General How Can I make Sure My Single Pig Gets Enough Attention

[PiperandHazel]

Hi. This is my first post on the forum (though I’ve been a member for about a year and a half), so I’m sorry it has to be such a downer.

A few days ago, Piper, one of my two pigs, passed away. Hazel seems like she's doing okay for the moment, but I want to do my best in making sure that she doesn’t get lonely. At first, I was worried that it would be cruel to keep her as a single pig, but since getting a friend for her is out of the question, it’s either that or giving her up to a shelter (and I don’t think I could bear losing both my pigs in such a short amount of time). When I did a bit of research online and came to the consensus that it’s okay to have a single pig as long as she gets a LOT of human interaction. Before Piper passed, we kept them both in a two-story C&C cage in a low-ish traffic room(I don’t have access to photos right now, but I can add some later if needed). It’s not like they were shut away in a spare bedroom or anything, (they were in a less used family roof off the kitchen), but now that Hazel’s on her own, I want to have her be a bit more present with my family. We can’t actually put her cage anywhere other than where it is (mainly because if she’s in a more high traffic area, it would be harder to keep her away from the vacuum, which is very loud) so I guess I just want to throw up some ideas and see if anyone has anyone to say.

Most sources said that two hours a day is a good amount of human interaction which to me seems like a lot, but compared to the 24 she spent with Piper, I guess it’s not that much. My first thought was to make sure she gets more lap time, but it’s not really realistic to say I could give up two hours each day to do so. I also considered setting up for floor time in the living room, but I wouldn’t want to frighten her. My last, and kind of “out there” solution would be getting a *shudder* pet store cage (Obviously not full time) and letting her chill in the living or dining room with the rest of the family. It seems like a win-win; minimal mess for us and a sense of shelter and security for her. Obviously, I’d get the cage used so that I’m not giving pet stores any ideas that what they advertise those cages for is okay.

Lastly, even though I really don't want to let her go, I know of a really great pig rescue in my area, and if you guys really think it's best find her a new and loving home with a pig friend, I would. As the quote goes "If you love someone, let them go,"

tldr; I lost a pig and am unsure how to make sure my other one gets the attention she needs. The amount of lap time and floor time recommended seem like a lot of work (but I would if I needed to) and I was wondering if i could have her in a store bought cage for a few hours a day so she can be in a more high traffic part of the house.

I wouldn’t want to try that store bought cage idea unless someone who knows pigs better than me says it would be okay, hence why I’m posting it here. If anyone has any other solutions or tips for easing my mourning pig’s stress, I’d be happy to hear them.

 

[bpatters]

Is there some reason you're not getting another pig as her buddy?

 

[PiperandHazel]

I'm still in high school and I'm the only one who looks after them. My older sister (who Piper "belonged" to) is already in college, and I'll be going off in a few years myself. I wouldn't want to adopt another pig only to have to give him/her back to a shelter in a few years' time (since i get emotionally attached REALLY easily)

 

[bpatters]

Two are no more work than one. A little more expensive for food and hay, possibly a lot more expensive for medical bills.

 

[Stargazer]

Hi! My pig, Cricket, is 2 months old and a single pig. She's perfectly content in a 4×4 cage (I do plan on getting a second one, though). She did come from a store, but I did lots of research beforehand to make sure it was a good one so don't attack me on this please! This store takes very good care of their pigs; we've gotten 4 pigs from them now, all babies, all 4 being perfectly healthy and correctly sexed. But that's not really the point, so moving on!

Cricket, despite being alone, is very active. I'm also still in school so I can't spend a lot of time with her, but I always take her out once in the mornings before school, once for a little while when I get home (I like having her as company when I'm doing my homework) and once later in the evening. She doesn't like being around a lot of people and has a hard time trusting people who she doesn't know, but that's just her personality. She does really like me, and likes my sweaters (I wear sweaters year round, lol) because she can hide in the pockets and hood. She won't stay still for long enough for me to have any lap time with her, so her curled up like a little donut in my pocket while I'm playing video games is close enough. Floor time is hard because there's not really anywhere in the house that doesn't have a ton of chords or places she could potentially run into and get stuck or lost. Even so, she's a very happy and active pig. I do plan on getting her a second pig eventually, but she seems fine for now.