How best to care for my lonely guinea pig?

[muminthecity]

We had two girls, both were fairly old when we rescued them, they're around 6/7 years old now. Sadly, one of them died on Wednesday . The other is still looking healthy though will obviously be sad and lonely now that she's lost her sister.

We've brought her inside and have been giving her constant attention and cuddles since it happened (she is very friendly and loves a cuddle, her sister was not so good tempered!) She didn't eat much at all on Thursday but her appetite has picked up a lot since yesterday.

Is there anything else I should be doing to help her? I think she is too old to introduce a new friend, and at her age she probably won't have much longer left. I just want her to be as happy and comfortable as possible.

Aww
Yes she is a good age and you probably don't want to get into the new pig cycle?

Keep her in the main sitting area or kitchen where she can hear all the chat. make sure she has a safe place to hide away if she wants.

You might need to tempt her with favourite foods, hide ay in a looroll tube to destroy.
If you're not there , a radio on a chat channel (I make mine listen to LBC when they're in for the Fireworks nights)

When we get to a singleton I think we'll have a cage in the dining room to be in the midst of it all.
Lots of cuddles to your piggie

hide hay

Could you get her a teddy?

My bun is alone and has a teddy and night. Obvs I'd prefer to bring her to bed with me but DP won't hear of it.

She is living in the dining room now, which leads into the living room, so she is in the midst of it all. Good idea about the radio, will definitely do that.

I hadn't thought about a teddy, that's a nice idea but I'd worry that she'd just chew it up? Will keep providing toilet rolls/hay etc. Bought her a grass tunnel thing yesterday which she is enjoying.

Thank you for your replies.

Now I am going to go to sleep worrying about an elderly guinea pig's loneliness

It beats worrying about Trump and NK!

My bun never chews her teddy.

Which is odd now I think about it. She chews literally everything else in the house...

I'm not sure I'd give my piggies a teddy or soft toy (they would eat it and I'd worry about eyes/threads.stuffings blocking them)

I've just give our neutered boar a fleece (he's injured his eye possibly on hay) so he's hayless apart from block hay and a fleece blanket made into a pignest (you need to be carefu if its bound with stitching , I cut that off)
You could give her a cuddly fleece in a sleeping box, it'll feel soft like another animal.

wtffgs that did make me laugh.

We recently lost one of our pair. The remaining one us youngish so now has a new friend.
But, whilst trying to find this friend, we put a rolled up ball of DH's socks in with Sadie - not too smelly, but as Sadie lives him to death we thought it might help for her to smell DH when we were not about.

I gave one of my guinea pigs a small teddy (from the dog toys section in pet shop) until we got him a new friend - my guinea pig was young and had to be separated from his last cage mate. He didn't chew the teddy or anything, it was actually really cute, I'd quite often find him lying on it. I put a pin through it to burst the squeaker though in case it gave him a fright!

Thank you for all of your replies. Smudge is looking quite chipper this morning, has eaten well and came out for a snuggle as soon as I opened her door this morning.

DD and I are off to the shops now, planning to buy her a few treats and maybe a new toy from the pet section at Wilkos.

I was reading a blog the other day that recommended a bird mirror for solo piggies, I don't know if that is vet approved though.