Don't Know If I Should Get A New Friend For My 3 And Half Year Old Male?

[AdaGiulia]

Hello! I'm new to this so I'm sorry if I've posted in the wrong place!
Firstly this is a little backstory, I got my first guinea pigs (Alfie and Wilfred) 3 and half years ago.Wilfred passed away on Christmas Eve and Alfie has been alone these past few weeks.We're not sure if we should get him an 8 week old boar as a new companion. Every time I walk in and see Alfie laying in the corner I feel like he'd be a lot happier with a friend.However, the only thing stopping me from being confident that getting him a new friend is the right decision is the fact that I don't want to be replacing Wilfred and I feel like Alfie would be getting a lot more attention from me on his own (I've been spoiling him so much recently!).Also the fact that this time we would just be getting just one guinea pig from a private seller and I wouldn't want to risk it if the new guinea pig had been infected with anything.I'm not sure if trying to quarantine the new piggy would be a good idea as he's so small, and our local vet is also very expensive as just a checkup/consultation is £25.As I'm a teen I'm not sure my mum would be keen on covering the cost and I'm using the money I already have saved to get a brand new cage for them.

Any advice would be super appreciated! X

 

[Merab]

So sorry to hear about Wilfred. Be assured no piggy is a replacement - each one is a unique and special creature.
Are you anywhere near a rescue?
Check the bar at the top.
A rescue sow may be a possibility if Alfie is neutered.

 

[AdaGiulia]

There aren't too many rescues near us, we've checked the blue cross and rspca and as Alfie isn't neutred there weren't any matches as all the guinea pigs were either female or wanting to be rescued in pairs. We've made arrangements to have a look at an 8 week old boar on saturday but I'm still so heartbroken after Wilfred's death and I don't want Alfie to have a risk of becoming ill if the new piggy might have caught something.In my heart I still know that Alfie needs a companion though. X

 

[Merab]

Sorry - I don’t know where you are so this may be a silly question but is there another vet near you or a veterinary hospital whose charges may not be as high?
Have you thought about having Alfie neutered?
Also - you need to be gentle with yourself as you grieve. It takes time and we grieve differently from guinea pigs.
Don’t rush into any decision - it’s too important.
Talk things through with your parents as well

 

[AdaGiulia]

We were eligible for help from the rspca for Wilfred's treatment but we didn't fill out the form in time as he passed away on Christmas(Wilfred needed an xray and to have his teeth filed as he had spurs on them and wasn't eating) .However, the clinic is only open for an hour at noon on tuesdays and fridays I believe, this is when both me and my mum are at school/work (but i'm sure if it was urgent we'd be able to sort this out).

 

[Shelby._.]

I think that you should definitely get him a friend if possible. I’m sure your guinea pig loves getting you attention but he needs the companionship of another piggy. They are just like us. Some people that don’t really get along with others would be happier living by themselves with just a dog or cat. This would represent a guinea pig that doesn’t get along with others at all and the dog or cat would represent a human. On the other hand most humans just like most guinea pigs prefer the companionship of their own kind.