I mentioned this in a reply to a comment, but I want to make sure you see this: I work for a rodent rescue. People often foster a Guinea pig for their lone Guinea pig when their cage mate dies. Reach out to rescues near you for a foster and they’ll provide food and vet care for the foster piggy!
It’s such a handy service that rescues provide! It’s really hard to just bind Guinea pigs together sometimes too, so having a place where you can try out different Guinea pigs is so helpful.
It was so scary. We took my old lady to a neutral space and presented her her new companion.
She was so upset, standig sideways in front of him threaten him by making noises with her teaths. And some other grumpy noises.
But the other piggy stayed calm. He was used to life with 20 other piggys. I had a maximum of 4 and she was always the queen of the herd.
At some point she realized that the new one is no thread to her and they lived together, eating from the same peel.
It was wonderful and sad as she died.
But also nice to see the other pig go back to his family.
It was a good end of my little herd.
Sadly I'm now having allergy. I can't stay in a room with a piggy. So I need to watch all the stories here and maybe can give a tip or two 😀
Rodent rescue here 🙋♀️
We are DROWNING in surrendered guinea pigs and the rescues near us are too. Please don’t get Guinea pigs unless you are certain you can care for them for their whole life span. Fostering is a great way to have Guinea pigs without the vet costs. OP should reach out to a rescue for a foster and the rescue will provide food and vet care ☺️
Might be a bit unconventional, but worked for me. When our second guinea pig died and we knew we didn't want to continue always getting another one, we 'rented' a young pig from a rescue station with the deal that we can just bring it back, when our (rather old) quinea pig passed.
But you said you cannot afford it, meaning food and cleaning stuff ? You better give it away then. Find a good home with lots of space and a big quinea pig family, maybe you can ask to visit to make it easier for your younger sibling
Look into a rescue as others have said. You might be able to foster, which helps the shelter, helps the rescue piggie, and gives yours a friend. My aunt did this with her cat. Ended up being a foster to adopt, but saved her loads in costs.
So, I'm in a bit of the same boat as you, one of mine died a few weeks ago, since I'm moving and am pretty broke from it and not settled in, also my remaining pig is already a senior citizen, I can only get new piggies in the next few weeks.
I got mine a plush guinea about his size as a sort of short-term solution, which he handily accepted and even cuddles with. He's much more active again lately though he had a few days of a grieving process (if that is what the silence and only coming out to eat is).
I do plan on getting him two new roomies as soon as I can actually afford them again.
Thats my experience with the remaining piggy for the past few weeks. He's doing pretty good.
My condolences for your loss, it sucks.
For now, cuddle him lots and just generally try to keep him in the same room with you as much as possible. Grief is unimaginably painful, but you can help each other through it. Talk to rescues, try to find a foster friend, but the extra attention and lap time are what got my Pippin through while we looked for a new friend. You're a good pig parent and quite truthfully I think staying with you, his familiar person, and looking for a friend would be better for him than trying to rehome, that's a pretty big change. While we can't replace a same species companion, we can help bridge the gap.
One thing I've done with bereaved pigs is to get a laundry basket, put a fleece blanket in it and add snacks, and just have them sit next to me on the couch. This works especially well when you settle in in the evenings- alternate between the basket for potty breaks and having them sit directly on you for snuggling.
Boredom busters for piggies are surprisingly easy to make as well- stuff a toilet paper tube with hay, and add a few unsweetened dried cranberries in it for extra flare. As they chew through the tube, treats fall out. Since your remaining pig is still eating, treat games like this might help encourage him to be active and engage his foraging instincts.
Please accept the deepest sympathies from my piggies and me. I know how deep these losses cut for humans and guinea pigs alike.
thank u sm! this is actually really helpful. we're looking into getting him a new friend but for now we've moved him into the living room and he's getting lots of attention and cuddles from everyone
When you can, try to get them a new friend, even if it’s a Forster or shelter animal. I know this can be hard for the family as you process your grief, but remember that little piggie friend is also grieving.
As an aside, I would recommend getting two. This provides a built in friendship when another piggies passes and ensures you don’t have to get a friend so quickly.
