We got two guinea pigs a couple of months ago and one passed suddenly after only a month with us. We decided to wait a week or two before getting our remaining piggy, Penny, a friend. The day after Scooter passed. We saw a significant change in Penny. She seems SO much happier to be alone! She interacts with us much more, she plays more, explores more, absolutely adores our kids... Has anyone ever seen this? I honestly don't want to get her a friend now, I'm afraid it will do more harm then good. Is this an okay decision? Do piggies truly have to be in pairs? Maybe ours is just a strange cookie.
Pleased To Be Alone?
- Thread starter cduff
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gwinnypiggylove
Junior Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs will get tamer when they are the only one for you to pay attention to and they sometimes might bond with you more when they have lost a friend and you have comforted them, this won't go away when you get a friend. It really is best to have more than one.
At least you now that she won't be unhappy so you have time to carefully look around. Ideally, you would take her to a meet&greet with either a sow or a neutered boar, so she can make the choice whether she likes them and would like to live with a new friend. That way, you can be assured that you get a happy relationship out of it. Your girl may quite happily assume to role of the new matriarch!
Generally, company of their own kind whether it is in the same cage or next door provides constant stimulation. There are a few piggies that will not get on with others; often they have been separated at a very young age and have not been able to learn how to socialise with other guinea pigs.
If you wish, you can send me a message with your more exact location and I can check up for you whether you have a good rescue within your reach.
Generally, company of their own kind whether it is in the same cage or next door provides constant stimulation. There are a few piggies that will not get on with others; often they have been separated at a very young age and have not been able to learn how to socialise with other guinea pigs.
If you wish, you can send me a message with your more exact location and I can check up for you whether you have a good rescue within your reach.
Sara412
Teenage Guinea Pig
We had Guiness on his own for a year and he really bonded with us and had a fantastic little character - I'm sure he thought he was human, but then when my working hours got longer , I decided it was only fair that he had a cage mate so he wasn't lonely when we were all out. They bonded straight away, and Guiness was still the little "mini man" he didn't loose any of his "character" but had some one to share his days with.
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