The social welfare needs of guinea pigs and why solitary housing causes significant distress in this highly social species.
Guinea pig social welfare is a fundamental and often underappreciated welfare need. These are highly social animals that in the wild live in groups and use complex vocalisations for communication. Solitary keeping causes chronic psychological distress that manifests as abnormal behaviour, reduced activity, and higher disease susceptibility. Species-appropriate housing requires social companions as a baseline welfare provision.