Lone piggy

[SallyM79]

It's been 3 days since we lost Sandy. Her cagemate Lollipop is coping really well but I feel so sad for her on her own. She has never liked human company, being handled etc and tends to freeze and look at us with great suspicion when we sit near the cage to give her company. Sandy was always the more sociable one. Lollipop must be so lonely, the cage is so quiet.

I really want to find her a friend as soon as possible but would rather find one that is a similar age as we don't want to continue ownership indefinitely. There are 3 rescues that are local to us from the guide - 1 doesn't seem to have any guinea pigs, another only has a young, single intact male and I have reached out to the other one and am waiting to hear from them.

How can I keep Lollipop from feeling lonely while I find her a friend when she doesn't want human interaction and any ideas for finding a friend for her quickly? There must be lots of piggys out there in need of a good home.

 

[piggl]

When my piggy recently lost his friend, we cuddled multiple times a day and I often played some sort of show or movie for a couple hours a day to cut down on that silence.
It does not replace the companionship of another pig but I felt it could pass the time in the day. Stimulation was also quite important in that time, I would sprinkle some pea flakes in his hay every now and again and give encouragement when he found them, hung vegetables across his cage on a piece of string etc.
You will find more about such in this guide - Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

As for finding her a friend, I think what you are doing so far is good, keep in touch with the rescues as they are often over swamped. Most pets at homes also have an adoption center, which you could always have a look around at, or perhaps the RSPCA.
In my case we had to unfortunately go and pick up a baby from pets at home, as after a month of looking for a new friend my boy was showing signs of loneliness.

Just 2 months after we started looking for a friend, just posted a couple days ago, a single 5 year old boar became available at the rescue nearest to me so if you wait you will definitely always find someone right for your girl.

Basically what I am trying to say is it would have taken two months for us to find a suitable mate, so it is really up to you how to move forward about this.
Unless your girl starts to show signs of loneliness I think waiting for a suitable friend is a great idea, but as I said it is always up to you have you want to move forward with this.

 

[Claire W]

I agree with @piggl Keep reaching out to the rescues. If Lollipop does start showing signs of extreme loneliness you may have to extend your search and explore other avenues. You could place a radio near her cage to break the silence and offer her a soft toy to cuddle up to. Make sure it isn’t one with plastic sewn on eyes, one for babies and toddlers is ideal x