Guinea Pigs: Safety in Numbers

Some of the questions many people ask when buying/adopting guinea pigs are "How many guinea pigs should I buy?" "Will my guinea pig be happy alone?" and "Does my guinea pig need a friend?" because many people often don't realise the importance of keeping guinea pigs in pairs or groups.

Guinea pigs are herd animals. They are very sociable creatures and love the company of other guinea pigs. They can also love the company of humans once they are tame but this can depend on the individual animal. There are rare cases of guinea pigs that prefer their own company and don't get on well with other piggies but this is often not the case.

I kept my first guinea pig (Peppa) on her own for about a month while looking for the right companion for her. She got lots of love and attention every day and seemed happy enough. When I finally found the right guinea pig to accompany her, my second piggy (Mo) I was nervous about introducing them. I was worried that introducing her to another guinea pig may affect the bond I had with her. I have heard of other people having this concern when introducing a new guinea pig to their existing animals' home.
I realised very quickly that Peppa loved the company of the new guinea pig. Once they got past the introduction, they hit it off very quickly and built a strong bond. The introduction of the new piggy did not affect my bond with Peppa at all and I built a bond with Mo just as easily as I had with Peppa.

Peppa (left) and Teddy (right)

My third guinea pig, Teddy, was an unexpected addition to the group. I worried that she would be rejected by the already bonded pair and that it could potentially change the dynamic in the cage. However, I made sure to properly introduce the third, just as I had with my second, and they have become a close-knit group of piggies.

After introducing a second, and then a third guinea pig to my group, I saw a change in the behaviour of my first piggie. She seemed much happier than she had been on her own and became a lot more confident.

It's actually suggested that keeping guinea pigs in groups raises their confidence and therefore means they bond with their owners more easily than if they had been kept alone. This is because guinea pigs, being herd animals naturally, feel safety in numbers. Guinea pigs, when kept alone, can become very lonely and stressed, causing all kinds of problems for them.
You also have an opportunity to see behaviours in groups of guinea pigs that you wouldn't normally get to see when keeping them individually. Guinea pigs are always interacting with each other, communicating and playing games like "follow the leader."
Obviously it is advised that you keep guinea pigs in same sex groups to avoid unwanted breeding.
You should also make sure you have enough room for each guinea pig so that they have their own space.

In my opinion, it is incredibly important and beneficial to the life of the guinea pig that they don't live alone.