Making sure your guinea pig is happy starts with the cage set up. Whatever the reasons, if you find yourself with one guinea pig, there are a few things you need to do to ensure it is happy and healthy and has everything it needs to thrive in its environment. What Can I Do To Keep My Guinea Pig Happy? You will also need to spend a lot more time with it and give it loads of attention.
Take note, though, rather than keeping a guinea pig on its own in a hutch outside, we recommend housing it indoors, preferably in a room where there are people. More often than not, it is usually a rescue piggy that has experienced some kind of trauma, is particularly aggressive, or has been raised as a single pet. There are always exceptions to the rule, and in some cases, it is okay to keep a guinea pig on its own. So keep an eye on your piggy for signs of loneliness, depression and boredom. Of course, every guinea pig is different and if a male was bonded to its hutch mate, suddenly finding itself alone could prove too stressful. If this happens, it is essential to remember that sows, or females, enjoy being with other guinea pigs, while a male or boar can be pretty content on its own. There are circumstances where you may be left with just one guinea pig. Two or more guinea pigs will forage and explore the hutch, chase each other and if you’re lucky, popcorn together. This sedentary lifestyle can lead to all sorts of health problems, including obesity and diabetes and can even affect its mental health. An increase in physical activityĪ guinea pig on its own is less active and tends to spend most of the day in its hideout. While there may be no real danger for guinea pigs in a secure hutch, they will still warn their piggy pals when they feel threatened or scared. A cavy will alert the herd to potential predators and huddle close together for safety in the wild.
This is because guinea pigs are prey animals and depend on each other for survival. Living as a pair or in a group helps decrease a guinea pig’s stress levels. When this happens, the bonded cavies will take care of each other throughout their lives, well into their senior years. And in some cases, two piggies may even form a close bond. In the same way, your family looks out for each other, so do guinea pigs in a pair or a group. Other reasons for keeping them in pairs or as a group include: The opportunity to form close bonds with other guinea pigs Without a piggy friend, a single guinea pig is likely to develop physical, mental and behavioural issues. Rescue centres and veterinary experts, on the other hand, always recommend keeping two or more guinea pigs together.Īs we have already mentioned, guinea pigs are social animals and need to be with other guinea pigs. Often, if you are getting your guinea pig from a pet shop, they will happily sell you a single piggy. It can be confusing with all the conflicting information out there.
How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Is Lonely? If you have space for more, however, then all the better. Of course, it isn’t always practical to have that many as pets, but we recommend housing at least two guinea pigs together. Do I Need 2 Guinea Pigs?Īs already mentioned, guinea pigs thrive in groups of 10 or more in the wild. While you won’t be breaking any laws owning a single piggy here in the UK, we strongly recommend you don’t.Ĭarry on reading to find out why you should never keep a guinea pig on its own. So much so that it’s considered illegal to own just one piggy in Switzerland.
It also has a negative impact on its physical well-being. Guinea pigs who live alone will experience loneliness, boredom and more than likely develop behavioural problems. In their natural habitat, guinea pigs are incredibly social little animals and live in muddles of 10 or more. Rather than asking if they can live alone, we prefer the question ‘should guinea pigs live alone?’ And the answer to that quite simply is no. Guinea pigs, especially boars, or males, can live alone, but it isn’t necessarily the best-case scenario. While the question ‘can guinea pigs live alone’ is pretty straightforward, the answer to that is a little more complicated.
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