Piggy bonding drama 😱😭

[Emx93]

I thought no pig could be harder to bond than Fluffy... and then we lost marshmallow leaving caramel alone and I now realise we somewhat had it easy with Fluffy!
She's failed bonding with Sally and Addy. She's now failed bonding with two 8 week old babies. yet she seems depressed on her own she lost Fluffy, then she lost flower, then she lost mal then Nugget and then marshmallow now she just doesn't seem to want to bond
She does have neighbours I just feel so sad seeing her alone!
If anyone has any advice I'd really appreciate it

 

[Maz]

I am not much help here unfortunately but I am sure others will be If she's not bonding with the current ones or the babies, would one her own age be better maybe?

 

[Emx93]

I am not much help here unfortunately but I am sure others will be If she's not bonding with the current ones or the babies, would one her own age be better maybe?

Sally and Addy are her age unfortunately piggies are a bit like humans in that personalities come into play. Her been fear aggressive means babies should have been the easy option. There's the option of trying a boar (a boy) but if he doesn't bond I doubt Sally and Addy would accept him they seem very happy just the two of them and obviously the babies are not spayed yet so can't live with a boy
The nearest rescue that does bonding is several hours away and I'm just not sure how possible that will be with our work hours and even if we could ship her off for bonding there's no guarantee she doesn't do a Fluffy and come home alone anyway

 

[Emx93]

I did adopt an elderly pig to be friends with fluffy the first time she was alone the issue was she then died 8 months later... caramel has had so many bereavements I wouldn't want her to go through another one in a few months and be back in this situation... I would prefer her age or younger, if I was adding to a pair or group age wouldn't matter to me at all but caramel has been bereaved so many times that I don't want to put her through it again xx

 

[Maz]

That is so said for Caramel she's had so many bereavements. Do you know anyone else with guinea pigs? Just wondering if some kind of meet up or play date might help perhaps? Even if it means Caramel going to live with someone else if the bonding works? Apologies though as I know nothing about this! I'm sure others will reply later or in the morning.

 

[Emx93]

That is so said for Caramel she's had so many bereavements. Do you know anyone else with guinea pigs? Just wondering if some kind of meet up or play date might help perhaps? Even if it means Caramel going to live with someone else if the bonding works? Apologies though as I know nothing about this! I'm sure others will reply later or in the morning.

Play dates don't really work for piggies as they treat each new meeting as a full on bonding session. I will likely go down the rescue dating route as that is a way they can try and find her a friend and we know they'll get on before bringing them home. It's just going to take some time to sort out etc.
I'm going to start with a vet check to make sure there isn't a physical reason I'm missing for her grumpiness, she had some health issues herself last year (possible neurological issue but it hasn't progressed and she did sort of get better but still has some vacant episodes). Plus if I can get in with the exotic vet she's had many piggies over the years and may be able to offer advice on the bonding.

 

[Maz]

She must be grieving as well but that can lower the immune system. Poor caramel.

 

[Emx93]

She's definitely grieving but it won't hurt to rule out any illness before any more bonding attempts fingers crossed we get her sorted soon!

 

[RainbowBrite]

So sorry to hear this. Is it possible she wants to live alone? I had a piggy who always lived in a group and when it came to just her and one other sow I realised she was happier alone and only happy in the group as she was mainly left alone.

Luckily Caramel has neighbours so she is getting some interaction at least through the grids. I understand your dilemma. Is Caramel okay with handling? Maybe some extra cuddles with your children will perk her up.

 

[Emx93]

So sorry to hear this. Is it possible she wants to live alone? I had a piggy who always lived in a group and when it came to just her and one other sow I realised she was happier alone and only happy in the group as she was mainly left alone.

Luckily Caramel has neighbours so she is getting some interaction at least through the grids. I understand your dilemma. Is Caramel okay with handling? Maybe some extra cuddles with your children will perk her up.

It's definitely possible yes caramel is getting lots of human interaction and extra snuggles

 

[RainbowBrite]

If Caramel is happier living alone then that is okay. I think having neighbours will help her a lot.