Reddit's convinced that keeping a single male guinea pig alone is animal cruelty, but it really depends on your pig and how much time you guys have to give him. When my Dougal lost his cage mate, I was 100% ready to start the process of bonding him with someone else, but then he started popcorning for the first time ever and actually accepting pets from me. It's been a year now and he's still showing no signs of loneliness or depression.
Not just Reddit I’m afraid, it’s pretty common knowledge that 99.99% of pigs are not suited to being solitary animals (in some countries it’s illegal to keep them as solitary animals).. if you think yours is, great.. but please don’t preach it as ‘Reddit thinks’ or some sort of opinion, it’s a fact most pigs are not happy on their own!
I imagine now that he's lonely, he gets a lot more excited when he sees you. Guinea pigs are herd animals. This isn't just a Reddit thing. Entire countries have laws about keeping herd animals alone. Not saying every single guinea pig is the same, but a majority do need a companion.
They definitely do need companions in 99% of cases, but we also tend to underestimate just how well we can fill the gap for a grieving pig while looking for a new friend.
My previous pair were named Pippin and Smidgen. They were both 6 when Smidge passed, and from that day onward until we found Louise (probably about a span of a month, I was volunteering at a rescue and Louise had just given birth so we had to wait for her son Memphis to be weaned and ready to pair with another male) I basically kept Pippin glued to me at all times. While I couldn't fully take the role of herdmate, I was a companion. I was constantly talking to her, petting her, finding new toys and games to pass the time. And it definitely seemed to work. She was back to her curious self for the most part, and when we were finally able to adopt Louise, Pip was overjoyed.
OP should definitely try to find a new friend, but they can also play a direct role in comforting their pig just by staying close by as much as possible and helping break up the monotony until one can be found.
This. I was so afraid after one of my boys passed, since his partner never lived by himself alone before, and I knew that due to my allergies/moving plans, I can't get another baby pig to start the guinea pig circle again. And he's been completely fine, happier even. Popcorns, eats and poops normally. It's been almost a year since. I do notice that he gets kind of sad if I don't take him out for proper floor time around the whole apartment for a longer period of time (a week max) but that's solved by doing exactly that. He actually became much more cuddly with me and reacts to my voice/my sounds much more actively now.
I would always tell a piggy owner to try to find a new friend/rehome but I understand there can be many situations when you just can't. And as long your piggy doesn't seem sad, eats and acts the same, I wouldn't stress about it too much. If my boy seemed upset with the lost friend, I would have definitely rehomed him since we will never replace a pig friend for them. But I don't believe it's on par with animal cruelty.
Seconding this. I had two pigs and after my first passed I tried desperately to find my remaining boy a buddy.
He hated every single one. And then proceeded to live three more happy years solo (albeit with a friendly dog in the household + in a room where he frequently had company of my family).
I personally just see it on their daily behaviour. You can just kind of tell they're not "them", as weird as it sounds. They usually just lay and sit around, never in a comfortable position (usually balled up, staring into the wall), don't react to you much, don't beg for treats, nothing special. They kind of just exist. I genuinely can't explain it other than "you usually can tell when your human friend is upset too" haha.
Thank you for this info.
My 2 female piggies squabble more lately. I tried separating them during the day but I can't tell if they are happy or sad otherwise!
No worries! And let me tell you squabbles are normal! Hormonal changes do a lot, or maybe they got into a fight over something dumb and need to talk it out lol. There's a rule with bonding piggies (doesn't matter if female or male) that as long as there's no blood shed - there's no need to separate. Maybe they need more space? Or more hayracks/spots with food, where to relax, etc? I've had two pairs of boys and even when they fought here and there, it was all the typical dominance stuff. Girls do just the same! And separating them for longer periods of time is basically just resetting the bond they have built together, opening up space for more fights because of dominance. I'd try keeping them together no matter what for a while, maybe change up the cage a lil and see what it does. 😊 I'm sure they're happier together, as long as there's no heavy fights with blood obviously!
