1 piggie passed away, 1 young survivor. Can he stay alone?

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Hotdogjohnson

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Hi all,

I need some independant opinions. I had 2 piggies, both 1 year old. One of them recently passed away, leaving one behind.

The one left behind is quite human attached, and waas not that interested in his cage mate. Do I need to get another piggie? Even if my surviving piggy gets daily face & play time (he lives in my work from home office).

I was thinking I would give it a few weeks/months, and if my guinea pig seems happy, I will leave it. However, if he starts acting different / hiding/ not eating, then I will get him another cage mate.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
 
I’m sorry for your loss.

Keeping him alone isnt really fair on him, he does need a new friend. He is very young to be spending his life alone and sadly no amount of human contact is enough as you can’t speak the same language.
He would have been interested in his cage mate but their communication is through mediums we can’t detect as humans such as smell. Scent and body language being the two main ways they communicate

A guinea pig will usually ‘get on with life’ and go into survival mode (acute pining ie refusing to eat, giving up on life is thankfully rare). A single piggy may never show signs of loneliness because of that survival instinct but it doesn’t mean they aren’t lonely.

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
 
Sorry for your loss 😢 I agree with the above, Guinea pigs really need to be in pairs as they are social animals, thinking of you 🌈
 
Do you have a local rescue centre? Some offer a bonding service to find the perfect friend for your piggie, good luck I know it’s not easy at this sad time
 
Oh he is so little. He will benefit from a friend, he could live for another 7 years plus which is a long time to be by yourself.

My piggy is alone and I feel dreadful about it but she is approaching 8 and lost her mate in November. I don’t want to prolong the cycle of piggies and so because of her age I opted against another but if she had been any younger it might have been different. At a year old, definitely.
 
I'm sorry for the loss of your piggie 💖

My opinion is the same as the others. Piggies need piggies. Listening to them talk to each other, sniffing, etc. Even just munching on hay side by side. My pairs don't particularly "love" each other but you can see them interact.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for your input guys. I am going to adopt another piggie (not buy this time). Going to PAH adoption centre this evening.

But.....I have been told that this single male piggie (4 YO) was put up for adoption for fighting with his cage mate. Does this mean the adoptee needs to stay alone forever, or can he be safely bonded with another (i.e. mine) given that proper precautions are taken?

I am going to ask the store employees when I go there. But would be great to get your advices as well. Thanks.
 
Hotdogjohnson said:
Thanks for your input guys. I am going to adopt another piggie (not buy this time). Going to PAH adoption centre this evening.

But.....I have been told that this single male piggie (4 YO) was put up for adoption for fighting with his cage mate. Does this mean the adoptee needs to stay alone forever, or can he be safely bonded with another (i.e. mine) given that proper precautions are taken?

I am going to ask the store employees when I go there. But would be great to get your advices as well. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Bonding comes down to character compatibility. Just because he fought with his other cage mate, it doesn’t automatically mean he will fight with your boy. However, by getting another piggy from a pet shop, you are taking all the risk of a failed bonding. We would recommend you contact a rescue centre who offer boar dating so your boy can choose his own companion. This will mean you won’t be left with a piggy with whom your boy won’t bond.

If you do decide to get another piggy from Pets at Home, then ensure you have two cages in case the bonding does fail and they do need to live separately and side by side.

It would be recommended that you quarantine a piggy from a pet shop in a separate room for two weeks before attempting to bond him with your piggy. (If you rescue from a reputable rescue centre, quarantining does not need to be done)

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Hotdogjohnson said:
(For some reason, all my other local rescue/adoption places have couples)
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Have you called them? Single piggies aren’t usually advertised.

You could also consider neutering your boy and after his six week post op wait to become infertile, then he also has the option of bonding with a sow or two (space permitting)
 
Yup, I have 2 cages.

If the bonding fails, can't I give the adopted piggie back up for adoption (worst case). At least that way he had a chance with mine, and/or in future with other GPs? No harm lost?
 
Hotdogjohnson said:
Yup, I have 2 cages.

If the bonding fails, can't I give the adopted piggie back up for adoption (worst case). At least that way he had a chance with mine, and/or in future with other GPs? No harm lost?
Click to expand...

You’d have to ask them what their policy is If you were going to return him to pets at home
 
Micah was adopted from PAH and labelled as a piggy who had to live alone. He had been bullied and PAH didn’t know how to deal with him.
He was neutered and lives happily with his wife. ( originally 3 wives )
Ask exactly why this one has been so labelled.
Good advice elsewhere on this thread.

I am so sorry for your loss and it’s good that you are looking out for your surviving boy’s needs when your grief is still raw.
I hope things work out well for you.
 
I'm glad you're looking for a companion. Sometimes guinea pigs don't look like they have a bond to us (as guinea pigs are not really invested in mutual grooming or rough and tumble play or other things that look like evidence of affection- often just the fact that they coexist peacefully alongside each other is evidence enough of a bond), but they do really benefit from having other guinea pigs around. Fingers crossed that you can find a good match for him!
 
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