loss of guinea pig

Question
I have two boy pigs, brothers nearly four years old.They have always lived together. Yesterday I was shocked to find one of them had died. He had been perfectly well the night before. On picking him up I noticed that he had been in the process of passing a large amount of pellets at the same time so his back end was very distended and there was fresh bite marks on his rear end as if he had been in some difficulty and distress passing them. could this have killed him though? I know older boars have problems with this but I didn't think they could die from it. Now I am worried about his brother I have never kept a pig on its own before but I feel he is a little old to introduce to a new one any advice would be welcome  thanks Ruth

Answer
Hi Ruth

Firstly I am sorry to hear about your loss.

If anal impaction was the problem then it could potentially have caused intestinal blockage if left undiagnosed for any length of time. Therefore it is possible that this was the cause.

In terms of the remaining pig, it will be a case of wait and see as to whether he shows signs of lonliness. He may not but if you notice him looking sad and withdrawn then action needs to be taken.

This could be just you spending lots of time with him or getting a new friend for him. A baby male of around 6 weeks of age will usually be accepted without any problem.

I hope that helps, and once again, sorry to hear your news.

Andy