[Gpdd] MISC: bonded piggies?

[ME]

Since I have a group of them living together (now just five, though  
I've had up to eight ... I think six is a nice number), most of mine  
aren't bonded strictly to one ... so they do fine after a death.  One  
of mine was spooked by Liberty's passing last month, but after  
cuddles and reassurance from me, she did alright.  The only time I  
had one that didn't seem to do so well was my diabetic guinea pig,  
Viola.  She was blind from cataracts, so another pig, Truffles, was  
basically her eyes.  The two were unseparable.  When Truffles passed  
away (she was 7), Viola seemed lost ... and passed away about a month  
later.  It may have been a coincidence, though, since Viola was 5.5  
years old.  My vet was surprised she lived so long with diabetes  
(diagnosed just after her first birthday).

I would think she'd probably do just fine if you spent lots of time  
with her ... they do need companionship, whether piggie or human.   
Before 1995, I just had solo pigs ... but I started working more out  
of the home, so I got a friend to keep her company (and then  
another ... and so on ... it's been a long time since I've had fewer  
than four).  I really enjoy watching how they interact with one  
another.  And I've found it doesn't affect how close they get to  
me ... that's just dependent on their personality.