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My guinea pig is depressed. How do I introduce a new cagemate?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Other | Unknown - Other | Female

One of my guinea pigs died a week ago and my alive piggy seems depressed so I want to get her a cagemate.We are worried however how she will react to a new piggy in her home.My 2 piggys were really close(I could only pet the one that's alive if I picked up/pet the one who died first).dont have enough room in my house to build another cage if the 2 don't get along, my parents don't want to risk it but she looks sad(just lays in her cage)should I get a friend/how can I make sure they'll get along?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

Veterinarian

Published on April 28th, 2017

You may want to consider getting Twinky checked out by a veterinarian. Depression and lethargy can sometimes be a sign of an underlying medical condition. I am not sure why your other guinea pig passed away but if there is any possibility that there may have been an infection, there is a possibility that Twinky may have contracted the same illness. If Twinky gets a clean bill of health from your veterinarian, then it will be safe for you to get another piggy mate for her.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I am sorry to hear about what happened, and also sorry to hear that Twinky isn't feeling so great. Rodents definitely bond to one another just like dogs and cats do. I would agree that they tend to do better and act more normally in pairs than they do alone. I would also agree that slow introduction is very important if you would like to have a successful transition. While I understand you don't have a lot of space, perhaps you can keep the new guinea in something like a cat carrier just for a couple of days. I would keep it next to Twinky's cage so that they can smell one another and possibly even touch one another through the opening in each enclosure. I would do this for 2-3 days, and then start having supervised sessions outside the cage to see how things go. After several successful supervised sessions, I would consider placing them in the cage together to see how things go. There are obviously no guarantees that they will get along, but typically what I have described is usually the best bet. I would also consider taking some of the used bedding material in Twinky's cage and placing it in the cat carrier. This will give the new pig a nice introduction to Twinky's smell.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 16th, 2018

    Guinea pigs live in colonies and feel safer and happier when they have other guinea pigs living with them. I would get him another guinea pig companion, so he has someone to talk to and interact with.

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