Recent lost, now solo pig

[Shannon R]

Hi everyone,

I am looking for some help.

It has been a tough year of loss for us, losing three guineas. Recently, we had two guinea pigs who lived side by side but separated as they didnt get along. We recently lost one of our pigs to stones this past weekend. Now we are in a situation where we only have on guinea pig which we have never experienced. The stress of not having exotic vets or vets skilled with guinea pig care has been very stressful as we are the type of pet owners who will go above and beyond. For this reason, we dont want to have any more pigs until we move to a place where we can have better vet care for our GP sakes and for our mental wellbeing.

I am struggling with how to make our last guinea pig happy. It has only been a few days since the passing of our other guinea pig but I am looking for ways to make living alonge tolerable for him. We now have the option of extending his cage even larger but I dont know the best timing to do this (change his environment) and add some more stimulation (toys, etc,). Is now the time?

Any advice on this topic would be helpful. He has always been skittish around humans so our companionship wouldn't necessarily be helpful to give him company.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Not having an experienced vet nearby can make things extra difficult so I’m sorry you’re in that situation.

How old is your boy? I don’t know how you could make living alone tolerable. It may be he would just ‘survive’ rather than thrive while living alone. Despite living alongside another piggy, that still offered him company through the divider.

Hopefully someone else will come along with a better answer. In the meantime please read the guides linked below. I hope you find a suitable solution soon. I can understand why you don’t want to continue the cycle.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’m so sorry for your losses, what a tough time you have had, sending hugs x
It’s always difficult when you are left with “the last one”. I can totally understand how you feel you don’t want to add another piggie due to the heartache caused by inexperienced piggie vets. Sadly guinea pigs seem to get a rough ride when it comes to experienced vets, they fall between neither exotic or general, so it’s often very difficult finding a really good vet to treat them.
Is there a chance that you could foster a piggie from a rescue for his lifetime or until when you move?

 

[Shannon R]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Not having an experienced vet nearby can make things extra difficult so I’m sorry you’re in that situation.

How old is your boy? I don’t know how you could make living alone tolerable. It may be he would just ‘survive’ rather than thrive while living alone. Despite living alongside another piggy, that still offered him company through the divider.

Hopefully someone else will come along with a better answer. In the meantime please read the guides linked below. I hope you find a suitable solution soon. I can understand why you don’t want to continue the cycle.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Thank you. It makes things so extra difficult, especially when things happen in the middle of the night and our little guys are suffering and there is no one to help.

He is likely 3 years old now. We will have to see how he does but I suspect the guilt of having him alone will make us continue the cycle. Its tough.

Thanks for the links

 

[Shannon R]

I’m so sorry for your losses, what a tough time you have had, sending hugs x
It’s always difficult when you are left with “the last one”. I can totally understand how you feel you don’t want to add another piggie due to the heartache caused by inexperienced piggie vets. Sadly guinea pigs seem to get a rough ride when it comes to experienced vets, they fall between neither exotic or general, so it’s often very difficult finding a really good vet to treat them.
Is there a chance that you could foster a piggie from a rescue for his lifetime or until when you move?

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, where I live most of the guineas are sold in pet stores (sadly). The 5 guineas we rescued were from an animal shelter (owner surrounded) that definitely wouldn't let us foster as they just want them adopted. I wish we had guinea pig rescues here but we dont. I will see if there are any rescues in the next provinces that could help us

 

[Siikibam]

I would say being alone for another 3+ years wouldn’t be right for him. But I understand it’s a tough decision because you want to break the cycle. As mentioned above, would you be able to foster a piggy to keep him company or surrender him to a rescue so he can be paired up? The last one is the last resort I would say. Sorry, that’s not much help!
Guinea Lynx :: Canadian Rescue Organizations

 

[Free Ranger]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I can't really help with your long term decision but for the short term I can tell you about my experience with George (my avatar pig) who was left alone last year for weeks. He was also 3 and also had been very nervous all his life. He had lost 2 female companions last year, old Daisy first and then Ivy in October. As it was lockdown there was no option for a rescue companion and even pet shops were empty. He had realised Ivy was ill and getting worse but for the first few days after she went he was very down. Then he got back to 'normal' but lived a very timid life - a lot of hiding as he was never the dominant pig and he was frightened to come out without someone to hide behind. We had to establish a new routine so he knew what was happening and I decided to put a lot more time into handling whereas before I'd never really handled any pig much!

I started to eat my breakfast with him in the morning, every morning, sitting on the floor next to his cage, talking to him and offering a few veggies by hand. He started to come out when I was there to eat at his bowl - eyeballing me warily. When he was used to that I tried popping him in my lap to eat a slice of veg and he was happy to sit there for that and then get down on his own and go back into his cage. I spent time with him when I had a cup of tea and a break. I made sure there were other hideys so he didn't spend all day in one place. I started to have lap-time for the first time and at first he was concerned but we ended up with a snuggle sack so he was hidden. He liked a little bit of veg as he got settled and then I put my bare arm in the fleecy bag and he snuggled up to the warmth while we watched an old film. I was grieving the loss of my girls, and we comforted each other. As he got comfortable with this he started to let me know when he'd had enough (from 5 mins to an hour or more if he napped) by emerging and looking up - then nipping gently at my clothes until I took him back to his cage. Possibly a full bladder - he didn't pee in the bag! It was winter so too cold to go on grass but I used to carry him round the garden to find little things he'd like to nibble and always talk to him. I wanted to give him good things to think about when he was on his own in the dark. He sometimes 'talked' back a bit when he was in the bag but never out in the open. He got used to me and stopped being so frightened all the time. He has companions now and is more vocal - he is also a dominant pig for the first time - and he doesn't want to go in the sack any more as it takes him away from his new companions but we are still close because when I say goodnight I always reach in to touch him (in part because he is black and not easy to see in the dark so I check he's actually there!) and he doesn't move out of the way like he did in the past. He also stands and enjoys a quick fuzzle under the chin or on the cheek if I'm passing during the day. This could well be a time when you learn new things about each other and become close