Another one to the bridge

[FernieB]

He was fine first thing and ate his breakfast as usual but sadly mid-morning I discovered Gingerpig had died suddenly. He was such a friendly little chap and will be very much missed especially by Madampig. He was only 3 and had really been enjoying mowing the lawn recently. Off to the bridge to see his Uncle Scruffy again!

FernieB how sad especially for Madampig

Ohhh no gingerpig

He was a lovely hunk of a piggie , that was out of the blue!

Sometimes no matter how you rack your brains you won't find an answer because sometimes there isn't one . They just decide its 'Time' .

Double check the lawn though to make sure there's nothing out there (though adult pigs do tend to avoid what they shouldn't eat but there's no guarentee) there might be something that's sprung up .

Thanks. I've checked the lawn and it seems fine. I've been wracking my brains for any possible cause but can't come up with anything. He ate his breakfast as normal. I did a veg run to Waitrose and when I got back Madampig was squeaking (unusual as she's generally silent) and I found him. Looked like he'd gone to sleep very peacefully. Madam had some time with him then I dropped him off at the vets and Madam helped the DDs with online shopping while I deep cleaned the cage.

I'm going to see how Madampig manages. I've done a quick check of rescues and there aren't any suitable single boars at the moment. Plus I want to make sure she's okay and not sickening for anything. She's had a lot of lap time today and is currently snuggled up in a fleece. She did go in the run for a bit but looked a bit lonely so Current Bun kept her company. He slept in a corner while she mowed.

The worst thing was putting her back in the cage and watching her run round frantically trying to find Gingerpig. I shall miss his lardyness and his many chins. He was an incredibly cheerful pig.

Here's Madam being snuggled

Aw she's lovely , like a tiny badger . She'll be very confused , Gingerpig has been her liferock .

The DeepClean is a really sad bit, first they die , then you have to eradicate every trace of them. (I don't mind doing deepclean to welcome a new piggie into a neutral territory, but wiping out every smell, every dropping, every pee patch........)

Is CurrentBun lending a sympathetic long rabbity ear?

Current Bun was happy to sleep near her this afternoon and let her hide behind his bulk when I tried to catch her.

Oh no 😞
So sorry to hear this.
RIP Ginger Pig
for you FernieB

Thanks East! It was a shock. Madampig is (so far) bearing up very well. Worryingly so actually.

So sad for you and Madampig

Thanks Fortified. I'm a bit unsure what to do now about Madampig. Advice would be welcome.

She's doing really well without Ginger. It's only been a couple of days but she's eating, chatting and is a lot brighter and livelier than normal. Weirdly she seems happier without him. I've not seen this before in a bereaved pig - usually they're depressed and lose weight. I wouldn't get her a new friend immediately as she's sort of quarantined as we don't know why Ginger died and she could be hiding an illness despite her chirpiness. I'm now wondering if she might be happier on her own anyway.

Maybe Madampig doesn't want another piggy husband and would prefer a group of girlfriends?

Shai didn't love Todd. She would sneak into his hutch to eat his food not see him! Poor Old Boy loved Shai and Rosie equally and luckily Rosie loved him back.

After Rosie passed away, getting Coco and Millie for Shai was the best decision ever. Millie is an Alpha Pig not bossy , rather mumsey would wash you into place (she gave my elbow a lick this evening). The new girls taught Shai such useful things as tomatoes taste good and how to drink from a water bottle!

Go and see who takes Madampig's eye at the rescue, she will know who a new friend should be.

Thanks fortified. They did always seem to get on well together but Madam is really not bothered that Ginger has gone. I've done a trawl of local rescues and there's no suitable pig at the moment. I'm going to see how she gets on and reassess after we've been away. She is spending most evenings as a lap pig and loves the TV now. She's also proved herself to be pretty good at sudoku

It sounds as if Madampig is coping well and isn't going to pine away in the next few days
I'd watch and wait.

Speaking of sudoku. DH has been quite ill for the last ten days and gas remained in bed. The crosswords have been left unattended, but without daily contact with him Sadie has really gone into a decline, she is depressed and uninterested. The change in her has been really noticeable.
He finally surfaced yesterday and spent time with her - suddenly she was bright eyed, happy, was chatting and cuddled in to him.

Who'd have thought it? Seems I won't be devoicing DH any time soon

That's so sweet East. Poor Sadie must have wondered where he was. My previous bun was never great if I was away - Current Bun doesn't notice!

Hope your DH is better now.

Oh no poor gingerpig.
I think the not knowing why is the worst bit. With gp1 we knew he was pretty old and it was just his time.
So glad we got a new buddy for his companion though as I knew he was very quiet and pining. They get on well - getting a baby was definitely the right decision - but they have their own space and don't cuddle up at night like all the others always have. That's quite sad as I know it's what boars do, but I'm not used to it.

How is MadamPig faring?

Do you think she'd like a new housemate maybe a piglet sow?

She's doing great. She's been in her run most of today and has mowed beautifully. She's less skittish and more friendly. It's very strange and not what I expected from a bereaved pig. She has started doing 'evening shouting' though. If I've not provided supper by 9pm she yells until it arrives.

I really don't want to get a piglet and carry on the pig cycle. (Once our pigs have gone I may foster pigs). The DDs will be off soon and the pigs are theirs really (in theory). I've been checking for adult females but there's no one suitable at the moment. As Madam is happy I'm not in a rush. She's getting loads of attention and can hear Current Bun pootlng about when she's in her cage.

At least she has a housemate that isn't a human

I wonder if rabbits and guinea pigs can communicate?

Ooh yes , the PigCycle .
My DD is the only one who can fit inside the run, DH and I have to persuade them by sweeping a broom handle across the grass (we don't prod them, honest )
The pigs know that they are the last in line and once we get to one , it'll live indoors.

Though DD is trying to convince me I need to get rabbits after the pigs .

I know bugger all about rabbits but I know that I don;t know enough to look after them, especially if DD goes off to Uni in 2 years .

I wonder if rabbits and guinea pigs can communicate?

From what I've read about CurrentBun , it will be mostly &%"" words

Rabbits always look so self possessed with their huge eyes and wriggly noses. I like the dependancy of piggies

Oh there's no communication between them. They ignore each other if they meet.

These two will be our last. Sadie is simply a one man girl and Nessa hasn't really turned into a 'nice' guinea pig. She's insular, independent and not really keen on being handled or petted. Isn't really keen on human company.
Suppose I was spoilt by Mollie. With my asthma getting worse and my old back complaining whenever I bend down .. we've decided to not continue the cycle. In retrospect DH shouldn't have rushed off to get a companion for Sadie, she'd have been very happy as an only pig.

70 - don't get rabbits! I love them and am a total slave to their ways but they are difficult and a bit grumpy. Current Bun is now a bit old and arthritic and I have to give him a bumdip a few times a week now. Luckily he's a placid boy and puts up with it but it's not pleasant. He will sadly be our last bunny (for now). Just as Madam will be our last pig. I've not ruled out fostering in the future though just to get my pig fix.