Guinea has died, one guinea left..

[GuineasareFAB]

We had to have our gorgeous piggie put to sleep today as she had a cancerous tumour. We are all very sad and now left with one piggy.

The vet said that lone guineas can be happy as long as plenty of interaction with their human carers. We were about to bring them indoors for the winter so they would definitely receive more attention than if outside but I'm not convinced. Our DC are older now and we seem to be doing more caring for them these days so not keen to get another.

It seems cruel to keep a guinea on their own. Could I ask for opinions please on keeping single guineas. TIA.

Oh I am so sorry . The same thing happened to us. We had two piggies, although they were always indoor pigs.

The girl piggie that passed was very dominant so our little girl who was left seemed to flourish . Loved cuddles, got all the treats. Adored being bathed and brushed . Also, to be perfectly honest from a selfish point of view, I find the death of small furries that don't live very long very distressing. So despite DS's begging for another one I really couldn't bear it.

One of our guinea pigs died 2 weeks ago.The one that is left was the more dominant one so we were worried how he would cope without another pig to boss around..
He has surprised us all.Loves cuddles (he used to bite us) waits for food ,still makes squeaks and pops around.Honestly,he is living like a king.We did bring him inside,and he can watch us come and go while interacting.

I'm in a similar situation, I had one of mine PTS this evening , growth in her throat.

I have two pigs left but they are not a bonded pair . (I am planning to try , the piggie who died was the one who refused to bond , she attacked our boar. Her cagemate was ok with him)

Anyway (I'll stop whinging about my piggie now this is your thread )

How old is your guinea-pig. If she's youngish then I'd say it's well worth thinking about.
If she's old/older then she might not appreciate a new comer . There are Rescues that will 'lend' you a pig , but then you need to make the painful decision to return them, and I'm not sure how fair it is on the LoanPig.

Inside she'll get interaction. Would you keep her indoors full time ? Even into next spring/summer.

Whatever you decide , your piggie is mourning at the moment so watch her carefully .
I knew within a day that GP1 wouldn't be happy alone , we got into the spiral of 'next pig' . My DD is 16 now so after these 2 pigs , I'm not getting more . (That's what I;m telling myself)

for your piggie.
Our two sows can cross the Bridge together .

Next month it will be 2 years since Millie lost her last friend. We honestly didn’t expect her to last this long. We tried a foster piggie but Millie bullied her and she had to go back to the rescue. She has seen other piggies when we’ve given holiday care for our friends . She was very unimpressed by the two young boars that came to stay. And only liked the middle aged sow on her terms.

Millie is currently an impressive 7 years and 8 months. Enjoys a cuddle and still eats well but doesn’t move any further than she has to. Had I known she was going to live this long I’d have looked for a permanent new friend but her actions have shown she is happier on her own. I put that down to her advanced age and ailments because she was a very mumsey top pig when we had a herd of three. Now she only has us to groom to keep in check

RIP all piggies that went to the Bridge today

70 you without piggies??!

sleeping DD still has her two , my piggie was PTS. I can still claim visiting rights and pooh cleaning duty time

Oh I am so sorry for all your lovely piggies who have passed .

Thank you all for your swift replies.

Our guinea was 3 years old so I suppose 'middle-aged'? We said with the current piggies that no way would we have another if one died and that we would probably rehome but we can't bear to rehome our lone piggie now as we just can't be sure if she'd be going to a happy home. I am encouraged by replies that if we decide not to get another, she might be ok.

My DC were a little indifferent to them in recent months but upset now one has gone but if I give in am worried that the same will happen a few months down the line. I think if I'm honest, they're for me, not the children. And why not, is it ok to have a small pet in my 50s?
Remaining piggy is very friendly and might take well to a new pal. We have reintroduced a newbie when our guineas pass leaving one alone, but I know it's not always successful.

Feeling quite tearful tonight - I can't believe how attached you become to them.

We had a lone piggy for over a year. She loved living indoors on top of a Trofast unit in the bottom part of a indoor piggy cage. She was elderly so didn’t try to climb out.
She was right at the centre of the family, everyone chatted to her as they passed and the dog could nuzzle her gently. She was great company and didn’t seem to miss piggy friends at all.

Little update. We now have two girl piggies to join our lone piggy. it was a bit of a snap decision despite reassurances she would be ok alone. I couldn't bear her being sad. I'm weak I suppose!

We have them all in the indoor cage but keeping the newbies on a separate floor from our lone pig. Have attached some photos! They're quite young so hoping our three year old will mother them a little and no fights will ensue!

70isalimit Sorry I forgot to say sorry to hear about about your piggy who was also PTS. And the same to all those whose pets have passed on.

Oooh lovely piggies Guineas
It is so weird to have new pigs especially if they are babies when you are used to handling sedate lardy adults. And you miss the pig who has gone while welcoming the new shy nervous ones .

Is your original piggie taking notice of them. It's funny when they sneak out to have a look and a sniff.

I put my two in the C&C with a divider (they've been side-by-side) the boar was in his own cage next to the C&C so they could still chat.
It's quite sad for him, I know he really wanted to be with them (he had 2 wives before) but they (well GP8 ) didn't.

So there will be a Bonding, A Wedding and 2 Funerals going on. Sounds like a film

Have you picked names ? I love their coats especially the little "T" shape on the Dalmationy girls head .

70isa. They are Cookie and Molly!
We have a two storey indoor cage so have put the new ones at the bottom and the older guinea at the top with the stairs blocked off. Plan to give them 2-3 days to settle in then slowly introduce them. I hope our lone can hear there are friends down stairs meanwhile. I imagine she will be pining.

I have 3 piggies, but have had to separate 1 as she kept getting bitten. They live in a 2 storey cage so can hear and smell each other. Lone piggie seems quite content and is much friendlier than the other 2, but I do make more fuss of her as she is on her own.