[Gpdd] MISC: bonded piggies

[Tammy Raabe Rao]

Corrine,
When my first piggy Basil died, his bonded pig-buddy Emma just put her nose in the corner and wouldn't eat. We immediately ran out and found baby Portia, who perked up Emma immediately. I think that pigs in pairs can have a strong bond, and the signs of distress - not eating, whimpering, and lethargy - would indicate that a new pig-friend may be required to get the solo pig active again.

However, some pigs do just fine; pigs in larger herds tend to weather a loss a little better, since they still have pig-buddies around them. When The Madness was getting large (5 to 7 pigs), a death would usually result in a couple days of quiet, but the survivors seemed to be OK. We would normally offer extra treats and cuddle time. In the case of Portia's and Nutmeg's death, both Alphas of the herd, the other girls seemed to huddle closer together than usual. That was just sad. There have been a couple times where one or two piggies were laying up against the deceased piggy, who had died in the night. It seemed they were offering protection along the route to the Rainbow Bridge. :(

My guess is that Baby Truffles is seriously distraught over the sudden loss of her mother. The two pigs were likely bonded very close, and Truffles may need extra attention right now. Don't you have other piggies? I thought you had a couple more... you can try to put them together.....?

Tammy