Guinea Pig Lonely

[Akanksha singh]

I have lost a guinea pig of mine recently and my other baby is single now .. he is eating well, roaming around
But all of a suddenly he is single now. Can he be depressed and lonely? I intertact with him as much as possible
I don't want to compromise my other baby's health after losing one

 

[Wiebke]

I have lost a guinea pig of mine recently and my other baby is single now .. he is eating well, roaming around
But all of a suddenly he is single now. Can he be depressed and lonely? I intertact with him as much as possible
I don't want to compromise my other baby's health after losing one

Hi! it doesn't sound like Dexy was suffering from an infectious issue, but you can use the next two weeks to look for suitable same sex company.
I have often found that looking for new company for my bereaved piggy and making sure that they were happy has helped me with my own longer lasting grieving process as I no longer had feelings of guilt. You do not feel like you have bond with any new arrival immediately; that will come in ots own time once you are ready for it. Guinea pigs need company sooner than us and that can be a big emotional problem.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

If you do not have rescue access, we have got detailed bonding tips etc.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I was left in a similar position last year after losing two of my oldies and then a very ill piggy. It left daisy on her own which was probably the best piggy to leave alone as she is so outgoing and confident. It did start to break my heart though as she became so very chatty with us and it was non stop from the moment we got home. I didn't really want to rush looking for a friend as 3 losses in around 3 months was a lot to take but I started searching immediately for daisy's sake. I'm now back up to four piggies all living together but she was so grateful when I first got willow as a cage mate for her.

 

[Wiebke]

A year ago I took in a local friend's old sow after she had lost the last of her life long companions. Calli didn't pine, but in the weeks after she became very clingy and increasingly depressed. Calli has perked up immediately upon coming here although she would not bond with any other piggy immediately. But after living side by side for several months with my own finicky widow Tegan, they have decided that they are friends enough to live together.

Tegan is 6 years old and Calli will be hopefully celebrating her 9th birthday in May! No guinea pig is ever too old for company, whether that is in the same cage or through the bars in adjoining cages.

I have adopted several widowed piggies from rescues and taken in some more bereaved ones whose owners wanted to stay in touch and have been vouched for by friends over the years. Companionship really makes a huge difference to long term happiness and wellbeing!

Calli and Tegan sharing a fleece cave