Should we get another G pig?

[holdingittogether]

Had 2 g pigs from the same litter. They are nearly 2 yrs old and a few weeks ago sadly one of them died. Remaining one seems healthy but should we get another one for company for him? I don't want him to be lonely but don't want to stress him out by imposing a new friend on him? What do you think?

[womblemeister]

definitely definitely get another one, GPs get so lonely. Only prob. is that it's a boy. They tend to fight with other boys, and putting it with a girl is a bad move for obvious reasons. perhaps ask vet?

[holdingittogether]

Vet is a good idea actually

[FabBakerGirlIsBack]

Definitely get another one. They don't like to be alone. Get your boy neutered and then you could have a girl.

We have a boy and girl together who were put together and they adore each other.

[Pyrocanthus]

Get another if you can. I think adult boys can accept baby boys as companions, but having him neutered and getting a girl might be a better bet.

We have a solitary female; she repeatedly tried to murder her sister after they'd been separated to have their babies (long story, gymslip brides, mug owner buys 2 little girls, ends up with 5 extra boys). She used to live next door to her sister so they could bristle at each other whenever they wanted, but sister sadly died (not by the other's paw). Solitary girl seems happy enough living close but not too close to her 2 nephews (we found a nice home for her 3 sons); it seems better than nothing to be able to hear, see and sniff other pigs and I wouldn't dare get another victim pig for her to attack. We've had the lads neutered in case of accidental meeting, or in case we lost a boy, in which case we might try and get the remaining two together. Not sure the old bat she wouldn't try and kill him though. She seems OK on her own, but either of the lads would struggle on his own, as they've never been separated.

[Pyrocanthus]

PS - neutering is not without its dangers; you're supposed to find a vet who has a lot of experience of piggy castration. We got a recommendation, via a friend, from a local refuge. Refuges usually neuter all their males, so would know where to go.

[Pyrocanthus]

Oh there's nothing like the internet for a veneer of superficial knowledge. Our lads are lovely, but we didn't intend to have males because of anal impaction. Google it. Apparently neutering makes it less likely to happen. Hope so. Our boys are very friendly, but I think that's at least partly because they were born here and don't know any better. Our dear departed girl was very timid and had to have a lot of cuddles before she approached the boys' confidence; the homicidal sister is actually better with people, but only really seems to like my DD.

[Pyrocanthus]

cavicidal?

[holdingittogether]

Thank you for all the advice. have booked an appt at the vets for tomorrow night so discuss.

[holdingittogether]

Just to update for anyone interested, went to vet last night and he gave him a good check over and he seems in good health so that was good to hear. He said we definatley must get a friend for him and recommended we get him nutered and then add a female. Alternatively he said we could introduce a rabbit as a companion. We have a very good large independant pet shop near us so going to go there at the weekend and make a decision. Dcs are keen to get a female g-pig and let them have a litter before getting him done. I'm not too sure about this though. I'm more keen on getting a rabbit to be his friend.

[Lovemyshoes]

I can't believe your vet recommended a rabbit, it a rabbit takes a dislike to the gp it can be very very vicious and cause ALOT of trouble with its back legs.

Also, if you get a girl and let them have a litter, there is a very high risk that the female and babies will all die unfortunately. I think the best bet in this situation would be to get him neutered and introduce a female.

[Pyrocanthus]

What Lovemyshoes said about the rabbit, plus, apparently they need different types of food, which is difficult to manage if they're together. Some people do seem to get on OK, but it's a bit of a risk.

If you really want to breed, make sure you get a very young female: if they don't have their first litter by the time they're fully grown (about 8 months), their pelvises fuse and they can't give birth naturally.

We had two females who were pregnant when we got them (about 10 weeks old) and while they gave birth easily and all the babies survived, it wasn't too easy to find homes for them. We kept one pair of boys, and a very nice lady I know who really loves her pigs and sometimes takes waifs and strays had the other 3 as a favour, but people weren't queuing for them.