Need Advice

[Umpire 73]

My family has had piggies for several years.
Our last female died on Feb 22.
I bought 2 baby males a few weeks ago and really enjoyed seeing them interact.
Unfortunately one was killed yesterday in an accident when we were moving a couch ( yes, I feel awful)
The surviving one seems very quiet now and I was wondering if it is OK to introduce another young male into the cage?
Suggestions??

 

[HannibalLecter]

It would be a better idea to adopt an older male, to avoid them both going through puberty at the same time.
You can bring your pig along & let him choose an appropriate friend during supervised introductions at a rescue.

 

[Umpire 73]

Thanks.
BTW, my wife is from the Lund area of Sweden

 

[HannibalLecter]

Not far from me then! I'm in Malmo.
We have rescues in Gothenburg & Stockholm & I believe both allow intros to take place there.
Hem | Eragons omplacering av marsvin
(broken link removed)

But if you don't live close to any of them, you can adopt a pig from blocket.se. There are always many pigs in need of homes.
Just make sure to quarantine 2-3 weeks in a different room to avoid any illnesses to be spread to your current pig.

 

[Umpire 73]

Thanks for the advice.
We live in NYC, so will have to look a bit closer to home to adopt.

 

[HannibalLecter]

Thanks for the advice.
We live in NYC, so will have to look a bit closer to home to adopt.

That makes it so much easier, you have more rescues, shelters & pigs in need of homes.

 

[Umpire 73]

What breaks my heart is that as soon as we brought them home from the pet store they ( who were brothers) were inseparable and made sounds that I never heard when we only had a solo animal.
They also roamed around the house side by side and would call out to each other when out of sight
Now that he is alone he seems less noisy and not as energetic as before--which is why I want to add a second male ASAP.
Will Smoky be able to bond as well with a new pig?
How important is it for a Guinea Pig to have a companion?

 

[HannibalLecter]

I'm so sorry for your loss, it must be horrible losing a pet in an accident like that.
They are herd animals, so companionship of their own species is important. Whether or not he will bond equally well with a new pig is impossible to answer unfortunately. A rescue will have already quarantined pigs available & your boy can choose his new friend.

Avoid pet stores, they only add to the overpopulation problem, breeding & are notorious for selling missexed or ill animals.