Please May Someone Link The Depression In Guineapigs?

[Rolo_and_Sophie]

My boar is depressed but I can't find the articles on depression
Sophie
x

 

[TheCavySlave]

@Wiebke should be able to help, all I can find is the info on bereaved pigs.

 

[Wiebke]

My boar is depressed but I can't find the articles on depression
Sophie
x

Hi!

Can you please give us more background information.
- is your boar single, freshly bereaved or separated?
- has he been/Is he being bullied by his companion(s)?
- how long have you had him and how old is he?
- is his weight stable and is he still interested in his food (please note that hay is making the bulk of his daily food intake, so you can't control that other than by weighing daily at the same time).
- is he lethargic/apathetic?
- is he showing signs of pain (hunched and/or puffed up)?
- how long has this been going on?

There is no guide on depression because there are a number of different issues with very different causes attached to this, requiring very different approaches and solutions. You cannot just give a pill; you have to work out what is causing the change in behaviour and address that. Guinea pigs are never "just" depressed.

 

[Rolo_and_Sophie]

Hi!

Can you please give us more background information.
- is your boar single, freshly bereaved or separated?
- has he been/Is he being bullied by his companion(s)?
- how long have you had him and how old is he?
- is his weight stable and is he still interested in his food (please note that hay is making the bulk of his daily food intake, so you can't control that other than by weighing daily at the same time).
- is he lethargic/apathetic?
- is he showing signs of pain (hunched and/or puffed up)?
- how long has this been going on?

There is no guide on depression because there are a number of different issues with very different causes attached to this, requiring very different approaches and solutions. You cannot just give a pill; you have to work out what is causing the change in behaviour and address that. Guinea pigs are never "just" depressed.

He is about 2.5 years old.he is depressed as of his cage mate/brother passed away. I made a thread on it I will try and add u to it

 

[Rolo_and_Sophie]

@ wiebke
Here I will copy and paste it:

hello,

Now you see, I have a little sister called Amy. Wait- before I say more. Let me tell you about my piggie(s).
Well it all started in around 2013,I had a bunny at my grandparents house and he sadly died so my nan said 'no more animals' and my mother then said (as I was so upset) I know, I will get you a guinea pig. So off we went to pets at home where I found my little rolo and then Amy said 'I want one!' As you could probably imagine I was not happy as I knew that she would not care for him as he was a living, breathing creature but anyway spot came too with us and about six months later, Amy dropped spot and he broke his little leggy and the vet said to put him down however my family said we will give him a chan(as they had just previously put my rabbit down). And miraculously he healed and he was all fine until about less then 2 months ago, I started to notice some discharge out of spots eyes and nose and it was all over him ( bless him) so I told my mum that we NEED to and HAD to take him to the vets (as I had been looking after my piggies as my sis didn't care for them!) about a few weeks later we took rolo and spotty and it was revealing that he had a respiratory disease/infection and that he had to have lots of medication any way, £100-200 later, he died at 2am the next morning before he could even receive all of the medication. So that leaves poor rolo on his own and he is very depressed-not eating or drinking or anything (not even red peppers or anything juicy fruit or veg!). So I keep telling my mum that he should get new company as he can't go on like this (hopefully for the rest of his 6 years he has in him) but I need your opinion as my mum says she isn't having any more pets and she seems to think he is fine but I need some advice as this is NOT who my rolo is and I'm getting extremely worried about him. ( a reason not is that I'm scared that they will fight or not get on properly) but please any help or advice I can have is well appreciated as I am very stuck in what to do. Also some advice on what to say to my family to persuade them into getting a new companionship for my piggy as I know they are meant to be heard animals. (If you are wondering, the cage is in my bedroom and I am/was before spot died raising money for a big hutch as I feel it needs another extension as he grows and gets a bit older) also (I am thinking of adopting from a rescue as I feel it is the right way to go about it
!)
thank you sooooo much

Kind regards

Sophie
XX
P.s please give me pros and cons on another piggy

 

[sport_billy]

@Rolo_and_Sophie I have removed the top line in your post. Never post your age online

 

[Wiebke]

