Guilt Over Single Piggy

Post Reply
Marbels123

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 6:53 am


Hi everyone! I originally had 3 female piggies but two of them have since passed away horribly (one was 3 the other 6, both had strokes and lived for many hours before dying which was so hard as a piggy mama to watch). The remaining piglet is a 3 yo skinny female. She was in the middle of the heirarchy and bossed the other skinny around but was bossed by the haired piggy I had. I feel guilty about not getting her a friend but I have a few hang ups and want your opinions.

1) first of all, both of my experiences with piggy death have been so traumatizing I don’t know if I can go through them two more times. While I don’t think either piggy was in pain from their strokes (no squeaking or anything so I thought it best to let them live out their last hours at home) they were obviously confused and one lost function of her back legs for the last hours. (As a side note does anyone know if an environmental factors could cause strokes? They passed away a few months apart and my remaining piggy seems to be fine, but I feel like a bad pig Mom because they had the same symptoms and died the same way)

2) remaining piglet seems fine and is even coming out of her shell. She always kept to herself, and still stays in her hutch most days, but I’ve caught her once already zooming around her cage (which she’s never done before) and is frequently eating out in the open now (which she couldn’t before bc of the other piggies). Am I falsely justifying her desire to remain single? Even with the most submissive piggy she was never cuddly like the online videos of piggies. Are ALL piggies happier in twos? As well I would get an older piggy from a shelter which would be haired so I’m worried the new pig would take advantage and harass her (that is what the last haired piglet did).

Please give me your thoughts! She seems happier but maybe that’s what I want to see? I just want to give her the best life.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:28 am


So you did not seek veterinary care for the two guinea pigs that had "strokes"? You may have misdiagnosed the problem. You could also have opted for euthanizing them vs. waiting for them to die.

Some guinea pigs are happier on their own but the majority enjoy company. Not all guinea pigs will get along with each other.

Marbels123

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:45 am


I took the first one to the vet and she thought she was fine (and she died hours later). The second one got ill in my new apartment and I didn’t have any way to get her to a vet.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:40 pm


I think vets sometimes miss that a guinea pig is severely ill. I am so sorry you lost them.

I encourage you to weigh your remaining guinea pig regularly (once a week). This will also help you catch illnesses early and could be an indicator of boredom.

WICharlie

Post   » Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:12 pm


Its very unlikely that your first two pigs died of a stroke. There are any number of possibilities that may have caused their deaths. Even a case of mites, if left untreated for a long time, can cause the pig to go into seizures and then shock, followed by death. An infection can take a pig quickly. They could have each had an undiagnosed heart condition. Heart conditions in guinea pigs are much more prevalent than people think. If your remaining pig is related to the two that died, I would urge you to take it to an exotic vet that is knowledgeable about guinea pigs to have an X-ray of the heart. If the pig has a heart condition, it can be treated with medication.

If you took that first pig to the vet because it was acting wrong and the vet told you it was fine, but it died hours later, you may need a different vet. It would be good to take your remaining pig for a well visit (especially after losing two) so the vet has a baseline to follow if the pig does get sick later on. But also, it gives YOU the chance to assess the vet's knowledge about guinea pigs. Sometimes vets say they know pigs but they really don't.

Before you consider adding another pig, I would review the environment that your pig lives in and make sure it is the best that you can give her. She should be living in a roomy indoor cage (NOT a store-bought cage!), be getting unlimited good quality hay and pellets and daily fresh vegetables, and, of course, have access to fresh water. If the pig is a skinny, she needs to be in an area that is free of drafts and also be in an area where the temperature can be controlled to keep her warm enough. Read through the medical guide to see that you are doing everything right (you probably are, but it doesn't help to double-check).

User avatar
M1dn1ght

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 5:09 pm


With regard to the guilt over having a single piggy, I've been there ... and I successfully kept a happy single boar for years. The key is to give her lots and lots of attention.

Midnight was a classroom pet in my daughter's Kindergarten. The teacher tried housing him with other piggies, but he was too aggressive and severely injured one of his cage mates. The school made her get rid of her animals, so we adopted him. Because of his history, I didn't get him a buddy, but became his buddy instead.

I made sure he had a fantastic quality of life (big cage to himself, frequently cleaned, fresh food and water every day, lots of safe toys that got switched out regularly). I work from home, so he spent most of the day in a little piggy sofa right on my desk. I could reach over and pet him whenever he got lonely or restless. In the evenings, he would stretch out on my lap and watch tv with us. I took him outside when I needed to do yard work and made sure he had shade, shelter, and water. That pig wanted for nothing.

He never showed any signs of being worse off without another piggy. He did become extremely attached to me, but I wasn't going anywhere. I know most people don't have the kind of leeway I did, but if you can find a way to include her in your everyday life, she should be ok.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:02 pm


He sounds like he was a very special guinea pig, M1dn1ght.

User avatar
lisam

Post   » Thu Jul 19, 2018 4:30 pm


Most single pigs don't live that kind of life, though.

Three years means lots of years left, possibly at least 5. That's a long time to live alone.

I believe your expectations of guinea pig behavior might be skewed, mostly because of this sentence: "Even with the most submissive piggy she was never cuddly like the online videos of piggies." I think people don't quite understand the bond that guinea pigs have with each other. They don't usually cuddle, most like their own space. They need to have a companion, but they like to be "apart together", if you know what I mean. Of course when nervous or scared they will definitely band together. Basically they eat together and follow each other around, but don't usually share the same bed or house.

That said, I would definitely find a reputable exotics veterinarian to give her a complete check up before you consider getting a companion.

Post Reply