Behavior guinea pig changed from snuggly to biting/stressed out when companion died

[BlueOz]

Our guinea pig's companion died a few weeks ago. (We are looking for another one but there are not a lot of adoptables in our area. We may find one in the next few days).

The surviving guinea pig used to love being held. She would chirp happily for 20-30 minutes and snuggle up to me. She used to gently tug on my shirt once or twice when she was ready to go back. Now when I pick her up, within 1-2 minutes she starts to grab the towel or my shirt in her teeth and yank really hard, repeatedly and doesn't stop until I put her away.

She still chirps a bit, and in other respects does not seem unhappy with me and my wife. For example during her floor time she will come up to me and lick my hand, and if she walks past me she will stop and visit for a moment. She doesn't run away when I put my hand in her cage.

This change started on the day that the other guinea pig died, so it obviously has something to do with that. I am wondering if there's anything I can do to help her get over her loss. We miss the other guy too.

Robert

 

[Janani.R.S]

This is completely normal, most guinea pigs will have big reactions to the loss of a companion. Be patient, it will take a while for you're guinea pig slowly feel better. Most people think guinea pigs won't care if a companion dies just because they are rodents but that's not true, they feel the same pain as we feel when we lose a family member or a really good friend. All you can do is wait until slowly you're guinea pigs feels better and do not be upset if this change still remains throughout because your guinea pig will be thinking about her companion all the time. I hope I helped and I hope she feels better soon.

 

[Janani.R.S]

Also, if you still need help click on the link below if it works, if it doesn't work just copy and paste it.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-guinea-pig.109674/

 

[LittleSqueakers]

Animals all grieve in different ways and some may handle losing a cagemate better than others. The most important thing is to monitor that the survivor is still eating and drinking normally. It is recommended to weigh a pig who has just lost a cagemate daily for at least a week or two. Guinealynx has a section on pet loss and adjusting a single pig to living alone that you might check out (sorry, I can't copy and paste the link from my phone). One of the biggest things that I think helped my boy and me was rearranging everything that could be rearranged. I moved the playpen from my bedroom into the living room, completely mixed up the cage arrangement, etc. It was a great distraction for Tribble because his natural curiosity took over so he was focused on what was new instead of what was missing.

 

[LittleSqueakers]

Oh yeah! And I would definitely consider finding a new cagemate. Sometimes this can also really help, but again, this depends on the individual. You have to know your pet.

Have you tried checking Craigslist? I know you said that there aren't many adoptables near you, but even if there isn't a rescue or a shelter nearby, I'd be very surprised if there are NO pigs on Craigslist. There are pros and cons to adopting off Craigslist, but if you are careful how you do it, you can definitely find a great pig.