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2 Deaths :(

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cattyniccy

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I am a new guinea pig owner, but I like to think I've done my research. We own a pet shop and they have all the best - constant supply of timothy hay, lots of warm bedding and houses within their 2 tier hutch, a hutch cover, sheltered corner situation with high walls around 3 sides of the cage, the best food, and I am careful with just giving them handfuls of grass and other greens in small quantities as they are only babies. I have had 4 now, 2 at the beginning and 1 died, then I got another 2 and another 1 died, leaving me with one of the original 2 and one of the original new 2....I can't understand what has gone wrong twice and am always feeling paranoid! We get our pigs from a good breeder, and like I say out of the 4 I have had 2 have been fine and are healthy and happy and all been treated in the same way. There has been no prior warning, one minute fine and the next found dead :( can they die of shock if say a fox comes passed them or something? Or any other thoughts? I'm hoping I just had bad luck and these 2 will be fine but I do worry! Its not an option to have them in our house as we have 3 dogs and it just wouldn't work and with how they ar housed it should be very snuggly for them for it to not be the cold.
 
Welcome to the forum, am so sorry for your losses. What were the timescales involved?
 
Both within about a month of me getting them :( just as they were starting to get a bit tamer from my handling lots!
 
:( Very sorry to hear of your losses. Yes, I think piggies can die of shock. Do you get foxes in your area? It sounds like the two that you lost might have had a health problem of some sort.
 
I am wondering if there was some kind of underlying health problem too, especially as they both came from the same place. Have you spoken to a vet about it at all? do the remaining 2 seem healthy? A heart attack can happen at any time but am just trying to see if there is a pattern.
 
I'm sorry to hear you have lost some of your guinea pigs.
Helen is one of our health and illness experts so will help you.



I will just throw some ideas in for you to think about

I notice you have been feeding your guinea pigs grass - and that you own dogs. Are you aware that dog urine is poisonous to guinea pigs ?
I would also think about their diet - are you feeding them a similar diet to where they came from?


Would you be willing to take your guinea pigs to a vet for a health check up ?
 
:O no unaware of dog wee being poisonous to them :( oh god i wonder if that was it....maybe I gave them handfuls of grass and the pigs who died ate it and the ones who haven't didn't. I don't think its the breeders as their reputation and history is good. As for food we feed them what they are used to but are moving them onto a nugget food rather than a mix as they kept picking at the green bits and leaving the other bits and I was worried they weren't getting what they needed, but to be honest one of them died before this change.
Have spoken to a vet who can't see a problem with what I have done so far :( the first one did have a wet bum when it died? remaining 2 are more than healthy :D but the previous 2 were too then suddenly died :(
 
Nuggets are better than museli so you are wise to change over - gradually. The grass could have been the problem . I think you should go ahead with a vet check anyway - just to be on the safe side
 
PiggyOwner said:
Nuggets are better than museli so you are wise to change over - gradually. The grass could have been the problem . I think you should go ahead with a vet check anyway - just to be on the safe side
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Yes still changing now a couple of weeks later!
I had the remaining one checked after the first one died and she was fine :( I don't get it! Except the dog wee grass, is it fresh dog wee or old? I'll only pick from where they don't go now!
 
cattyniccy said:
Yes still changing now a couple of weeks later!
I had the remaining one checked after the first one died and she was fine :( I don't get it! Except the dog wee grass, is it fresh dog wee or old? I'll only pick from where they don't go now!
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Definitely fresh dog wee - I'm not sure about old - but wouldn't take the risk.
 
I would love to see the scientific proof of urine being poisonous!! Where did this come from?
 
Yes I read it there, but where is the scientific backing that produced the idea in the first place - just curious as I cannot imagine what chemical in urine is meant to be the poisonous one! Be a bit tricky if all herbivores had problems with urine on their grass!

Just my scientific side kicking in when I come across a new proposal!
 
Bluebell said:
Yes I read it there, but where is the scientific backing that produced the idea in the first place - just curious as I cannot imagine what chemical in urine is meant to be the poisonous one! Be a bit tricky if all herbivores had problems with urine on their grass!

Just my scientific side kicking in when I come across a new proposal!
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I suggest we wait until Wiebke is fully back and ask for more info
 
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