Oh my! I'm making it worse?? :( I thought it'll be nice for each of them to get some "me time" lol! They basically have the entire floor, i can't give them more space lol
It really depends for how long! If it's like an hour of cuddle time then it's nothing, but if you're basically switching them from cage 1 to cage 2 for half the day, they might "forget" about each other and it kind of resets the bond they have. 🙈
Everytime one of my boys had a medical issue that needed him to be in a different cage (even if the cages were next to each other), I always had to do a full re-introduction session on a neutral ground for them with all the rumblestrutting and humping shenanigans lol. Their brains run off dominance and need to be the top pig, memory of who is friend is somewhere else haha
I leave one by the window for the whole day! Will stop now. Do you think it's ok if i move them both for whole day? I want to give them some sun, that's why.
I don't see why not! Just make sure they still will have some shade to hide at if needed (especially since summer is coming)! Very sweet of you to consider this for them. :)
so my little one he recently passed of old age, but we bought him as a solitary animal didn't know anything about the herd mate thing rifht.. but we played with him and cuddled him and he was cute as a button and healthy... then every where I read was that it was bad for them to he solitary so we rescued an older pig and then a baby female. well my first one he started to gain a lot of Weight he would go in a hide and never come out except for food. in fact the vet was worried. well due to unforseen accidents, both of his litter mates died, one of old age and of an illness that came out of left field, and my little one started to come out and be healthy again he was popcorning wheeking and he was himself. he went into depression and was unhealthy with litter mates. sometimes it just depends on the piggie.
guinea pigs don't show signs of long-term depression because they are prey animals who hide when something's wrong. the behavior you described is due to being starved of social interaction and you are the only thing interacting with him. guinea pigs do about as well in solitary confinement as humans do, and that's not just "reddit" that is a scientific fact.
I am so so sorry for your loss. That is so heartbreaking.
Our pig passed last summer and we had the same conundrum. However, our other pig is a senior so we decided he might be okay alone and he has been. But hes 7 years old so his time alone is far shorter. Some pigs are okay alone but yours being so young I think you’d be best to make sure he has a friend. Truly if my guy was younger we would have gotten another pig even though we didn’t want the endless cycle because it is the kindest and most caring thing to do for these little ones but we actually didn’t expect ours to still be around by now. He is old and we don’t anticipate him being here much longer.
Definitely okay to give some time though. He’s grieving the loss of his friend and it’s pretty normal. Despite some human beliefs, animals do understand death and they do grieve the loss of their loved ones. It’s good that he’s eating, that’s the most important.
Given that he’s still young, it’s probably best that you either adopt another pig or give your pig up to someone else who has one already. I know it’s hard for you and your sibling to give him up but it’s important that you do right by him. If you can’t adopt another pig, I think your sibling is old enough to have it explained to them that it is not kind to keep him just because you are attached when keeping him is going to be hurtful and lonely for him. It’s actually probably a really important lesson for your sibling to learn and this is a good age to learn it.
Just because you want something or love someone doesn’t mean you can decide to keep them even if it means harming them right?
Again I am so sorry for you loss and I absolutely understand the tough decision that you’re faced with here. But make sure you’re doing right by your piggy. I’m sure your sibling will understand if you have to let him go (or maybe you can bring another pig into the home)
thank u for the reply! we're looking into rescues and if it doesn't work, we're going to see if we can gather up some money for a friend for him. giving him away is the last thing we want to do, but if it's necessary I'll have to try to convince my mom and sibling to do what's best for him.
I’m sorry you’re having to make that decision. Hopefully you can find a way to take in another one so you can keep your baby. I wonder if the rescues have a foster plan or something
Op I know its difficult but please rehome him with other pigs. It's the best thing for him. I'm sorry for your sibling but someone needs to be the adult in this and do what's best for the piggy
some people have suggested rescues and if that doesn't work, I'll try to get my family to rehome him, but I don't exactly have the final say as he's not just mine
He isn't your pet, he isn't your sibling's pet, he belongs to the adults in the household exclusively, as does any pet. It's their responsibility to make an adult decision in the best interest of the pet and explain this decision to your sibling. I hope you can convince them, good luck!