@ wiebke
Here I will copy and paste it:

hello,

Now you see, I have a little sister called Amy. Wait- before I say more. Let me tell you about my piggie(s).
Well it all started in around 2013,I had a bunny at my grandparents house and he sadly died so my nan said 'no more animals' and my mother then said (as I was so upset) I know, I will get you a guinea pig. So off we went to pets at home where I found my little rolo and then Amy said 'I want one!' As you could probably imagine I was not happy as I knew that she would not care for him as he was a living, breathing creature but anyway spot came too with us and about six months later, Amy dropped spot and he broke his little leggy and the vet said to put him down however my family said we will give him a chan(as they had just previously put my rabbit down). And miraculously he healed and he was all fine until about less then 2 months ago, I started to notice some discharge out of spots eyes and nose and it was all over him ( bless him) so I told my mum that we NEED to and HAD to take him to the vets (as I had been looking after my piggies as my sis didn't care for them!) about a few weeks later we took rolo and spotty and it was revealing that he had a respiratory disease/infection and that he had to have lots of medication any way, £100-200 later, he died at 2am the next morning before he could even receive all of the medication. So that leaves poor rolo on his own and he is very depressed-not eating or drinking or anything (not even red peppers or anything juicy fruit or veg!). So I keep telling my mum that he should get new company as he can't go on like this (hopefully for the rest of his 6 years he has in him) but I need your opinion as my mum says she isn't having any more pets and she seems to think he is fine but I need some advice as this is NOT who my rolo is and I'm getting extremely worried about him. ( a reason not is that I'm scared that they will fight or not get on properly) but please any help or advice I can have is well appreciated as I am very stuck in what to do. Also some advice on what to say to my family to persuade them into getting a new companionship for my piggy as I know they are meant to be heard animals. (If you are wondering, the cage is in my bedroom and I am/was before spot died raising money for a big hutch as I feel it needs another extension as he grows and gets a bit older) also (I am thinking of adopting from a rescue as I feel it is the right way to go about it
!)
thank you sooooo much

Kind regards

Sophie
XX
P.s please give me pros and cons on another piggy

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry about your loss! You are welcome to post a tribute to Spot in our Rainbow Bridge section if or whenever you want to.
Sadly untreated URI (respiratory infection) will kill if left untreated. It really needs to be seen quickly by a vet if you want to have a chance at saving your guinea pig. Guinea Lynx :: URI
It would be good if both you and your mum set a aside a small amount of money each week for a vet fund. By doing it together, you can prove your commitment to your mum and also have a greater say when a consultation is needed.

The depression in this case is caused by bereavement, and it is called pining. If a guinea pig is not eating at all, it is called acute pining and you need to find a new companion asap to save your piggy's life. you also need to step in with syringe feeding and watering.
Otherwise, you want to wait two weeks to make sure that Rolo is not infected himself and is not passing the bacteria on to other new guinea pigs. That is a quarantine and it is necessary whenever a companion has died from an infectious disease unless its own life is in danger and you have to take the risk.

There are a couple of good guinea pig rescues in your county that offer dating at the rescue itself, so you once home only with a new mate if they like each other and get on; by doing that, you let Rolo choose who he wants to share his life with. That is the best way of ensuring a happy new bond. If you go to one of our recommended rescues, we guarantee that any of their guinea pigs is healthy and properly sexed, and you have the backing of the rescue for the lifetime of any of their adopted guinea pigs. You may need to contact all guinea pig rescues within your reach to see whether they have got suitable companions for bonding.

However, rescue people may be understandably wary of rehoming into a household where vet care is not guaranteed and where there is a risk that any guinea pig they have carefully (and expensively) nursed back to health and looked after will be handled without supervision by a small child. You will have to talk about these aspects with your mum and nan beforehand, even if it means locking your room whenever you are not around so your sister cannot get at your guinea pigs without another person's close supervision.

You can find our recommended rescues closest to you (the ones we can guarantee you are in safe hands) via our rescue locator in the top bar: Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

We strongly recommend to our members that they please not post a closer location than their county or a larger city for their own protection. This is close enough for us to give you local tips but it prevents your details and address from being sussed out by third parties. This is especially important when you are a minor.
Please take your own online protection very seriously and never give out your name, exact age, address or even the name of your village or town without your mum's express permission!