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Worried for our lonely guineapig

M

Marmite+Scampi

Junior Guinea Pig
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Sadly we just yesterday lost one of our pair of males who sadly passed away. We came downstairs this morning to check on them and found him in the cage - we think he might have broken his neck from falling off the platform. It was only about 20 cm high, it had a ramp and theyve used it for months, but we couldnt think what else it could be - he was fine and happy and wheeking for food yesterday, nice clean coat, scampering about as normal. feel awful that he died and we werent there.

Our boys were only just under a year old and now we are not sure what to do with our lone male guinea pig - we definitely feel like we shouldn't leave him alone, especially after he was so used to the company of his brother and he is so young still, but I've heard that it can be quite difficult to bond males who didnt grow up together?

Our male isn't neutered (we just got them both from the tameside guinea pig adoption centre) so we cant get a female either.

Do you have any advice? We would be happy to get him neutered if this was best for him to have companionship, but obviously this in itself has risks.
We just werent prepared for this ! we thought we might have a lonely pig somewhere down the line but feel we couldnt let him live for years by himself.

I know its still early but it makes me feel really sad to think of him alone in his cage without his brother.
 
I'm really sorry for your loss. I would think it's highly unlikely a broken neck but certainly heart problems or strokes etc can happen very suddenly with no warning and at any age. I'm really sorry for your experience as it must have been very traumatic for you.

You now have two options which you are aware of for bonding. The least risky is to let him chose his own friend at a reputable rescue that offers boar dating. The rescue would not send you home unless it was clear they were bonded and you would get ongoing support from them if something were to happen in future.

The next would be to neuter and then rescue a sow to be with him. Yes you can never get rid of the risks of putting a small animal through any kind of surgery but neutering is a lot less invasive than many types of surgery. The two key things for minimising risk is having an excellent vet (and we have a vet locator on here were members have found and suggested vets) and the second is having an otherwise healthy pig. Visiting the vet for a health check and discussing the option of neutering would be your starting point as the vet will be able to say whether they feel that the piggy is in a good position to get through the operation.

It's not an easy decision and elected surgery like neutering ops are much more of a stressor on us humans than on the animals themselves. It's a very tense day to get through waiting for the vet to ring
 
Sorry about your piggie that has died.
Very sad.
Great advise above and on this forum lots great free advise.
I'm sure you be able to find a friend for your piggie and course you.
Pls adopt as lots piggies need good home and you sound that.
David.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I'm really sorry for your loss. I would think it's highly unlikely a broken neck but certainly heart problems or strokes etc can happen very suddenly with no warning and at any age. I'm really sorry for your experience as it must have been very traumatic for you.

You now have two options which you are aware of for bonding. The least risky is to let him chose his own friend at a reputable rescue that offers boar dating. The rescue would not send you home unless it was clear they were bonded and you would get ongoing support from them if something were to happen in future.

The next would be to neuter and then rescue a sow to be with him. Yes you can never get rid of the risks of putting a small animal through any kind of surgery but neutering is a lot less invasive than many types of surgery. The two key things for minimising risk is having an excellent vet (and we have a vet locator on here were members have found and suggested vets) and the second is having an otherwise healthy pig. Visiting the vet for a health check and discussing the option of neutering would be your starting point as the vet will be able to say whether they feel that the piggy is in a good position to get through the operation.

It's not an easy decision and elected surgery like neutering ops are much more of a stressor on us humans than on the animals themselves. It's a very tense day to get through waiting for the vet to ring
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your advice, its just nice to hear and get some reassurance, especially after we just lost one. I cant help but feel guilty even though I know there was nothing wrong.

I've had a look online and couldnt see any where with boar dating nearby (we are Manchester based).

Its good to know that the neutering could be an option for him, I think I was worried in case it was seen as very risky in general.

How soon do you think we should think about getting him a new friend? Do guinea pigs need time to adjust first?
 
Marmite+Scampi said:
Thank you so much for your advice, its just nice to hear and get some reassurance, especially after we just lost one. I cant help but feel guilty even though I know there was nothing wrong.

I've had a look online and couldnt see any where with boar dating nearby (we are Manchester based).

Its good to know that the neutering could be an option for him, I think I was worried in case it was seen as very risky in general.

How soon do you think we should think about getting him a new friend? Do guinea pigs need time to adjust first?
Click to expand...
You said you got your piggies from Tameside Rabbit & Guinea Pig Rescue. Maybe you can ask them if they have a guinea pig that you can try for bonding.
 
We have rung the rescue centre and they said that if we get a really young boar they shouldnt have too many problems bonding, although they don't offer the "dating" service.

Does anyone have any advice for how to go about introducing them? This seems to be the best option so we dont have to risk him getting neutered.

Thank you for all your help everyone.
 
So sorry for your loss.
I agree with @Lady Kelly that a stroke or heart attack are much more likely causes of death.
I lost a 2 year old to a stroke / heart attack and she had been out playing just an hour earlier.
It is devastating and feeling guilty is a normal part of grieving.
You need to be patient and gentle with yourself as you work through your grief.

I can’t add to the advice given about a new companion but I do think it’s lovely that you are putting your boy’s needs first.

Let us know how things go
 
The link above from piggieminder is great, lots of links to boar characters and bonding which will be really helpful. If you are able to travel a bit we have The Potteries in Kidsgrove who will do dating too. There's not really a time limit on these things, your remaining piggy will have acknowledged his companions death already so you can move at your own pace unless he goes into acute grieving. When this happens they become very withdrawn and stop eating then it becomes an urgent situation.
 
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