Can I keep just one guinea pig, or will it get lonely by itself?

Thank you for your question about your guinea pig! In general, yes, guinea pigs are very social animals and thrive with a companion. However, there are exceptions to that general rule. To be able to tell if your guinea pig is okay without a companion, there are a few things to do. First is to ensure that your guinea pig is healthy and in a good body weight - this can be done by taking your guinea pig to a veterinarian for a wellness exam. It will provide you with a baseline for health, and then you can continue to monitor your guinea pig at home. Once you have determined that your guinea pig is healthy, then you can evaluate its behavior. If it hides a lot, or doesn't come out to see you or make noise when food is being provided, this may indicate that it needs a companion. Guinea pigs that are comfortable being alone will interact with their humans much like they do with other guinea pigs - lots of excitement! Also monitor the food intake - guinea pigs should eat lots of hay, a bit of pellets and vitamin C supplementation, and a bit of produce. If you are seeing a decrease in appetite, this may be due to a guinea pig being shy or uncomfortable (and can also be a sign of illness!). Lastly, ensure that they are producing lots of fecal pellets - they should be moist, of a decent size, and a huge quantity! I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Female companionship is sufficient for your guinea pigs. It is arguably better, as more mature guinea pigs (over 6-8 months) are at higher risk for complication during pregnancy and birth.

Shelters and Pet shops prefer to sell/adopt them as pairs, because: 1) They sell/adopt more. 2) They are happier having a mate. I would call around to your local shelters first and let them know that you are interested in getting a single Guinea pig to bond with yours. They often have singles that are not being advertised, because they are still being processed or are currently being bonded with others. Usually, you can work out an agreement with the shelter to trial a bond with your Guinea pig. This is a good way to try before you buy, since they don't always bond, If one shelter doesn't offer this, then try another. They should at-least be willing to put you on a waiting list for a single guinea pig. I hope that helps and all works out well.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your loss of your guinea pig. Its hard to lose them. I would agree that they do enjoy company. You may try to get a similar aged pig. Be careful with the introduction as there may be some fighting. Keep the new pig in a separate cage and swap cages daily to get them use to the scent. Then after a week or so, introduce them in neutral territory. Do not leave them alone and unsupervised until you are sure they are not going to fight. Make sure to get another female. Hope this helps!

I am so sorry that you lost one of your guinea pigs! You are right that guinea pigs are social creatures and tend to like other guinea pig's company. However, you need to consider some things before getting another one. First - do you know why your guinea pig died? If it had an infectious disease, you would be putting a new guinea pig at risk too. In this case, I would recommend following your veterinarians advice. Also, do you have an adult male or an older female? Males tend to fight if you end up getting another male, but females can do well together - especially if they are relatively young. If you do get another guinea pig, try and introduce them in a way that they cannot fight - with a screen separating them or in cages that are close together for a while. Once they seem comfortable with each other, then you can try them together! There is no reason for you to wait to get another one, unless you think your guinea pig died from an infectious disease. Again, I am sorry you lost one of your pets.

It is best to have two of the same sex. If you have one of each you are going to end up with LOTS of babies and that is not needed. This article may help you more: ( http://hssv.convio.net/site/DocServer/Guinea_Pig_Pairs.pdf?docID=3209 )

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can get Lilli some huts and nesting/bedding material to hide/play in. Guinea pigs enjoy burrowing/tunneling so things like huts and pipes are fun for them. You can find plenty of options in pet stores, or make things your self out of shredded paper, toilet paper rolls, PVC pipe, etc. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!