What to do when one guinea pig dies

Unfortunately, the time may inevitably come when your guinea pig’s companion/s pass away and they are then living by themselves. At this time, you may have many questions about what you can do to keep your guinea pig content and happy, as well as having questions about why their behaviour may have changed.

What should I do?

It’s important to monitor your guinea pig closely after they have lost a companion. Some guinea pigs can get depressed if they are left by themselves when their companion passes away and it could lead to them not eating and drinking. If this happens, they seem lethargic or they just don’t seem quite right, take them to your guinea pig friendly vet as soon as possible. Small pets like guinea pigs can go downhill very quickly if they stop eating and drinking, so it’s important to act straight away if you notice something is not right.

Will their behaviour change?

After losing a companion, you may notice that your guinea pig becomes much quieter than they were before, as well as a few other changes:

• They will naturally become less vocal without a companion as they no longer have another guinea pig to talk to.
• Your guinea pig may become a bit more reserved, less confident, more easily spooked or more nervous. As they are a prey species, they feel safer being with others of their own kind and living by themselves can be unsettling for them.
• You may find that they are less active than normal, as they don’t have a companion to follow around and play with.

Can guinea pigs live alone?

Guinea pigs are a social species; they thrive when living with other guinea pigs. In the wild, they live in herds, helping them to feel safer from any potential threats – safety in numbers. Our pet guinea pigs are no different. As well as feeling safe and secure, you will notice that when they live in bonded pairs or groups, that they will:

• Follow one another around
• Explore their enclosure space together
• Sleep and eat together
• Be quite vocal – you will hear them make a range of different noises when ‘talking’ to one another

When you have a guinea pig living alone, you will usually notice the opposite of this – moving around and exploring less, hiding away more/becoming more fearful, and being a lot less vocal.

To ensure they are living their best life, every guinea pig should have at least one companion – you can find out the best pairings and groupings for guinea pigs in this article. If you are looking to find a friend or two for your guinea pig, Woodgreen may be able to help! We offer a mixing service, as well as support and advice on how to introduce your guinea pig to a potential guinea pig friend if you choose to do it at home.

Inevitably, there may come the time when you have an older guinea pig who is by themselves, and you may want or need to stop the cycle of owning guinea pigs. Rescue centres like Woodgreen may be able to help you find a friend of a similar age for your guinea pig. Alternatively, they may even be able to find a new home for them to live out their retirement years with other guinea pig friends for company.

You may also be questioning whether finding a companion is right for your guinea pig depending on their age and health. Mixing can be a stressful process, so it would be worth having your guinea pig checked over by a vet to see if they are fit and well for mixing. You will also need to consider their age – guinea pigs can live to be around 8 years old, so how long could they end up living alone for if they didn’t have another companion

What can I do to help my guinea pig?

The thing that will help your guinea pig the most will be to find a suitable guinea pig companion for them as and when you are ready. Unfortunately, human company cannot replace the 24/7 companionship that they get with another guinea pig. Contact a rescue centre like Woodgreen to see if they can help you find a suitable friend for your guinea pig.

In the meantime, you can also do the following:

• Make sure your small pet has lots of hiding spaces around their enclosure. This will help them in feeling more safe and secure if they have a hiding space close by that they can retreat to if they get scared or spooked by something.
• Ensure they have plenty of bedding to help keep them warm – in particular over the colder months.
• Keep to their normal routine.
• If possible, try to spend a bit more time with them like hand feeding and giving them extra fuss and attention.
• Scatter their food around their enclosure or use puzzle feeders for their dried food rather than feeding them from a bowl. This will encourage them to move around and explore a bit more.
• Add more toys and boredom breakers into their enclosure to keep them occupied.