# Argh! You can't have one!



## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

Ok so at work I have to work in the photo area from time to time. This includes glancing through people's pictures to check for copyright issues. (something few people grasp but thats a whole other issue!) well once in a while I see people printing pet pictures, and occationally a guinea pig pops up. As a crazy guinea pig lady I LOVE to see other people with pigs. Especially those who like them enough to take and print pictures. But this is where the issue starts. Only once have I ever seen someone who had more then one guinea pig. Only once. Guinea pigs, for those who don't know, are very social animals and should almost never be kept alone. Even on the rare chance you have a pig agressive pig it's still recommended they have a "grid buddy". I have a blind boy who attacks any other pig but if you move his cage so it isn't right beside one of the other cages he gets very upset and will yell and scream looking for his friends. They are almost as social as rats, for a point of reference. I get so annoyed, I had one such order tonight and almost put a note in the envelope but I know that is not professional and I am pretty sure I'd get in trouble. Xp ugh sometimes i just wish I could sit people down. I mean I am no expert but heck just google guinea pig and the first thing is almost alwas "best kept in pairs"! Just had to rant somewhere.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

I think its illegel somewhere to keep them single. Probably overseas (not america where I'm fro)


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## abratforarat (Jan 12, 2014)

That's just not right???


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

Maybe it was just a photo of one of their guinea pigs? Most of my pictures are of them separately only a few of them in the same picture.


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

It's illegal in Switzerland, to my knowledge, Zabora  All social animals in Switzerland have to be kept in pairs or more, though I'm not sure how it's enforced or anything like that.

But it should be illegal everywhere. But, as someone who was young and foolish once, I certainly had only one guinea pig at a time. I feel so bad about this now, but guinea pigs aren't exactly tiny and neither are their cages. Many consider them "starter pets", and many assume that starter pets can be kept alone. Pet stores almost never encourage or even ask potential buyers to buy more than one of any social animal - and, even worse, they'll keep animals who shouldn't be kept together - like syrian hamsters - together and not discourage people from buying them together. 

It's just that people are uneducated and they rely completely on pet stores, whose employees are often uneducated themselves, to tell them exactly how to care for their new pet when they purchase it.


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## thatprettyarcanine (Aug 16, 2014)

My mom and I only had one guinea pig. I was about 4 years old when we adopted him. He had been the runt of a litter and wasn't treated very well by his other cage mates. 

We never got him a friend. He was out all the time with us. I'd keep him out when I was watching TV and he sat next to me on the couch or my lap for hours at a time and he'd sleep, sometimes nibble on a banana or else he'd squeek in protest if I didn't give him any. My brought brought him to work quite a bit. We brought him on vacations a few times as well. (This was when I lived in upstate NY). We would travel down to Georgia or Florida on occasion. I had made him a little maze that had a tiny fruit salad at the end of it for him. After a while he had memorized it and went straight to the fruit every time. He only ever had to go to the vet once because he stopped drinking water for 3 days. My mom had given him celery. The vet said he was fine and perfectly hydrated from all the celery.

He died eventually at 6 and a half years old. I felt he had a great life, but if I were to ever get another guinea pig, I'd probably get two.

My mom and I are a little bit smarter now with animals since we've owned quite a few more since then.


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