 

[Emx93]

Thankyou for the advice

 

[Riven]

Hi, fellow piggy owner here. Piggy bonding can be such a nightmare! What sort of behaviours has she shown towards the other piggies you've tried to bond her with? Also, do you know how old Fluffy is approximately? Reason being is older sows have a tendency to develop cysts on their ovaries, which can cause behavioural problems. 90% of sows over the age of 4 will have cysts. It's not uncommon for some as young as 2 having them.

If Fluffy can't share a cage with other piggies, that's fine, however, she'll need to be living next door to some so she can have 24hr interaction as human interaction simply cannot replace it. What I like to do is have 2 C&C cages connected and sharing a wall. Like the one below (not my photo).



Another alternative is to find a rescue that do bonding. That way, Fluffy can pick her own friend!

 

[Emx93]

Hi, fellow piggy owner here. Piggy bonding can be such a nightmare! What sort of behaviours has she shown towards the other piggies you've tried to bond her with? Also, do you know how old Fluffy is approximately? Reason being is older sows have a tendency to develop cysts on their ovaries, which can cause behavioural problems. 90% of sows over the age of 4 will have cysts. It's not uncommon for some as young as 2 having them.

If Fluffy can't share a cage with other piggies, that's fine, however, she'll need to be living next door to some so she can have 24hr interaction as human interaction simply cannot replace it. What I like to do is have 2 C&C cages connected and sharing a wall. Like the one below (not my photo).

View attachment 4446

Another alternative is to find a rescue that do bonding. That way, Fluffy can pick her own friend!

Hi, fluffy crossed the rainbow Bridge in 2021 it is caramel that is having the trouble bonding! I have no rescues currently doing bonding within reach unfortunately (that is what we did for fluffy when she was fear aggressive, it took many attempts but we did infact get there) caramel has neighbours (Sally and addy) she teeth chatters, lunges, bites, draws blood when in bonding area with other piggies (including 8 week old baby sow). She interacts well as neighbours however Caramel is spayed so cannot have ovarian cysts she is 3.5 and has lost 5 friends so far but she does have a health check booked for 20th October to ensure there is no physical problem
Thankyou for the advice I really do appreciate it

 

[Riven]

Apologies for the name mix up. It could be fear aggression like Fluffy had. A health check wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd keep them in cages side by side that way Caramel can have interaction as well as her own space. Some pigs are very picky about who they want to share their space with; a problem I can foresee happening to my own pigs as they depart. She'll get everything she needs to live a happy and enriched life.

Do you routinely weigh Caramel? A piggy in pain, no matter how mild, will eat less which leads to weight loss. Might be worth recording that over the next few weeks if you haven't already. Please keep us updated and let us know how she gets on at the vets.

 

[Emx93]

Apologies for the name mix up. It could be fear aggression like Fluffy had. A health check wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd keep them in cages side by side that way Caramel can have interaction as well as her own space. Some pigs are very picky about who they want to share their space with; a problem I can foresee happening to my own pigs as they depart. She'll get everything she needs to live a happy and enriched life.

Do you routinely weigh Caramel? A piggy in pain, no matter how mild, will eat less which leads to weight loss. Might be worth recording that over the next few weeks if you haven't already. Please keep us updated and let us know how she gets on at the vets.

No problem thankyou I'm glad she will be okay with neighbours for now yes I weigh her weekly (daily currently). She's very small at 620g she had a lot of tests last year when she dropped from 800g to 570g. We got her back up to 750g but she's crept back down recently and is hovering between 600-650g. No problems were definitely diagnosed but she had x rays, bloods, urine tests etc (I actually dip her wee monthly at home and it's clear but at one point she did have 4+ of protein last year) but she has top up feeds with emeraid sustain. She has random vacent episodes where you can put a finger to her eye and she won't blink but these have got slightly less since last year (possible neurological issues were mentioned by the vets but nothing concrete and she has improved) x

 

[Emx93]

Caramels vet check went well and I'm pleased to report she's in very good health. She's actually gained weight and appears happier on her own now. So she will have neighbours but we won't be trying any more bonding. It's just too stressful for her

 

[Maz]

That's good news. At least she has neighbours. Great to have an update on her.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Thank you for the update. I am so happy to hear she is healthy. She will be fine having neighbours. I know generally piggies must have friends but some are the different and Caramel is clearly happy.

 

[Maz]

I don't know anything about Piggies, but I wonder if it is a time thing. ie when she is over grieving, she may bond easier in future.