Can one piggie be happy?

Question
Our pet piggie just died (I believe from kidney problems) and wanted to replace it.  The problem is I keep reading that to have a truly happy piggie you need more than one but the cavy cage we have is only big enough for one and that's all the room we have.  Our last piggie did seem bored at times even though I tried to spend a lot of time with him once I got home from work.  Would you know how much time I need to spend with one piggie per day to keep it from being bored?  Also, I have a diet question....after our piggie died, I researched into kidney problems and found an article stating that you should only feed piggies one small feeding of fresh food a day because fresh food can cause kidney problems because piggies won't drink as much fresh water as they should when they get a lot of fresh foods.  I used to feed our piggie a variety of fresh foods every day but now I don't know if that is a good thing.  Also, I have read where lettuce and tomatos are good and then I have read they are not.  Do you know what are healthy fresh foods to feed little piggies and how much per day?  I know this is a long note, but thanks in advance for all your help.
Pat

Answer
Patricia -

I tend to be one of the minority here.  Guinea pigs are okay alone.  Yes, they are social animals.  Yes, they are happiest in a group.  But no, they will not pine away to nothing or be miserable (or incredibly bored) if they are alone.  In fact, I usually only have one animal as a house pet, and I've never noticed that she seems bored - although she does have my cat to keep her company.  :)

As for diet, I will say this about lettuce - it is an okay food to feed a guinea pig, but its all water, and really has no nutritional value.  I recommend foods like spinach, apples, oranges, bananas (if you can get your guinea pig to eat them), cucumbers, green peppers, carrots, timothy hay, green beans, etc.  The one family of foods you want to stay away from is members of the cabbage family - things like cabbage itself, cauliflower, broccoli, chinese cabbage, rhubarb.  These can cause severe intestinal problems for guinea pigs.

When do you feed them and how much?  I usually feed my house guinea pig a small amount twice a day.  That way she is sure to get enough of her alfalfa pellets, but plenty of nutrients from her fresh foods, as well.  I wouldn't go more often than this, though - you don't want a fat guinea pig!

Hope this is helpful.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me again!  Good luck!

Lorena