might get her a little heat pad though to try it. Thank you

X
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

There are no fast and firm rules. Guinea pigs that feel very ill will remove themselves from a group; this is instinctive behaviour to minimise the risk of infection sweeping a group. if your girl is feeling happier on her own next to the group, then please let her - as long as she can hear, see and smell them, she will be happy.

I have made the same experience with my Llewelyn who died from an abdominal internal tumour that had already gone onto the guts.
I made him a little special corner by the radiator that he'd chosen himself where his friends could come to visit, but where he was as comfy as could be until his time had come.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's why I'm thinking to just pop some panels in the c&c. So she can see through and chat to them but she doesn't have the younger pigs running into her during zoomie and popcorn time.
Oh this is so sad watching her slow down, she was always the life of the cage

X
 
Bekialice said:
That's what's holding me back.. we lost her sister last year to polysystic ovary complications and she got looked after immensely by the herd. Thing is they don't seem to be looking after Wilma very well. The young one keeps annoying her and the older ones are just staying out of her way.

She's on 3ml metacam for dogs twice daily and she weights just under 1kg (has done consistently for years). Do you reckon the vet will up the dose? Our next appointment isn't due for a few weeks but I might bring it forward if she's in pain. She was fine on our last visit a week ago so I don't know if she's being moody about the new piggy or on pain x
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Sorry 0.3ml!
 
Bekialice said:
That's what's holding me back.. we lost her sister last year to polysystic ovary complications and she got looked after immensely by the herd. Thing is they don't seem to be looking after Wilma very well. The young one keeps annoying her and the older ones are just staying out of her way.

She's on 3ml metacam for dogs twice daily and she weights just under 1kg (has done consistently for years). Do you reckon the vet will up the dose? Our next appointment isn't due for a few weeks but I might bring it forward if she's in pain. She was fine on our last visit a week ago so I don't know if she's being moody about the new piggy or on pain x
Click to expand...
Hmm yes I would ask the vet about increasing the dose before making a decision about separation personally. If she's puffed up and not moving around as much I'd probably think more about being uncomfortable or in pain rather than moody? I'm not sure what's the max dose but if we're talking palative care for your little princess you could even look into tramadol with your vet to see if that could help make her more comfortable. It's hard with young pigs and new additions but hopefully she'll calm down and they'll all look after your poorly girl.

I'm so sorry you're all going through this, I do hope you're all okay. It's lovely how well you're looking after Wilma and making her as comfy as you can. As other have said a heat pad or two may also help x
 
Bekialice said:
That's what's holding me back.. we lost her sister last year to polysystic ovary complications and she got looked after immensely by the herd. Thing is they don't seem to be looking after Wilma very well. The young one keeps annoying her and the older ones are just staying out of her way.

She's on 3ml metacam for dogs twice daily and she weights just under 1kg (has done consistently for years). Do you reckon the vet will up the dose? Our next appointment isn't due for a few weeks but I might bring it forward if she's in pain. She was fine on our last visit a week ago so I don't know if she's being moody about the new piggy or on pain x
Click to expand...

Hi! The metacam dose is high enough (0.6 ml is about as high as a vet will go for a kilo). You may ask your vet for tramadol if the pain is getting worse.

It always depends on group dynamics. For your youngsters it is always about hierarchy advancement. It also depends on the position in the hierarchy, emotional bonds and the nature of the illness.
If a piggy removes itself by its own account, it will be regarded as dead by the others. They may come to say goodbye, but they generally respect the decision. You will also find that such a piggy will be generally ignored when you put it back in the cage after its death; the taking leave has already happened. That at least is my experience.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Hmm yes I would ask the vet about increasing the dose before making a decision about separation personally. If she's puffed up and not moving around as much I'd probably think more about being uncomfortable or in pain rather than moody? I'm not sure what's the max dose but if we're talking palative care for your little princess you could even look into tramadol with your vet to see if that could help make her more comfortable. It's hard with young pigs and new additions but hopefully she'll calm down and they'll all look after your poorly girl.

I'm so sorry you're all going through this, I do hope you're all okay. It's lovely how well you're looking after Wilma and making her as comfy as you can. As other have said a heat pad or two may also help x
Click to expand...

I've just gone in their room to watch them and I noticed that Luna (giddy piggy #1) is on heat, she does the funniest, highest popcorns and humps everyone. Poor girl. But Wilma gets really irate about it because Luna seems to think it's funny to pick her to mostly hump. I think luna enjoys the reaction she gets from Wilma.

