Guinea pig seems depressed

[thwinka]

Hi, I adopted GP3 a couple of months ago and for one reason or another I haven't been able to get him a friend yet. He was in the lounge with us for a while so I could really keep an eye on him whilst he was ill and he was a very lively piggy. He started to slow down though and would spend big chunks of the day lying down, almost looking a bit glum?
I made him a large cage up and transferred him into the same room as my other piggies hoping that it would perk him up if he could at least see and hear/speak to other piggies?
I don't know if I am imagining things though but he seems really unhappy? He eats fine but I never see him come out of his hidey hole unless I bring food in, he seems almost scared of having such a big cage if that makes sense? He runs away whenever I go to see him whereas he used to practically scamble up the cage to me when he was with us in the lounge?
I don't really know what to do for the best? Whether to bring him back in with us until we can get him a friend? I am worried it would confuse him by swapping his cages again as he has already had a lot of upheaval and my husband thinks I am imagining things and that he is better in there where he is in the company of other piggies? Not sure what to do for the best at the moment :(

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

How long has he been with the other piggies?
He might just need time to settle with them and he finds comfort in his hidey space.

Eating is a good sign though.
But he might feel a bit overwhelmed if there's two of 'them' and he's now in their locality. The lure of safety to a prey animal is always uppermost.

I think it's good for them to have guinea-pig company even if it's in ear-shot . My two boys tend to sit apart from each other (so did GP1 and GP2 though) it seems enough for them just to know the other one is there.

If you bring the pigs into the lounge for a cuddle is he a bit livlier? He might see the lounge as 'his' .

A friend for him would even it all up a bit though. Are you looking for a piglet or an older one?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I'm guessing that your original pigs are in one cage and your GP3 is in another rather than all together?

Was it one of your boars that the vet said was the second feistiest boary boar that they had seen? (Or is that someone else) ?

[thwinka]

Hi 70isatarget You have a good memory! I haven't been on mumsnet for a while! Yep that's my Boar bless his soul Very feisty! They have been in the same room for 2 weeks now but he is in a separate cage to the other pair yes.
Maybe he does just feel a bit over whelmed, I just worry as I hate him being on his own. I brought him into the lounge earlier and he lay around my neck for an hour snuggling in and dozing. He just looked so contented, and he seems so isolated in there that I'm worried he's becoming depressed. He was always popcorning round his cage when he was in the lounge.
With regards to pairing him up I'm not to bothered what age the piggy is, I just want to find him a friend! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to yet. It took 8 weeks for me to get him to good health when I adopted him, he then went on a waiting list at a piggy rescue for their 'Boar dating'- they now have space but he has developed a fungal infection now so we have had to put it on hold again.
Its a shame as he is a lovely, sociable fella normally and I think he is would love a friend :(

[guineapiglet]

AAw I am sorry to hear about your lovely little boy - he does sound like a really nice guinea, and you sound as if you are doing your best for him by trying to give him lots of attention and hearing contact with the others around him. It is a tough time for guineas, they can't get out and about and their day really revolves around food and more food, maybe a stretch in an outside run now and again, but warm sunny days are long gone.

I do believe they pine, get lonely and the more human contact the better until you can find him a friend, it will happen, and you are right to exercise caution whilst he is undergoing treatment. He may just have got older, more settled and sedate, and is just being steady now, - he might feel a bit intimidated by the smell and sounds of the others who he cannot see, perhaps you could put him down outside their cage so he can have sniff about and a supervised introduction.

The guineas ( all boars) up the road are now living in separate cages, they seem much happier, although they can see and smell each other, it seems to be a space issue or a 'you're in my face type issue' ( *70) with boars, why not give him a snuggly toy in his big cage so he can cuddle up - but I think the more human contact and cuddles he has the better, - hope things get better, it sounds like you are doing a great job :)

[guineapiglet]

whoops, I mean that is something 70 talks about with boys - they kind of face off and get arsey with each other

[fortifiedwithtea]

Hi Twinka, you could be on to something with regard to the size of cage. Is GP3 in a large C&C set up? If so try adding a corex 'roof' over some of it. It may make him feel more secure. Guineas being prey animals they think they are going to be attacked from above.

I had similar experience with my original boars. I had litter brothers from 9 week old babies. They lived happily together for over 3 years until Smartie got cancer in a 3 feet hutch. I know tiny but being new to guineas I didn't know any different.

After Smartie's lump was removed he refused to live with Todd (aka Old Boy) again. I got what I thought was a lovely 5 feet hutch but OB hated it. He just sit in his own pee near the bedroom area and got very smelly. So I swapped the boys round. Smartie liked it better but again in his last few days refused to come out the bedroom and I had to move his food in with him. BTW OB lived to be over 6 years old in his pokey hutch which he loved and we got him girlfriends who took over the big hutch

[thwinka]

Sorry for the delay in replying, guineapiglet he now has a cuddly toy in his hidey hole and he seems to like it! Thanks for the suggestion :-) I have sneakily peered in a few times and seen him snuggled into it ( looks soooo cute!!) and they all actually seem to be responding to each other a bit now. GP3 comes out sqeaking for all his worth and the other 2 are now running out and peering over and then they all kind of run about the cage a bit and dart back into their hidey hole's so progress I think!
Sorry that it didn't work out for your piggy nephews, I remember when you posted about the major fall out between piggy 1 and 2 when GP3 was adopted. They all sound happy now though thank goodness!
fortified yes he is in a c&c cage and I have put a blanket over part of it so maybe this is helping. He's certainly found his voice again! Odd isn't it for them to prefer the pokey hutches? They must feel safer I suppose. GP3's cage when he was in the lounge was only a 1metre one, yet he seemed to love it! Strange little fella's!! I even went out and paid for a new fridge freezer to make more room in my utility room to give him a good sized cage!! Little sod I'm sure he will bond more with it when I can get him his friend and they can explore together :-)