Guinea Pigs Do Grieve (And How You Can Help Your Piggy)

Whatever people may say about animals; whee do grieve. Whee do feel loss. And whee aren’t too different from you hoomans in the way that whee grieve.

Whee feel loss deeply and quite often go into a period of mourning. For some piggies this can last days then they recover but are a little subdued. For others they have lost their reason for living. Some will be apparently unbothered by it but it is important to watch out for signs and symptoms of depression in guinea pigs. Many of them can point to more serious things like health issues so it is important to get a vet to check your piggy over first, before assuming it is depression.

Whee are not claiming to know it all but this is just from Mummy’s experience with her bereaved boys piggies over the years.

Symptoms

• Lethargy – Not wanting to move around or do very much and behaving in a subdued manner. Not popcorning, etc.
• Less Vocal – Reduced or no vocalization from the piggy. Without a friend to talk to they won’t feel much like talking.
• And the most important of all, not eating. You should monitor your piggy after the loss of it’s cagemate. Assessing weight and watching them eat to make sure they are eating enough. Some will eat far less, while others will stop eating altogether. And you may have to get a vet to advise you on syringe feeding to help until they perk up.

Ways To Help

There are a few simple ways you can help a piggy that’s depressed but ultimately, guinea pigs are social animals and need companionship. When you and your piggy are ready, you should look into getting another friend for your piggy. Though it’s pretty tough, the piggy should come first. While you are looking you can:

• Give them a pet safe cuddly toy to snuggle up to

• Spend lots of time with them. You are their biggest comfort.

• If your hooman knows their the piggy died of some sort of illness. Clean out and disinfect all toys and cage thoroughly. Sometimes it is also a good idea to bath the guinea pig. They will however, need quarantining, for a short period of time to see whether they are ill before any introductions to other piggies can be made,

Losing a piggy furfriend isn’t easy. It’s horrible and confusing. But with all the things mentioned in this post you can make the time easier to bear.

The only cure is time and the addition of a new furfriend to fill that space in our lives really.

Whee hope this helps somefurry