Guinea pigs and company

[Nousernameforme]

Its well know that guinea pigs are social creatures and need company. But what happens if there is only one piggy left. Can you mix them from litters. Or if you can get a couple what if they really dont get on. What can you do other than seperate them?

Is there ever a way where a guinea pig would be happy being an only.

I was in pets at home today and saw a lone one in the adoption centre. I cant help him unfortunately but i did wonder about what could be done in that circumstance

Hi, we've mixed a few times usually due to one piggy dying leaving a lonely one behind. I've only ever had females & when introducing another adult there's a bit of jostling while they work out a natural hierarchy but it always settled down over a couple of weeks leading to a life long friendship. (I do think it can be trickier with males but never had any.) I also put a baby guinea in with a lonely, timid pig & there were absolutely no problems, she seemed to take over as a replacement mum & they were inseparable. I almost can't go into pet shops as I feel so sorry for the loners. We always used a rescue centre for ours, if there's anywhere near you they'd be able to advise. Ours insisted on you bringing your guinea to meet any potential friends so you could see if there were any immediate problems. Guinea pig life is the best, I'd have loads if I had the room!

I've blended and bonded over the years, had sucesses and failures.

I bonded a piglet boar with a bereaved adult.

2 sows with a boar we had neutered.
New boar with the sows when the other boar died .

A doddle , I thought .........until I met GP8

We had a trio ( 2 sows+ boar) , got 2 more sows.
They would not bond .

We kept a 3+2 set up.
The older sows died , we tried to bond the boar ...GP8 had none of it.
He stayed side-by-side for 18 months, till GP8 died.

We bonded the boar+ remaining sow , they had a couple of months of marred life till he died .

We now have one girl. She was tricky to bond with him, and was sometimes snippy with GP8 .
So we're keeping her indoors (she's near DD room and there's no door on the piggies bedroom )

Our boar was very rumbly living next door to them , he had his own space and often slept next to the divider (we could tell by the pooh pile) . We used to give him a little cardboard box of hay next to the bars so he could sleep there and chat to them.

But we couldn't put him with GP8 for his own safety , she literally went for him, I have never seen such viciousness in a piggie. (we tried a few times them admitted defeat)
GP8 was the sweetest little animal otherwise .

Its reassuring that they can and will mix with others. There is hope for the little guy yet.

We are a few years off being able to have our own pigs we rent and landlord says no more pets we have a cat and a 4 year old who although he tries would be too enthusiastic with little creatures. But one day.

Our GP1 was a lone boar in the rescue bit at Pets at Home. I took him, got him neutered and he easily bonded with a sow from a proper rescue. He was in heaven.