Anyways, she's just come into heat in the last few hours so I've taken Wilma out of the cage overnight and popped her in my room so she can get a quiet night and some rest before I do a big fleece change and let them have some free range time tomorrow. Hopefully Luna will have got most of it out her system by then.

I think we have a mini hot water bottle somewhere, I can pop it under the vet bed and fleece tonight so she can cuddle up to it in her cup. Just so she's extra snug.

She seems fine away from the other girls so I'm not convinced she's in pain, I think she's been bumped down the hierarchy with being old and sick and she's mad. But I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow for any more puffing up. If she does it again I'll take her to the vets to see if I can up her dosage at all or get her some new meds.

I'll keep you all posted

Thank you
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Bekialice said:
I've just gone in their room to watch them and I noticed that Luna (giddy piggy #1) is on heat, she does the funniest, highest popcorns and humps everyone. Poor girl. But Wilma gets really irate about it because Luna seems to think it's funny to pick her to mostly hump. I think luna enjoys the reaction she gets from Wilma.

Anyways, she's just come into heat in the last few hours so I've taken Wilma out of the cage overnight and popped her in my room so she can get a quiet night and some rest before I do a big fleece change and let them have some free range time tomorrow. Hopefully Luna will have got most of it out her system by then.

I think we have a mini hot water bottle somewhere, I can pop it under the vet bed and fleece tonight so she can cuddle up to it in her cup. Just so she's extra snug.

She seems fine away from the other girls so I'm not convinced she's in pain, I think she's been bumped down the hierarchy with being old and sick and she's mad. But I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow for any more puffing up. If she does it again I'll take her to the vets to see if I can up her dosage at all or get her some new meds.

I'll keep you all posted

Thank you
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Sows is season in a group will usually hump the one that is ranked just below them or in some cases just above.

Please make sure that Wilma can move away from the hot water bottle if she wants to. If it is just a small one, you may want to reheat in once during the night.

I prefer microwaveable snugglesafes because they last a full night, especially with my 8 piggies of 6-nearly 9 years old that I have at the moment...
 
Love that photo of her in her cuddle cup. Nothing to add over and above what’s been said in the other posts.
 
Wiebke said:
Sows is season in a group will usually hump the one that is ranked just below them or in some cases just above.

Please make sure that Wilma can move away from the hot water bottle if she wants to. If it is just a small one, you may want to reheat in once during the night.

I prefer microwaveable snugglesafes because they last a full night, especially with my 8 piggies of 6-nearly 9 years old that I have at the moment...
Click to expand...

Oh really? Wilma had always been sort of on the middle of the group. Luna is pretty dominant so she's top of the ladies but below our boar. Interesting that I could be wrong on where Wilma stands.
I'll put it round the side so she can move away if she's warm. She should be okay in our room though, it's pretty cosy.

I'll get some microwave snuggles for her, thanks for the suggestion. She'll appreciate that. She loves snoozing in my dressing gown. Thanks for the suggestion!

6 9 year olds?! Good going, what an amazing bunch
Xx
 
Wilma is GORGEOUS. .. so are the rest of your herd ... i have no advice but she prob does want a good nights sleep away from the young uns... x
 
Bekialice said:
Oh really? Wilma had always been sort of on the middle of the group. Luna is pretty dominant so she's top of the ladies but below our boar. Interesting that I could be wrong on where Wilma stands.
I'll put it round the side so she can move away if she's warm. She should be okay in our room though, it's pretty cosy.

I'll get some microwave snuggles for her, thanks for the suggestion. She'll appreciate that. She loves snoozing in my dressing gown. Thanks for the suggestion!

6 9 year olds?! Good going, what an amazing bunch
Xx
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No, not quite as spectacular as that, but I currently have five 6 year olds, two 7 year olds and Calli who is turning 9 in May. ;)
Plus 22 other piggies ranging from 5 months to 5 years...
 
Aww bless her, she looks so cosy! She's gorgeous. Poor little girl getting humped, she's probably exhausted! My girls are pretty humpy, especially Tonks. Before I had Iggy she used to always pick Bella to hump, no one else. I've never been sure why but I guess it's because she's less likely to beat her up :))

Hopefully it's all settled down soon!
 
Wiebke said:
No, not quite as spectacular as that, but I currently have five 6 year olds, two 7 year olds and Calli who is turning 9 in May. ;)
Plus 22 other piggies ranging from 5 months to 5 years...
Click to expand...
:yikes:and I thought 5 piggies was enough!:yikes:
 
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