Can guinea pig be happy alone

[Fatman3310]

I mean i know that it is recommended to not have only 1 guinea pig (i personally have 2) but do u think it still can be a life worth living for a guinea pig when it is solitary, with good care? Because there are tons of guinea pigs out there who are kept solitary because people in general do not know it is the best for them to be at least in pairs.

Also I heard that guinea pigs which are solitary for longer periods of time lose the ability to bond with species anymore. Is that true? Just curious

 

[Piggies&buns]

Generally a guinea pig kept by itself for its life will get on with life because they have no choice but to do so but it doesn’t mean they are happy.
In such a case where a guinea pig does refuse to share its territory with another, which can happen, having another piggy living in a separate cage but side by side can provide essential interaction through the bars and is better than being truly alone

They can forget to how to be a guinea pig and become human orientated, so if and when somebody does try to bond a long term single piggy, they can hugely overreact and not know how to properly interact with another piggy

The guides below explain further

Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Companionship

 

[fournakedpigs]

Except for /very/ rare circumstances, no pig will be truly happy alone. Will they survive if all of their other needs are met? Sure, but there’s a huge difference between surviving and thriving.

However, as mentioned above, even living in separate enclosures is still considered proper socialization for them if they don’t want to share space. We have one boy who was in a bad situation with some hunting dogs and absolutely hates all animals. Every bond we’ve attempted has ended in bloodshed almost immediately, until we realized he just needs to live solo. However, he LOVES to talk to his brothers through his cage. In fact, he’s probably the pig most often trying to chat with them, but if they come too near, he is rumbling and chattering his teeth, sometimes even trying to bite them through the cage. He’s a great example of a pig who desperately needs guinea pig companionship (like most pigs) but who needs it on his own terms.

 

[Deleted member 139433]

I agree with what has been said above. I have one 'sort of lone' boar, as he lives in his own space, but he is surrounded by his other boar neighbours. He can interact with them through the bars. This was the best solution following several unsuccessful bondings (he's older and very easily bullied). This works for him, but I certainly wouldn't want to think of a lone piggy with no other same species interaction.
I'm not too sure of other welfare standards in other countries, but allowing opportunity to perform natural behaviours (e.g. socialisation) is definitely something we strive for in the UK.