Widowed Guinea Pig

Beautifulbugsy

Beautifulbugsy

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
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Milton Keynes
I need some advice please as I’m desperate I lost one of my piggies Wednesday and now have a single boar age 3, my issue is I definitely don’t want to get another pig for him.I know this sounds selfish but I’ve lost 3 pigs in 2 yrs and my heart( and bank balance) can’t take anymore. Can I make his life enjoyable basically without a fellow pig
 
He really does need a friend, especially since he has been with another piggy for company. How about rescuing a piggie on the understanding that you return them when your boy goes. I wouldn't put your boy into a rescue, because he will have bonded with you & it could take him a long time to adjust, that's if he does at all. He may be OK,by himself, only time will tell.
 
Yeah i think realistically i need to get him a friend, its only been 2 days and he's already showing signs he's not ok as he's chewing the bed which has never happened before. Omg guineapig ownership is not easy :(
 
Sorry for your loss & your piggy's. Whatever you decide to do hope it works out well for you both
 
So sorry for your loss. Piggies really do need company of their own kind. Perhaps you could consider dating him at a Rescue with a similar aged single boar. Thst way, hopefully they will see out their days together.

If you have genuinely decided thst you don’t want to continue with the cycle of adding another piggy then please consider surrendering him to a recommended rescue. RRescues are very familiar with this and will not judge you other than as a very caring owner, wanting the best for your piggy. Rescues are experts at pairing up single boars to be rehomed together. At the rescue I am involved we we have very successfully matched up many pairs of lone boars who have then gone to fabulous new homes.

I don’t agree with post #2 above. I have never seen a piggy take long to adjust to being in rescue and then be paired up and rehomed. Reputable rescues are all about the happiness and welfare of piggies in their care. We take great care to settle piggies with foster careers in their homes. Believe you me, piggies are very pragmatic and adjust very quickly to their new surroundings. Most foster piggies know my routine within a day or 2 and start hollering for veggies at the right times.
 
The piggie we just lost was a rescue pig who we piggie dated with joey and this went so well they fell in love straight away so i have no reservations about that and rehoming joey wasnt my first thought i was mainly wondering if he could have a happy life on his own as getting another one means I'm stuck in the cycle of re pairing when one dies. When we took chi chi she was the same age as joey and i was only saying last month i thought we'd cracked it as the pigs were healthy and i had learnt so much in the last 18 mths and generally thought they'd live a long life together although in hindsight i should have known he wouldnt cope alone as he always seemed like the most caring in the relationship LOL . This is so hard. The suggestion of rehoming but being allowed to return the piggie if i lost joey sounded like an answer but we fall in love with them as i did chi chi and then how could you but then your stuck with a lonely single pig again :(
 
Beautifulbugsy said:
The piggie we just lost was a rescue pig who we piggie dated with joey and this went so well they fell in love straight away so i have no reservations about that and rehoming joey wasnt my first thought i was mainly wondering if he could have a happy life on his own as getting another one means I'm stuck in the cycle of re pairing when one dies. When we took chi chi she was the same age as joey and i was only saying last month i thought we'd cracked it as the pigs were healthy and i had learnt so much in the last 18 mths and generally thought they'd live a long life together although in hindsight i should have known he wouldnt cope alone as he always seemed like the most caring in the relationship LOL . This is so hard. The suggestion of rehoming but being allowed to return the piggie if i lost joey sounded like an answer but we fall in love with them as i did chi chi and then how could you but then your stuck with a lonely single pig again :(
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Human and cavy needs are never further apart than after the death of a companion. Guinea pigs do not feel any less, but their drive to survive means that they come out of grieving a lot quicker.
It is not easy - to love a pet means to lose a pet; that is in the nature of the thing. But not to have a pet means to live without that love; a life that is much emptier.

Perhaps have a chat with a good rescue and discuss your option with them. 3 years is just about halfway through a piggy's life.

I have taken in a friend's then 7 year old lady in January (she's 8 years old now) when she seemed OK at first after losing her last companion to old age, but she became more and more depressed. She's now happy with having company, even if it was only through the bars for the first 10 months as she wasn't keen on sharing her territory.

If you have problems with the grieving process, please contact a free pet bereavement line. Just being able to talk about it all freely, but confidentially can make a real difference. A number of forum members have tried it - often with apprehension at first - but they have all had a positive experience with it and it has really helped them!
SupportLine - Problems: Pet Bereavement: Advice, support and information

You may also find it helpful to run a diary with all the little and large memories of your lost pets, as well as your feelings. You will eventually find that a lot more of them is still there, in your heart, and because you have written it down, it cannot be taken away from you.

Whichever way you decide, I hope that you can find happiness again.
 
It is terribly hard, I think we've all ended up with the one left, & decisions. I think we have ended up with a single piggy, you want them to be happy, especially when they give you so much in return. The only other thing I can suggest is do you have a close friend who will take him, then you could maybe come & visit daily, & look after him when they go on holiday.
VickiA said:
So sorry for your loss. Piggies really do need company of their own kind. Perhaps you could consider dating him at a Rescue with a similar aged single boar. Thst way, hopefully they will see out their days together.

If you have genuinely decided thst you don’t want to continue with the cycle of adding another piggy then please consider surrendering him to a recommended rescue. RRescues are very familiar with this and will not judge you other than as a very caring owner, wanting the best for your piggy. Rescues are experts at pairing up single boars to be rehomed together. At the rescue I am involved we we have very successfully matched up many pairs of lone boars who have then gone to fabulous new homes.

I don’t agree with post #2 above. I have never seen a piggy take long to adjust to being in rescue and then be paired up and rehomed. Reputable rescues are all about the happiness and welfare of piggies in their care. We take great care to settle piggies with foster careers in their homes. Believe you me, piggies are very pragmatic and adjust very quickly to their new surroundings. Most foster piggies know my routine within a day or 2 and start hollering for veggies at the right times.
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it was merely my opinion VickiA, I was working on the emotional tie, but you've had more experience than me. I've only been looking after piggies for about 2 & a bit years. but I will certainly commit that knowledge to memory. The more I learn the better slave l will become.
 
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