Guinea pigs are highly social herd animals whose welfare is severely compromised by solitary housing — a practice still common and even recommended in some countries.
Guinea pigs are profoundly social animals for whom isolation is a form of chronic suffering. Their vocal repertoire, social bonding behaviour and stress responses in isolation all indicate that conspecific companionship is not a luxury but a necessity. The Swiss legal approach — banning solitary keeping — reflects this scientific reality. In most countries, solitary guinea pig keeping remains common and even normalised. Changing this requires better pre-sale welfare information, retailer policies requiring pair sales, and public education about guinea pig social needs. Meeting these needs is inexpensive and dramatically improves quality of life.