Is my guinea pig okay alone?

[Ebony89]

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my post.
I've had two guinea pigs together for the past two years. I had purchased them on the same day so they never spent a day without each other. As they grew older, one seemed to dominate the other with him being the biggest. Unfortunately the smaller guinea pig developed an upper respiratory infection and passed away. I checked the other guinea pig and he has had no symptoms of an URI. He also seems to be doing fine adjusting being on his own (he's eating/drinking water, playing around, etc). He doesn't seem to be showing signs that he's grieving. I have thought about getting an adult guinea pig but I fear that they may fight. I got the same fear thinking if I buy a baby one. He gets love and attention and is out of his cage constantly being cuddled. I do not want to put another guinea pig's life at risk because I do not know how he would react. Since we are giving him more time and attention now that he's by himself, would it be okay to just leave him on his own? Can he get sick being by himself?

 

[Lady Kelly]

He might not go into acute grieving and stop eating but he would most definitely benefit from a friend of his own kind as they really are herd animals. I had similar with my eldest sow and after a couple of weeks she would be none stop chuntering away from the second we walked in from work and clinging to the bars. It was evident she was very lonely.

Are you able to get to Los Angeles guinea pig rescue at all? They are an excellent rescue and should be able to help you with bonding so that you can be reassured that the piggy you come home with is a good match for your boy.

 

[Ebony89]

He's never cringed to the bars or anything like that. He doesn't run away when someone goes to pick him up either.
He hasn't shown signs that he's lonely and as mentioned in my original post, he still eats a lot and everything like that.

 

[Lady Kelly]

He's never cringed to the bars or anything like that. He doesn't run away when someone goes to pick him up either.
He hasn't shown signs that he's lonely and as mentioned in my original post, he still eats a lot and everything like that.

That really doesn't change the fact that lots of human contact cannot replace contact with a member of their own species. Apologies but if you have joined here to get reassurance that your piggy will be ok alone then this is not the right forum as you will not get that message from here

 

[Piggies&buns]

Completely. Your piggy absolutely needs a new friend. Your piggy is friendly with you so he will always come to the bars to see you but that doesn’t mean they he isn’t craving the companionship of his own kind.
You don’t need to worry about fighting with a new friend because as has been suggested, if you go to a rescue centre they can help you find a new friend with a compatible character which will ensure a much more stable bond. Age is much less important when it comes to whether they will get on.

 

[Sophie B]

I agree, human attention will not replace a friend, I don’t think it’s right to leave them without a friend

 

[Pigwhisperer]

So to take your question literally, yes he's "ok" alone - he would survive - but if you want the best for him, that means getting him a friend in the longer term.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Guinea pigs are great survivors and will hang in there if they have no other choice. But that doesn't mean that another companion of their choice can't make a huge difference in quality if life and how long they live. Guinea pigs are group animals and not wired to live on their own. Just a few hours every single day that you can spare for him is a lot to ask from you and too little for him.

Even guinea pigs that are not pining acutely can gradually become depressed, less active and more clingy for attention. No guinea pig is ever too old to be left alone. This can also lower the zest for life and the immune system and shorten the natural life span.

I have taken in a friend's last standing group piggy at age 7 because she'd gradually become depressed. As soon as she came here, there was no sign of depression anymore! In fact, Calli lived for another 1 1/2 years and was able to celebrate her 9th birthday in the company of her new best friend, 6 year old Tegan. Both my friend and I are convinced that she would not have lived as long had she remained at my friend's.

If you can get to Los Angeles GPR, then please do! You will be in very experienced hands there!
Give it 2-3 weeks between the death and any rescue dating (quarantine), but it takes a bit of time to arrange an adoption and a dating appointment anyway.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[dannif_piggies]

I completely understand the struggle you're facing but as others have said, your piggy needs a friend. I was in a similar position the beginning of the year when Honey's sister passed away. OAP Honey was left behind, and I struggled to find a pig that was of an older age to bond with Honey. And so I ended up introducing baby Willow to Honey. By the time this introduction happened, Honey had been alone for quite some time, due to the struggle of finding a suitable companion, but I honestly don't think I would still have Honey now if she had been left alone, Willow definitely helped her feel young again, and I'm sure that she helped Honey through her operation. Please do the best thing by your piggy and try to get him a friend. Very often, piggy rescues will offer pig dating to see what pig suits yours. Trust me, your pig will thank you for it and will be much much happier in the long run. At the end of the day, piggies love humans but sadly more often than not, only because they're the veggie feeders (life as a pig slave)