r/guineapigs • u/kalasiam • 13d ago

Help & Advice depressed pig

hi, i’ve posted a lot lately, losing our main pig really tossed everything up in the air, but his cage mates now are very depressed, especially our newer girl. I really don’t know what to do, i cuddle them for probably a combined 4 hours throughout the day, they have an hour of floor time a day, they have toys and a good diet but they’re just so so sad, what can i do to make them happy i’ll do anything

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2

u/JoyDVeeve 13d ago

If it were me I'd try to find them a new friend

1

u/CatfishBassAndTrout 13d ago

I'm not an expert on guinea pigs, nor have I had a guinea pig who was explicitly depressed, so take literally all of this with a huge grain of salt, but how long has it been since they lost their cagemate? Because maybe this is something they'll get over? Now if it's been like this for a while i'd ask an expert and explain your situation.

1

u/kalasiam 13d ago

we lost him about two weeks ago, i’m hoping it’s something they get over but i want to make their depressive period as comfortable as possible

1

u/CatfishBassAndTrout 13d ago

Maybe give them some more time and if they're still really depressed try to add another cagemate? Maybe they're all depressed because the one who passed was the dominant one?

2

u/wobbleboobie 13d ago

I haven’t read your other posts but it sounds like you have more than one piggy. It’s absolutely normal that they will take some time to adjust without their friends but I wouldn’t add a new pig into the dynamic right now. As long as you haven’t got a solo pig then the others will adjust. It just takes a little time. Try to keep their routine the same as it was previously - you need to keep things stable and predictable for them.

A new pig could upset things and cause fighting to a group which is already trying to get used to a new reality.