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Can My Guinea Pig Live Happily On Her Own?

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Jim

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Sadly I have had to have one of my two Guinea pigs put to sleep this morning. This leaves her sister ,Fudge age 2 1/2, on her own. I know that Guineas are social animals but I wanted to know if there was anyone out there who had a single one and how he/she was getting on. I have suggested to the family getting another one from a rescue shelter but unfortunately the children have grown up and are not interested anymore, I seem to be stuck between fudge being left on her own or trying to rehome her so I'm not sure what to do!
any thoughts most welcome.
 
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Hi and welcome!

I am very sorry for your loss!

It is always difficult when you come to the end of line. How old is Fudge? Would it be a possibility for you to look for a companion of a similar age that you can get from a shelter? Older guinea pigs are generally very difficult to rehome for rescues, but they still need company and regular stimulation especially now that the children have lost interest.

PS: With members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state or (for the UK) your county or city, so we can always tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available for you. Please click on your username, then go to personal details and scroll down to location.
 
Hi Wiebke, thanks for the reply and I have edited my profile. I have suggested getting another one from a rescue home but the family are against it.For now i have moved fudge into the main living room so she gets max attention.
 
Hi Wiebke, thanks for the reply and I have edited my profile. I have suggested getting another one from a rescue home but the family are against it.For now i have moved fudge into the main living room so she gets max attention.

How old is she? If your family are so set against, you could try to find her a home via the forum, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee for our members and the risks and responsibilities are all on your side.

Alternatively, you could consider contacting Cavy Corner in Doncaster, as they are more of a sanctuary than a rescue.
http://cavycorner.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/cavycorner
 
Welcome to the forum, I think the advice above is good and worth you looking into, I believe some rescues may do a form of fostering whereby you may be able to get a friend for your girl, and when the time comes (hopefully not for a long time) the rescue will take the other piggy back if you want them to.

Pigs do well with a friend, they really do, but that doesn't mean they cannot live alone and be happy. @A&T has a pig that lives alone and she's a happy little piggy. My boy was alone for over a year (previous owner and some of the time I had him), and he was happy.

However, I think if piggies have been with another pig for most of or all of their lives then I think it may be harder for them to cope alone, for example, my Bert just being separated from Frank (trip to the vets) sends him into a depressive state, so for his health and well being I could never leave him on his own and now he goes to the vets too haha :).

All pigs are different though.
 
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I do indeed have one guinea pig after I lost her sister Trixie, suddenly. To be honest, I believe she coped and adapted really well, my bond with her has become so strong now that its just me and her really! The thing is, amber is fine, however ever pig reacts differently, and the fact you have three girls.. She could feel extremely lonely. Are you close to her? Or are you seeing it as a bit of a tie?
Does she seem lonely? Or is she acting the same way as she was before?

*Edit: sorry I misread your thread! I thought you had three guinea pigs! And two had passed. Okay well your in the same situation as me sort of, although I couldn't possibly give amber up, however I can't get her a friend because of the size of her accommodation. I'd love to get her a friend, but equally she is happy on her own too.
 
:wel: to the forum.


Personally, I would only keep a lone guinea pig is I was at home for most of the day . They need companionship . I think your idea of moving her into the main living room is a very good idea.

Please let us know how Fudge and yuo are getting on.
 
thanks for the replies everyone.Here is a bit more background info. I bought fudge and her sister just over 2 years ago, they where a few months old at the time so she will be about 2 and half now. We have had no health problems till this weekend when we noticed Stripe had gone off her food and was withdrawn. We got her to the vet first thing Monday but despite a lot of treatment over 3 days she had to be put to sleep this morning(wednesday). Its a bit early to tell how Fudge is adapting but at the moment she seems ok. I would prefer to either get another one,either rescue or fostering, so she is not alone or find her a new home(A Cavy corner type place sounds good). My children are now teenagers,hence the loss of interest but where still sad to hear about Stripe. There are other reasons,that i will not go into here, but finding Fudge a new home may be the way forward.
 
*Edit: sorry I misread your thread! I thought you had three guinea pigs! And two had passed. Okay well your in the same situation as me sort of, although I couldn't possibly give amber up, however I can't get her a friend because of the size of her accommodation. I'd love to get her a friend, but equally she is happy on her own too.
No problem! The hutch they shared is quite large and they also have 2 others so space is not aproblem if we do get another one.

:wel: to the forum.
Personally, I would only keep a lone guinea pig is I was at home for most of the day . They need companionship . I think your idea of moving her into the main living room is a very good idea.
Please let us know how Fudge and yuo are getting on.

Sadly moving her to the main lounge is only a temp thing but regardless of which room she is in there is always people about!
 
No problem! The hutch they shared is quite large and they also have 2 others so space is not aproblem if we do get another one.