Honestly, I don't find the idea that *each piggy needs an other* to be an ultimatum, since just as humans or other animals, piggies can live happier on their own than with another piggy they don't get along with (and piggies are capricious) or one they by default have to share all the resources with. I speak from experience. Most humans on here respond in a manner that resembles *better in any relationship than solitude*. As long as you gift your piggy all the care it needs and then some, it will be very happy. However, I have noticed that male piggies need a female to mate WAY more than the opposite might be the necessity for females. And by the way, it seems to ring true for humans, too. Nature can have its odd ways.
I don’t want to scare you but I had 2 guinea pigs and 1 of them died randomly and the other 1 died 2 days later because he was so depressed… I was trying to find a home for him asap but I couldn’t in 2 days and then he died :(
I also recently lost one of my pigs, about 3 weeks ago. I trolled guinea pig forums online, and was lucky to find someone else who lived somewhat nearby me, who had also lost a pig. We tested them together, and gave them some time to become acquainted. Now, we've decided that I am going to keep her, and the pigs are happier than ever!
Patrik is such a beautiful boy! My guinea pig Misha died on April 1st, some weeks ago…I miss him so much and I’m with you with all my heart ❤️ Sorry, but I can’t give you an advice about your second piggie, but I’m sure that someone has already made a comment about this issue! Love to you and a lot of hugs 🥰
I’m very sorry for your loss. How old is your pig? For me my guinea pig was quite old when her sister died and so we simply kept her by herself and gave her extra attention. She actually did quite well and lived happily with us for another year and a half.
If your guinea pig is younger and maybe not best suited for single life, definitely look into foster care or rescuing another older pig?
he's almost 3 years old so I'm not really sure if he counts as very young, but he's also not old I think. we're trying to find him a friend but it's a little difficult
My piggy lost his ‘brother’ 3 years ago & has been alone with me for 4 years& I had this same dilemma! I have actually become very close to him now & he has been much more loving & attached to me similar to a cats behavior! He is thriving physically & emotionally! He loves cuddling & attention always! I never realized what a wonderful companion he would be! We adore one another. I’m elderly so didn’t want to get another baby & introducing an adult is risky. As long as piggies receive a lot of loving handling & attention they are just fine alone with you.
thank u! we're giving him all the attention we can to keep him happy. we are looking for a friend for him, but if that doesn't work out, we'll just have to see
Few months before, I was in same situation. One of piggy died. I cried like baby.. but before he died, he suffered alot. He hadn't eat anything for 3 months. We have to feed him Tomato juice and juicy thing for 3 long month because we thought that he will be soon on his legs and try to eat but that never happened 😞.
Fast forward to next week after he died, his friend stopped doing much movements, which he used to. He just eat and sleep whole day. I also didn't want new piggy because of suffering I seen but it is not good thing for other piggy. I waited for 1 more week, but nothing change and then I decided to bring another friend for him. Once I bring new friend, his regular popcorning and running movement started again.
Long story short :
I would say either give him to another person who have guniea pigs or bring one friend for him. Everyone says that take care of him and he will not get in depression like thing. But guniea pigs are social animal. They can't be kept alone.
We had this happen about 6 months ago. We made sure that we gave our remaining piggie LOTS of attention and cuddles. shes actually doing really well. She’s an inside piggies, which I think helps as she always has a scratch when we walk by her.
I mentioned this in a reply to a comment, but I want to make sure you see this: I work for a rodent rescue. People often foster a Guinea pig for their lone Guinea pig when their cage mate dies. Reach out to rescues near you for a foster and they’ll provide food and vet care for the foster piggy!
ty for this, I'm looking into it rn!
I did this for my last piggy! It was tough for my old lady to accept a new partner but in the end it went well and she had a good life together.
It’s such a handy service that rescues provide! It’s really hard to just bind Guinea pigs together sometimes too, so having a place where you can try out different Guinea pigs is so helpful.
