General Need advice for a lone piggie after cagemate's death

[Navi723]

First, let me say, I feel terrible about the death of our pig, Chino. I suspect she had a URI, but she was acting fine, I thought. Ate her veggies, played and talked. I was keeping an eye on her, but then suddenly she was gone, and I feel horrible. Liz, her cagemate, doesn't show any signs of breathing distress, but I'm watching carefully and she'll go to the vet immediately if she does.

Liz is a one year old Abyssinian female. I don't want to get into a cycle of replacing cagemates, but since she's just a year old, I wonder what is best for her. She doesn't seem to be grieving for Chino, but she is quieter without her cagemate to push around. She liked stealing veggies from Chino and popcorning around her. There's none of that now, of course.

So my question...Is it okay to let her be a lone pig, or should I try to find her a cagemate? How do I go about this without purchasing another, and then being stuck with two cages if they aren't compatible? How long should I wait? I figure she needs to be isolated for a bit to make sure she's not sick. I know there will be differing opinions on this, but I'm open to suggestions and comments.

Thanks in advance.

 

[LifeAsItMayBe]

I'd probably try to find her a buddy. She's still pretty young and could have many lonely years ahead by herself. Some rescues will allow you to bring your pig in and have "dates" with pigs that they have up for adoption to see if they will be compatible. Many people find new pigs on sites like craigslist if local rescues and shelters don't have any. You probably will end up with two cages for a while, as it is recommended to quarantine new piggies away from your established pets for up to a month to make sure they aren't ill. But, you can start looking as soon as you want!

 

[bpatters]

I'd find her a buddy. Pigs can live seven years or so, and that would be a long time to be a lone pig.

 

[poop_patrol]

If you want to avoid the cycle of replacing cage-mates and you have a local rescue, ask them if they have any lone pigs that need fostering.

 

[jaymem04]

You should get her a buddy. You could look for an adult pig that is about her age or older if you don't want to get a baby for a cagemate for her. Also, in my experience females get along really well with each other. If you get another female and introduce them after the quarantine, you can pretty much count on them getting along.

 

[Navi723]

Thank you all. That's kind of what I was thinking. She's only a year old, so it's not actually a cycle at this point. She needs a friend. My poor girl.

I'm looking at rescues and shelters to see what I can find.