12 Common Guinea Pig Lonely Signs You Should Know
As a good guinea pig owner, it is important to note some common guinea pig lonely signs as it will help your guinea pig live happier.
Most guinea pigs hate living alone as guinea pigs are social animals so living alone is actually one of the things guinea pigs hate.
That being said, let’s discuss some of the most common guinea pig lonely signs you should always look out for.
Guinea pig lonely signs
The following are some of the most common guinea pig lonely signs you should always look out for:
1. Constantly seeking attention
Constantly seeking the owner’s attention is one of the most common guinea pig lonely signs you should know.
Guinea pigs are social species and prefer to live in groups and when you keep one alone then he or she will depend on you for all his, or he needs.
Even though there are many ways to keep a single guinea pig happy, I don’t recommend having one guinea pig alone.
You should make sure you keep the same gender as a guinea pig to avoid unnecessary breeding.
When your guinea pig starts seeking attention more than require it is important to evaluate their condition to see if they are lonely.
2. Lack of exercise
Guinea pigs sleep a little like 4 to 5 hours daily the rest of the day is either they are resting or playing in their cage.
They are active pets which means they love to play and exercise themselves a lot.
When guinea pigs get lonely they tend to stay away from their normal exercise routine and this is easy to point out.
They will try to avoid their play toys, and also you won’t find them entertaining like usual.
When your guinea pig starts disassociating herself from her usual exercise routine, two things that you should consider are loneliness or sickness.
3. Loss of appetite
Lonely guinea pigs are more likely to have a decreased appetite or perhaps refuse meals altogether.
Because guinea pigs are foragers by nature, this is exceedingly harmful to the guinea pigs.
This indicates that they have a predisposition to look for food and consume it throughout the day.
Your guinea pig will begin to lose weight if they lose their appetite, and continued weight loss is dangerous to their health and may be deadly.
Even while a declining mental condition is not usually the cause of a declining appetite, it is never a good indicator.
These once-active creatures will become weak from a lack of food, which will make them sluggish and unwell.
4. Lack of interest in anything
A lonely guinea pig will stop talking to its owners and will also hide and act sluggishly.
When guinea pigs are joyful or in need of anything, they will communicate with their owners through a variety of vocalizations.
Since they are sociable creatures, guinea pigs do interact verbally and physically with their cage mates.
They are also curious to talk to their masters, yet this tendency will alter if they get lonely.
A lonely guinea pig, however, has little interest in interacting with others.
They’ll flee and withdraw into a corner, hiding from everyone.
5. Trying to escape
Trying to escape from their cages is one of the most common guinea pig lonely signs you should know.
A lonely guinea pig frequently exhibits heightened stress, particularly if it is experiencing companion grief.
Do your utmost to calm your pet and remove any stresses if there is a rapid environmental change or if you think it is stressed out a lot.
If you find out your guinea pig is always trying to escape pay more attention because guinea pigs are escape artists.
6. Chewing on the cage
When guinea pigs feel lonely, agitated, or unhappy, they have a propensity to gnaw on objects.
When cats become lonely, you’ll notice that they start chewing on their food bowls, toys, and anything else they can get their hands on.
However, a guinea pig that is alone and sad could exhibit exaggerated indications of hostility.
If we try to interact with them, they are more prone to fight and bite their cage mates or even their owners.
7. Hiding and acting lethargic
When guinea pigs feel lonely, stressed out, or afraid, they do have a tendency to hide.
However, a sad and lonely guinea pig could remain hidden for several hours without moving.
They may do nothing except sit in a corner or even sleep for extended periods of time.
A guinea pig’s natural tendency is to hide when they are terrified or uninformed about their surroundings.
However, they may also become withdrawn and hide in the cage’s corner out of loneliness and melancholy.
8. Excessively grooming
When guinea pigs are bored or stressed, they frequently over-groom.
Guinea pigs who are lonely and depressed will over-groom either themselves or their cage mates.
However, if your guinea pig is sad, anxious, or lonely, they could over-groom themselves.
You should watch carefully for over-grooming because this might further result in bald spots in their fur.
Some bald spots on their bodies and fur that have fallen out all around their cages are indications of over-grooming.
9. Sleeping a lot
You already know that guinea pigs don’t sleep for long they rest most of the time.
When your active guinea pig starts to sleep longer than usual then two things should come to mind.
It is either your guinea pig is lonely or your guinea pig is showing signs of illness.
Read more: 9 Most Common Signs Your Guinea Pig Is Dying.
10. Change in demeanor
Another common guinea pig lonely signs you should know is the total change in your guinea pig’s demeanor.
When your guinea pig keeps acting funny you should check for other guinea pig lonely signs.
Because they are sociable creatures, guinea pigs do interact verbally and physically with their cage mates.
Although they are also curious to talk to their owners, when they start to feel lonely, things might change.
It’s crucial to remember that a lonely, melancholy guinea pig has little interest in making new friends.
They will flee and withdraw into a corner, refusing to interact with others or play.
12. Unnecessary shivering and freezing
Several factors might be causing your guinea pig to shiver, but loneliness, fear, and disease are three of the most common ones.
As this behavior is frequently observed following a wash, it may also indicate that your pet is chilled.
Only after getting out of a bath should your guinea pig be moist. Hairdryers should be used sparingly on wet guinea pigs.
Keep the barrel rolling, set the heat to a low level, and stay away from the guinea pigs’ ears since they burn quickly.
Another sign of the disease is shivering. It is highly likely that your guinea pig requires immediate medical assistance if it is shivering and seems listless.
Unnecessary freezing in guinea pigs can also be caused by loneliness.