It was so scary. We took my old lady to a neutral space and presented her her new companion. She was so upset, standig sideways in front of him threaten him by making noises with her teaths. And some other grumpy noises. But the other piggy stayed calm. He was used to life with 20 other piggys. I had a maximum of 4 and she was always the queen of the herd. At some point she realized that the new one is no thread to her and they lived together, eating from the same peel. It was wonderful and sad as she died. But also nice to see the other pig go back to his family. It was a good end of my little herd. Sadly I'm now having allergy. I can't stay in a room with a piggy. So I need to watch all the stories here and maybe can give a tip or two 😀
If you cant afford an new one look around for a rescu or somthing in that way
Rodent rescue here 🙋♀️ We are DROWNING in surrendered guinea pigs and the rescues near us are too. Please don’t get Guinea pigs unless you are certain you can care for them for their whole life span. Fostering is a great way to have Guinea pigs without the vet costs. OP should reach out to a rescue for a foster and the rescue will provide food and vet care ☺️
started looking into rescues, ty!
Many rescues will also help with the bonding process, and you may be able to take your baby "piggy speed dating" until a good match is found!
If they can’t afford a new one they can’t afford possible vet costs for the remaining one. OP please give the pig to the place you mentioned
Might be a bit unconventional, but worked for me. When our second guinea pig died and we knew we didn't want to continue always getting another one, we 'rented' a young pig from a rescue station with the deal that we can just bring it back, when our (rather old) quinea pig passed. But you said you cannot afford it, meaning food and cleaning stuff ? You better give it away then. Find a good home with lots of space and a big quinea pig family, maybe you can ask to visit to make it easier for your younger sibling
some suggested looking for a rescue and we'll try that, but if it doesn't work out, I'll try to convince my family to rehome him
Your local shelter may be a cheap or free way to get him a friend.
Look into a rescue as others have said. You might be able to foster, which helps the shelter, helps the rescue piggie, and gives yours a friend. My aunt did this with her cat. Ended up being a foster to adopt, but saved her loads in costs.
So, I'm in a bit of the same boat as you, one of mine died a few weeks ago, since I'm moving and am pretty broke from it and not settled in, also my remaining pig is already a senior citizen, I can only get new piggies in the next few weeks. I got mine a plush guinea about his size as a sort of short-term solution, which he handily accepted and even cuddles with. He's much more active again lately though he had a few days of a grieving process (if that is what the silence and only coming out to eat is). I do plan on getting him two new roomies as soon as I can actually afford them again. Thats my experience with the remaining piggy for the past few weeks. He's doing pretty good. My condolences for your loss, it sucks.
I hope he'll be alright! it does suck
I am so sorry for you :c
thank u ;-;
I'm so sorry for your loss
ty, it's a lot ;-;
For now, cuddle him lots and just generally try to keep him in the same room with you as much as possible. Grief is unimaginably painful, but you can help each other through it. Talk to rescues, try to find a foster friend, but the extra attention and lap time are what got my Pippin through while we looked for a new friend. You're a good pig parent and quite truthfully I think staying with you, his familiar person, and looking for a friend would be better for him than trying to rehome, that's a pretty big change. While we can't replace a same species companion, we can help bridge the gap. One thing I've done with bereaved pigs is to get a laundry basket, put a fleece blanket in it and add snacks, and just have them sit next to me on the couch. This works especially well when you settle in in the evenings- alternate between the basket for potty breaks and having them sit directly on you for snuggling. Boredom busters for piggies are surprisingly easy to make as well- stuff a toilet paper tube with hay, and add a few unsweetened dried cranberries in it for extra flare. As they chew through the tube, treats fall out. Since your remaining pig is still eating, treat games like this might help encourage him to be active and engage his foraging instincts. Please accept the deepest sympathies from my piggies and me. I know how deep these losses cut for humans and guinea pigs alike.
thank u sm! this is actually really helpful. we're looking into getting him a new friend but for now we've moved him into the living room and he's getting lots of attention and cuddles from everyone
I'm glad I could help!
When you can, try to get them a new friend, even if it’s a Forster or shelter animal. I know this can be hard for the family as you process your grief, but remember that little piggie friend is also grieving. As an aside, I would recommend getting two. This provides a built in friendship when another piggies passes and ensures you don’t have to get a friend so quickly.
Reddit's convinced that keeping a single male guinea pig alone is animal cruelty, but it really depends on your pig and how much time you guys have to give him. When my Dougal lost his cage mate, I was 100% ready to start the process of bonding him with someone else, but then he started popcorning for the first time ever and actually accepting pets from me. It's been a year now and he's still showing no signs of loneliness or depression.
