My guinea pig gave birth 4 days ago to 5 babies, one of them was born weighing only 41g which rapidly dropped to 34g, we are pretty sure he was blind in one eye and were awaiting vets, we were syringe feeding him every 1.5 hours, but the last couple days, he kept having it where he would go floppy and unresponsive, then he would have a feed and would perk up and be running around, ive been that tired i accidentally fell asleep before setting my 1.5 hour alarms, i woke up and it had been 5 hours, i ran to him as soon as i woke up and he was again floppy, not much life, i sat with him for an hour and a half trying to get him to feed and to warm him up (he was by himself alot, he would try to join the group but with being the runt alongside struggling with his sight, he was often by himself and would require me putting him with his mum and brothers and sisters), he took a small amount of food but in the final 20minutes he was having rapid and repeated seizures that wouldnt stop and i was trying to calm him down and soothe him, but i couldnt stop them and he has now passed at 4 and a half days old, i am completely beating myself up, i havent stopped crying, i cannot believe i fell asleep, is it my fault? Is the lack of food for 5 hours what caused this, i am sat sobbing and unsure how to tell my 5 year old son when he wakes up that Dinkie is gone, i feel so lost
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Cause of death-is it my fault?
- Thread starter Ez1999
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- baby dead guinea seizure
I’m so sorry to hear this.
You did not do anything wrong, it isn’t your fault.
At only 41g this baby was sadly unlikely to survive and was right at the lower limit of a survivable birth weight. There sounds to be some serious health issues with this baby and with so many pups and if mum wasn’t feeding him then she knew he was not likely to survive.
Please don’t blame yourself.
This guide below explains a little more about birth weights and the situation
Hand-rearing-and-support-feeding-orphans-and-tiny-babies.
You did not do anything wrong, it isn’t your fault.
At only 41g this baby was sadly unlikely to survive and was right at the lower limit of a survivable birth weight. There sounds to be some serious health issues with this baby and with so many pups and if mum wasn’t feeding him then she knew he was not likely to survive.
Please don’t blame yourself.
This guide below explains a little more about birth weights and the situation
Hand-rearing-and-support-feeding-orphans-and-tiny-babies.
Hi and welcome
BIG HUGS
I am very sorry for your loss. The babies that stumble into life only to stumble out of it again are generally the losses hardest to cope with.
Try to take consolation in that you have tried your best against the odds and that Dinkie has only known love in their short life. Please be kind with yourself. Feelings of guilt and failure are part and parcel of the start of the grieving process with any being in our care but they can be so much stronger in rather fraught circumstances or after a traumatic experience.
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Dinkie was sadly right at the very bottom end of the survivable birth weight. Were they being nursed by her mum or not?
Even for the most experienced carers there is never guarantee that it comes off; especially if a genetic issue is in play. Being blind in one eye rather points towards that Dinkie may not have had the best genetic background and was sadly one of the unlucky ones pulling a short straw in the cosmic lottery. Since babies do not yet have working immune system or any body mass, they can downhill extremely quickly and it doesn't take much at all. You can only ever try your best and feel truly blessed if it comes off.
Unfortunately, even with the best of care about every 5th birth involves fatalities of both pups and/or the mother; in less favourable circumstances the fail rate can be much higher. The larger a litter the more likely it is that unequal access to nutrition in the womb will cause one or more pups to be noticeably smaller and the risk of fatalities in pups increases with size of a litter. 5-6 pups are at the upper end for a first litter.
You will find any breeders forum or group littered with dead pups and mothers, and even our co urtesy section to support owners finding themselves with a pregnancy or surprise babies not of their making has sadly got its fair share - and we are generally dealing with owners providing good care.
If you think it would help you and your children, you are welcome to post a little tribute to Dinkie in our Rainbow Bridge section to formally mark their life - however short - and your own love.
Rainbow Bridge Pets
BIG HUGS
I am very sorry for your loss. The babies that stumble into life only to stumble out of it again are generally the losses hardest to cope with.
Try to take consolation in that you have tried your best against the odds and that Dinkie has only known love in their short life. Please be kind with yourself. Feelings of guilt and failure are part and parcel of the start of the grieving process with any being in our care but they can be so much stronger in rather fraught circumstances or after a traumatic experience.
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Dinkie was sadly right at the very bottom end of the survivable birth weight. Were they being nursed by her mum or not?
Even for the most experienced carers there is never guarantee that it comes off; especially if a genetic issue is in play. Being blind in one eye rather points towards that Dinkie may not have had the best genetic background and was sadly one of the unlucky ones pulling a short straw in the cosmic lottery. Since babies do not yet have working immune system or any body mass, they can downhill extremely quickly and it doesn't take much at all. You can only ever try your best and feel truly blessed if it comes off.
Unfortunately, even with the best of care about every 5th birth involves fatalities of both pups and/or the mother; in less favourable circumstances the fail rate can be much higher. The larger a litter the more likely it is that unequal access to nutrition in the womb will cause one or more pups to be noticeably smaller and the risk of fatalities in pups increases with size of a litter. 5-6 pups are at the upper end for a first litter.
You will find any breeders forum or group littered with dead pups and mothers, and even our co urtesy section to support owners finding themselves with a pregnancy or surprise babies not of their making has sadly got its fair share - and we are generally dealing with owners providing good care.
If you think it would help you and your children, you are welcome to post a little tribute to Dinkie in our Rainbow Bridge section to formally mark their life - however short - and your own love.
Rainbow Bridge Pets