1 piggie left- what to do? Advice please!

[Scattymere]

hi all
I've had 8 lovely pigs over 20 years so not exactly new to the world of pigs but- mum and daughter rescue pigs got 2.5 years ago. Not much known but mum seemed to have been used to churn them out by breeder and her daughter was the only baby kid left with her. So I came along and happily took them in. Loved them both dearly but sadly mum passed away last week while we were on hols. Was desperate to get back to daughter and give lots of cuddles (as she adored mum) but she seems surprisingly ok. Chirpy, eating well, lovely fur etc and we've had some lovely cuddles.

Now for the dilemma!

3 options-

1. Leave as is, no other pigs. She is very very chatty so i assume she would love another pig to communicate with
   
   
2. Would love to go down rescue/adoptions route again but the only pigs needing home are sets of 2 girls pigs, 1 are sisters and the other 2 girl friends who were dumped by some bins. We have a pretty long/lovely wooden hutch that I think 3 pigs would still be pretty comfortable in. But is suddenly introducing 2 pigs too much for the daughter? And in her same cage?
   
   
3. Go down the pet shop route (hate the thought of this as know it encourages/funds some nasty practices) and just get 1 other female pig.
   
   
   Any thoughts much appreciated.

[Scattymere]

sorry to clarify- this is GUINEA pigs, just call them pigs!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Oh news .

Your pig is still young/ish so potentially she's got another 5 years ahead of her

Sows can be a bit angsty to pair up as adults , so it's a difficult call.
Can you take her to the Rescue and let her meet the sisters and pair in neutral ground?
If you do decide to adopt one pair then you can make your pigs hutch 'neutral' (we've have 3 pigs at the moment , latest is GP6 so we've been adding in new ones along the way)
Complete deep clean, move things round, add new playthings.Make sure there are enough escape routes from the sleeping area and tunnels.

I just think with Autumn and Winter approaching, the nights are longer and a piggie needs a cuddle mate (though out of my three usually one is sulking in another corner but they all share their haybox)


Another option is - is there a neutered boar ?
Boars are lovely, cuddly, overlooked and take to bonding with girls well.
We had GP3 neutered to match with our 2 sows then when he died , we took the plunge and got neutered GP6 from the same Rescue.

Good Luck

dumped by some bins

[Scattymere]

thanks 70!! Great advice. She is a very chatty little thing so sure she'd love some company as you say. I'll definitely also see if they have some boars, wouldn't mind this at all.

[PurpleDaisies]

We had the reverse situation-a neutered boar who lost his buddy. We've just got three new lady pigs with a sob story who are settling in (and off for a vet check on Tuesday) and hopefully they'll all be moving in together soon. We didn't think Mr pig would particularly mind being on his own but since the new piggies arrived he's become really chatty and nosey again. I think they really do appreciate having company around, even if it is in a next door cage!

Our local shelters do guinea pig dating so you'd take yours to be introduced to some other pigs and see how they get on before you bring them home. Really good luck with finding a friend for your piggy.

[fortifiedwithtea]

I missed this post as I've been up to eyes in my own pigginess .

PurpleDaisies Congratulations on getting your new lady pigs. Mr Pig will be blissfully happy. I'm convinced getting our ladies extended our very Old Boy's life

Scattymere We found ourselves in your situation 2 years old. We had gone from a trio of Old Boy and 2 sows to just one sow in a matter of 8 months. We took our remaining girl to a rescue for bonding with new friends. She was very happy about it but shocked when new friends explored her hutch and ate her food for the first time.

My advice is Bond on neutral ground (at rescue) Then at home feed them from separate bowls for a few days and then bring the food together and they will be fine.