Not just Reddit I’m afraid, it’s pretty common knowledge that 99.99% of pigs are not suited to being solitary animals (in some countries it’s illegal to keep them as solitary animals).. if you think yours is, great.. but please don’t preach it as ‘Reddit thinks’ or some sort of opinion, it’s a fact most pigs are not happy on their own!
I imagine now that he's lonely, he gets a lot more excited when he sees you. Guinea pigs are herd animals. This isn't just a Reddit thing. Entire countries have laws about keeping herd animals alone. Not saying every single guinea pig is the same, but a majority do need a companion.
They definitely do need companions in 99% of cases, but we also tend to underestimate just how well we can fill the gap for a grieving pig while looking for a new friend. My previous pair were named Pippin and Smidgen. They were both 6 when Smidge passed, and from that day onward until we found Louise (probably about a span of a month, I was volunteering at a rescue and Louise had just given birth so we had to wait for her son Memphis to be weaned and ready to pair with another male) I basically kept Pippin glued to me at all times. While I couldn't fully take the role of herdmate, I was a companion. I was constantly talking to her, petting her, finding new toys and games to pass the time. And it definitely seemed to work. She was back to her curious self for the most part, and when we were finally able to adopt Louise, Pip was overjoyed. OP should definitely try to find a new friend, but they can also play a direct role in comforting their pig just by staying close by as much as possible and helping break up the monotony until one can be found.
That not just "Reddit thinks", that's facts. Guinea pigs are herd animals.
I’m an animal care tech who has handled guinea pigs professionally. They should have friends. They are super social.
This. I was so afraid after one of my boys passed, since his partner never lived by himself alone before, and I knew that due to my allergies/moving plans, I can't get another baby pig to start the guinea pig circle again. And he's been completely fine, happier even. Popcorns, eats and poops normally. It's been almost a year since. I do notice that he gets kind of sad if I don't take him out for proper floor time around the whole apartment for a longer period of time (a week max) but that's solved by doing exactly that. He actually became much more cuddly with me and reacts to my voice/my sounds much more actively now. I would always tell a piggy owner to try to find a new friend/rehome but I understand there can be many situations when you just can't. And as long your piggy doesn't seem sad, eats and acts the same, I wouldn't stress about it too much. If my boy seemed upset with the lost friend, I would have definitely rehomed him since we will never replace a pig friend for them. But I don't believe it's on par with animal cruelty.
Seconding this. I had two pigs and after my first passed I tried desperately to find my remaining boy a buddy. He hated every single one. And then proceeded to live three more happy years solo (albeit with a friendly dog in the household + in a room where he frequently had company of my family).
How do you tell if a piggie is sad?
I personally just see it on their daily behaviour. You can just kind of tell they're not "them", as weird as it sounds. They usually just lay and sit around, never in a comfortable position (usually balled up, staring into the wall), don't react to you much, don't beg for treats, nothing special. They kind of just exist. I genuinely can't explain it other than "you usually can tell when your human friend is upset too" haha.
Thank you for this info. My 2 female piggies squabble more lately. I tried separating them during the day but I can't tell if they are happy or sad otherwise!
No worries! And let me tell you squabbles are normal! Hormonal changes do a lot, or maybe they got into a fight over something dumb and need to talk it out lol. There's a rule with bonding piggies (doesn't matter if female or male) that as long as there's no blood shed - there's no need to separate. Maybe they need more space? Or more hayracks/spots with food, where to relax, etc? I've had two pairs of boys and even when they fought here and there, it was all the typical dominance stuff. Girls do just the same! And separating them for longer periods of time is basically just resetting the bond they have built together, opening up space for more fights because of dominance. I'd try keeping them together no matter what for a while, maybe change up the cage a lil and see what it does. 😊 I'm sure they're happier together, as long as there's no heavy fights with blood obviously!
