Lone Pig
My Bambi passed away 10/15. She had never fully returned to herself after the day I took her to the vet. She was back to eating, drinking, pooping, etc. but she did not have the energy she previously had. I had already decided after Bambi passed away I would not get another pig. I have been in a never ending cycle of pigs since I first got Clementine in 2009. I love my pigs, but my allergies are getting worse as I get older. I'm now stuck making a decision on what to do with Piper. Piper is still fairly young at 3 years old. After Bambi passed away I left her in the cage for Piper to find her so she knew she was gone. She poked at her for a while, but she always poked at Bambi, She harassed her a lot, and I feel bad that Bambi spent her last few years being harassed, but Bambi didn't really seem bothered until the last few months to be honest. She seemed to figure out she was gone, and from that point on was fairly withdrawn the rest of the day/night. By the next day she seemed fine. I feel bad for Piper being a lone pig. I had planned to try to rehome her, but that's a hard thing for me to do. I have always considered myself the type of person who would never rehome an animal. I will also say, Piper is dominant and a bully (although she's never bitten, or hurt another pig), so she will be hard to find the right fit. I've been starting to think maybe I'll just keep her as a lone pig for the rest of her life, but I can't get past their feeling that it is wrong to do that. So I'm curious to hear from those who have been in a similar situation. What helped you make the decision on whether to keep a lone pig, or rehome?
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Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
I kept a lone pig because I felt it was the right thing to do.
If you haven't read this link, it may give you a couple ideas:
https://www.guinealynx.info/alone.html
If you haven't read this link, it may give you a couple ideas:
https://www.guinealynx.info/alone.html
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ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
My condolences on losing Bambi. I have a lone pig and she is healthy and active. She was alone when I adopted her. I give her a lot of attention and have things for her to do such as treat balls to roll and snuffle mats to forage for food. And I rearrange her cage daily so she has mental stimulation and something new to explore.
Thanks everyone. It's such a hard decision. She seems to be adjusting fine. Her and Bambi were never close or bonded. Really the only time she would interact with Bambi is when she would try to steal her treats or chase her out of the pigloo. As far as I'm aware she's never been alone. When I adopted her she still young and growing, but she was surrendered to the shelter with her litter of babies. This is probably the first time she's been alone.
The guinea pig we had when I was growing up (Chico) had been with other pigs her whole life. When Charmaine died, she was a lone pig and lived that way happily for 3 more years until old age claimed her life. The key was my sister giving her tons of love and attention.
Thought I'd give an update. She seems to be adjusting okay. I still feel bad about her being alone, but her behavior/weight/etc. are all the same so I think I feel worse than she does about it.
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