You haven't failed Smokey Joe.
How often have I adopted a piggy that was perfect on paper that went totally haywire when the piggies met and I had to go to plan B,C or in one or two cases even as far as E or F...
You can always only try; it is down to the piggies to say whether they want to be with each other or whether they get on. What you have given Smokey Joe is the opportunity to have his say and have not left him on his own without even trying or brought home a piggy that you couldn't take back. That is a very precious gift, even if it hasn't worked out.
I've also had the odd bereaved piggy or four who preferred that option.
The four were all older widows who rather irritatingly didn't get on with any of the other three, so I had a table full of single pens for a while... Two of them moved together after slowly making friends through the bars over the course of 10 months; one eventally moved in with her sister and her sister's young 'toy boy' (on the third attempt) and the fourth (a spayed sow) preferred to stay single with boar company through the bars...
And my dumped ex-single Beryn took 1 1/2 years to find a companion who got through her defences but sadly died from a sudden heart attack after just a year (just before the pandemic started). Beryn then spent another 1 1/2 years next to one of her failed suitors and his own dated sow-wife. I've gone through about a dozen piggies and even more failed bonding attempts with her! But I am glad that Beryn has had that one love in her life apart from her first owner (who must have clearly loved her very much; whatever the reason for Beryn being dumped - it was definitely not neglect).
PS: You could consider a fostering another single 'unbondable' piggy in an adjoining cage - girl or boy for mutual stimulation and company through the bars but with their own territory.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
JUst because one way hasn't worked out, it does mean that there aren't other options.