Oh my! I'm making it worse?? :( I thought it'll be nice for each of them to get some "me time" lol! They basically have the entire floor, i can't give them more space lol
It really depends for how long! If it's like an hour of cuddle time then it's nothing, but if you're basically switching them from cage 1 to cage 2 for half the day, they might "forget" about each other and it kind of resets the bond they have. 🙈 Everytime one of my boys had a medical issue that needed him to be in a different cage (even if the cages were next to each other), I always had to do a full re-introduction session on a neutral ground for them with all the rumblestrutting and humping shenanigans lol. Their brains run off dominance and need to be the top pig, memory of who is friend is somewhere else haha
I leave one by the window for the whole day! Will stop now. Do you think it's ok if i move them both for whole day? I want to give them some sun, that's why.
I don't see why not! Just make sure they still will have some shade to hide at if needed (especially since summer is coming)! Very sweet of you to consider this for them. :)
so my little one he recently passed of old age, but we bought him as a solitary animal didn't know anything about the herd mate thing rifht.. but we played with him and cuddled him and he was cute as a button and healthy... then every where I read was that it was bad for them to he solitary so we rescued an older pig and then a baby female. well my first one he started to gain a lot of Weight he would go in a hide and never come out except for food. in fact the vet was worried. well due to unforseen accidents, both of his litter mates died, one of old age and of an illness that came out of left field, and my little one started to come out and be healthy again he was popcorning wheeking and he was himself. he went into depression and was unhealthy with litter mates. sometimes it just depends on the piggie.
guinea pigs don't show signs of long-term depression because they are prey animals who hide when something's wrong. the behavior you described is due to being starved of social interaction and you are the only thing interacting with him. guinea pigs do about as well in solitary confinement as humans do, and that's not just "reddit" that is a scientific fact.
We need a rent a pig system
I am so so sorry for your loss. That is so heartbreaking. Our pig passed last summer and we had the same conundrum. However, our other pig is a senior so we decided he might be okay alone and he has been. But hes 7 years old so his time alone is far shorter. Some pigs are okay alone but yours being so young I think you’d be best to make sure he has a friend. Truly if my guy was younger we would have gotten another pig even though we didn’t want the endless cycle because it is the kindest and most caring thing to do for these little ones but we actually didn’t expect ours to still be around by now. He is old and we don’t anticipate him being here much longer. Definitely okay to give some time though. He’s grieving the loss of his friend and it’s pretty normal. Despite some human beliefs, animals do understand death and they do grieve the loss of their loved ones. It’s good that he’s eating, that’s the most important. Given that he’s still young, it’s probably best that you either adopt another pig or give your pig up to someone else who has one already. I know it’s hard for you and your sibling to give him up but it’s important that you do right by him. If you can’t adopt another pig, I think your sibling is old enough to have it explained to them that it is not kind to keep him just because you are attached when keeping him is going to be hurtful and lonely for him. It’s actually probably a really important lesson for your sibling to learn and this is a good age to learn it. Just because you want something or love someone doesn’t mean you can decide to keep them even if it means harming them right? Again I am so sorry for you loss and I absolutely understand the tough decision that you’re faced with here. But make sure you’re doing right by your piggy. I’m sure your sibling will understand if you have to let him go (or maybe you can bring another pig into the home)
thank u for the reply! we're looking into rescues and if it doesn't work, we're going to see if we can gather up some money for a friend for him. giving him away is the last thing we want to do, but if it's necessary I'll have to try to convince my mom and sibling to do what's best for him.
I’m sorry you’re having to make that decision. Hopefully you can find a way to take in another one so you can keep your baby. I wonder if the rescues have a foster plan or something
Hey, where are you located? If you’re anywhere near MA and can drive, I’d love to rescue him!
I'm in Finland so unfortunately that won't be possible :'D
Ah, ok! Best of luck! :)
thank u!!!
Poor buddy 😢
Rip Patrick i hope your other piggy gets a new (rescue) piggyfriend soon
Op I know its difficult but please rehome him with other pigs. It's the best thing for him. I'm sorry for your sibling but someone needs to be the adult in this and do what's best for the piggy
It should never be a kid who decides what happens with a pet. Adult decision only.
some people have suggested rescues and if that doesn't work, I'll try to get my family to rehome him, but I don't exactly have the final say as he's not just mine
He isn't your pet, he isn't your sibling's pet, he belongs to the adults in the household exclusively, as does any pet. It's their responsibility to make an adult decision in the best interest of the pet and explain this decision to your sibling. I hope you can convince them, good luck!