I can tell by your answer to A&T that you really would like to keep Fudge. I suggest you talk to your local rescue(s) for some advice . Maybe your parents would let you try fostering - for a trial period perhaps?
 
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I'm sorry for your loss. I've been in that situation before (lost half of a pair at a young age- about 18 months old.) I've also just recently been in a situation where I lost half of an older pair (the pig that passed was 6 years old, the remaining pig is about 4.5 years.) We did get new companions for our remaining pigs, but we are not at a point where we want to 'phase out' having guinea pigs, so I was not concerned about bringing another one home. I think the situation varies. Some pigs are quite distressed to lose a companion, others don't seem to show it as much. My experience, however, is that pigs are happier with other pigs. Fudge is still quite young at 2... she could live another 4 or 5 years with good care and luck. That is a long time to be without the company of your own species. I would probably err on the side of adopting a similar-aged companion for her or rehoming to an option where she could live with another guinea pig, especially if you see changes in her behavior. When Frenzy died, Linney did not seem overly distressed, but she was quiet, mopey, did the basics but was not playful without another pig to play with. She probably would have been okay alone, but she had clearly been happier before losing her friend. When Linney passed, Sundae was really distressed and would run around in a panic and wheek for us to come and see her... and then wheek again when we left. She was obviously distressed and having her alone was not a fair option for her. I might give her a week to see how she adapts and then make a final decision based on her behavior and whether she seems unhappy or depressed.
 
I can tell by your answer to A&T that you really would like to keep Fudge. I suggest you talk to your local rescue(s) for some advice . Maybe your parents would let you try fostering - for a trial period perhaps?
LOL thanks PiggyOwner but I AM the parent:drool:! To be honest my only concern is Fudges welfare. If the family say no to another then we will have to find her a new home i think. She is young and deserves company.
 
LOL thanks PiggyOwner but I AM the parent:drool:! To be honest my only concern is Fudges welfare. If the family say no to another then we will have to find her a new home i think. She is young and deserves company.

But what if YOU want another one? If you really enjoy having guinea pigs, its not your fault they have lost interest. Just because they don't want them doesn't mean you should have to give up your guinea pig or not be allowed to get another?
 
LOL thanks PiggyOwner but I AM the parent:drool:! To be honest my only concern is Fudges welfare. If the family say no to another then we will have to find her a new home i think. She is young and deserves company.
OOh sorry - I mesread "family".
 
I really get the feeling that you love Fudge so please don't be too hasty . I would strongly advise that you contact your local rescue as they are invaluable in helping people find good companions for lone guinea pigs . Do you know which is your local rescue?
 
I agree - Fudge is too young to spend the second half of a normal life span on her own, but how do you feel about parting with her?

You wouldn't be the only mum who comes to the decision that she wants to keep the piggies for herself. I was once at a rescue piggy dating sows of mine for a new "husboar" when the lady who was booked to surrender her bereaved neutered boar that day ended up going back with him and a new rescue "wife" because when the chips were down she wasn;t able to give him up! :)

Several forum members are mums who have the piggies for themselves after the children lost interest.

Please give yourself time to sleep about it. You come across as a very caring owner.
 
My amber has been on her own since she was 3.. And she's nearly 4 now! She is very happy in herself! Still popcorns and is very affectionate to me. She is happy, yes on her own.... But shes happy.
 
I really get the feeling that you love Fudge so please don't be too hasty . I would strongly advise that you contact your local rescue as they are invaluable in helping people find good companions for lone guinea pigs . Do you know which is your local rescue?

I agree - Fudge is too young to spend the second half of a normal life span on her own, but how do you feel about parting with her?

You wouldn't be the only mum who comes to the decision that she wants to keep the piggies for herself. I was once at a rescue piggy dating sows of mine for a new "husboar" when the lady who was booked to surrender her bereaved neutered boar that day ended up going back with him and a new rescue "wife" because when the chips were down she wasn;t able to give him up! :)

Several forum members are mums who have the piggies for themselves after the children lost interest.

Please give yourself time to sleep about it. You come across as a very caring owner.

Fudge seems pretty much as normal so far, she has not seen Stripe since Monday. In time we may get another piggie to keep her company but having read your posts and watched her carefully I don't think we have to rush any decisions..oh by the way I'm a big daft dad not a mum:drool:
 
You're in good company, we have lots of other daft piggy dads on here too!
 
Fudge seems pretty much as normal so far, she has not seen Stripe since Monday. In time we may get another piggie to keep her company but having read your posts and watched her carefully I don't think we have to rush any decisions..oh by the way I'm a big daft dad not a mum:drool:


I hope you and Fudge are here to stay on this forum .

Like Tbag has said - there are quite a few daft guinea pig Dads here already so I hope you feel welcome.
 
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