You clearly cared for her and had a good bond with her.
However trying to replicate that with another piggy may have very different results and being kept alone is not in the best interests of the guinea pig. As we mentioned on your other thread - companionship and a stable environment are so important for piggies.
Guinea pigs are social herd animals and one of the five animal welfare rights of such an animal is to be kept with a companion.
Piggies need constant companionship, communication and comfort of their own kind. Human interaction is never enough because there is no mutual communication (we cannot communicate with them via scent and that is a major way in which piggies communicate) and it cannot be constant - humans sleep a lot more than piggies do.
A lot of single piggies will never show their loneliness, they will get on with life and transfer their needs to their human due to their survival instinct but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel lonely, and for that reason assuming all single piggies can be truly happy is flawed.
Being with another piggy is never more important than for a baby - this is the time they are most desperate for companionship and guidance (to be taught piggy social interaction, what is safe to eat etc). So buying a piggy with the intention of keeping it single would deprive it of learning how to be a guinea pig, but would also cause a lot of stress to it - going from being with its mother/siblings/other piggies to being sold and purposefully kept alone just at a time when it needs companionship most is definitely not in its best interests.
This guide explains a range of behaviours piggies display
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Piggies are stressed easily so moving to a school daily is not advised. The noise and hustle and bustle of a classroom is not the best place for them. Your piggy may have got used to it over time but another piggy could become so overwhelmed and scared by it. A piggy who is sitting still and appearing to be calm is actually the most terrified.
If you at least got two piggies so they had companionship, but still took them to school, then the constant changing of territories could have the ability to cause all kinds of issues. Changing territories is hugely stressful for piggies and causes them to reestablish their hierarchy. In some cases, it can cause such stress that it may even break their bond and you’d then have two single piggies who would have to be kept constantly side by side for through the bar interaction.
Also not all piggies want to be held and cuddled every day (the prey instinct is actually to not want to be held) so being able to replicate what you had with your other piggy could result in considerable stress for another piggy. Most piggies would rather be with their companion and come to you on their own terms for interaction - some piggies learn to enjoy cuddles, some tolerate it for health checks only, others never come round to it.
A stable living environment and a piggy companion is the best thing for them. Interactions between a pair of piggies are truly a wonderful thing to witness and a pair of piggies are much happier. That does not mean to say that their bond with their human is any less though but, certainly for me, seeing their interaction with their companion is much more of a joy than whether they want to be with me or not.
You sound to be a wonderful, caring owner and Prairie was definitely loved. We are not criticising you but it is our role on the forum to give good information and promote piggy welfare and this is why you will always get the advice that deliberately keeping a piggy single and taking it into school is not in a piggy’s best and welfare interests.
The guides below explain everything in much more detail
Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Guinea Pigs as Classroom Pets - Why Not