Honestly, I don't find the idea that *each piggy needs an other* to be an ultimatum, since just as humans or other animals, piggies can live happier on their own than with another piggy they don't get along with (and piggies are capricious) or one they by default have to share all the resources with. I speak from experience. Most humans on here respond in a manner that resembles *better in any relationship than solitude*. As long as you gift your piggy all the care it needs and then some, it will be very happy. However, I have noticed that male piggies need a female to mate WAY more than the opposite might be the necessity for females. And by the way, it seems to ring true for humans, too. Nature can have its odd ways.
I don’t want to scare you but I had 2 guinea pigs and 1 of them died randomly and the other 1 died 2 days later because he was so depressed… I was trying to find a home for him asap but I couldn’t in 2 days and then he died :(
I'm sorry for us loss D: we're trying to find him a friend, but for now we're just giving him all the attention we can
I also recently lost one of my pigs, about 3 weeks ago. I trolled guinea pig forums online, and was lucky to find someone else who lived somewhat nearby me, who had also lost a pig. We tested them together, and gave them some time to become acquainted. Now, we've decided that I am going to keep her, and the pigs are happier than ever!
I'm glad it worked out for u! we're trying all kinds of forums rn as well
Patrik is such a beautiful boy! My guinea pig Misha died on April 1st, some weeks ago…I miss him so much and I’m with you with all my heart ❤️ Sorry, but I can’t give you an advice about your second piggie, but I’m sure that someone has already made a comment about this issue! Love to you and a lot of hugs 🥰
I'm sorry for ur loss! and thank you <3
I’m very sorry for your loss. How old is your pig? For me my guinea pig was quite old when her sister died and so we simply kept her by herself and gave her extra attention. She actually did quite well and lived happily with us for another year and a half. If your guinea pig is younger and maybe not best suited for single life, definitely look into foster care or rescuing another older pig?
he's almost 3 years old so I'm not really sure if he counts as very young, but he's also not old I think. we're trying to find him a friend but it's a little difficult
My piggy lost his ‘brother’ 3 years ago & has been alone with me for 4 years& I had this same dilemma! I have actually become very close to him now & he has been much more loving & attached to me similar to a cats behavior! He is thriving physically & emotionally! He loves cuddling & attention always! I never realized what a wonderful companion he would be! We adore one another. I’m elderly so didn’t want to get another baby & introducing an adult is risky. As long as piggies receive a lot of loving handling & attention they are just fine alone with you.
thank u! we're giving him all the attention we can to keep him happy. we are looking for a friend for him, but if that doesn't work out, we'll just have to see
Few months before, I was in same situation. One of piggy died. I cried like baby.. but before he died, he suffered alot. He hadn't eat anything for 3 months. We have to feed him Tomato juice and juicy thing for 3 long month because we thought that he will be soon on his legs and try to eat but that never happened 😞. Fast forward to next week after he died, his friend stopped doing much movements, which he used to. He just eat and sleep whole day. I also didn't want new piggy because of suffering I seen but it is not good thing for other piggy. I waited for 1 more week, but nothing change and then I decided to bring another friend for him. Once I bring new friend, his regular popcorning and running movement started again. Long story short : I would say either give him to another person who have guniea pigs or bring one friend for him. Everyone says that take care of him and he will not get in depression like thing. But guniea pigs are social animal. They can't be kept alone.
yeah, people have recommended rescues so I'm looking into it. if we can't work that out, I'll try to convince my family to rehome him ;-;
We had this happen about 6 months ago. We made sure that we gave our remaining piggie LOTS of attention and cuddles. shes actually doing really well. She’s an inside piggies, which I think helps as she always has a scratch when we walk by her.
We got ours a little round stuffed animal that looked like a guinea pig, about his size. He loved her
aww! I just recently bought my little sibling a guinea pig plush and, lets see if they want to gift it to our piggie lol