Advice please

[Bloxilla]

Until today we had two lovely male piggies from the same litter, around two years old. Earlier I unexpectedly found one of the pigs has died which has been a complete shock. He showed no signs of illness, except maybe in the last day or two he has not been so quick to get his food.

I don’t know what has caused it and am worried about our other pig who is quite upset understandably. My child is also distraught and wants a new pig as soon as possible.

My main question is if anyone has advice about how to go about getting another pig, and the timing of this. Also if anyone has had a Guinea pig die suddenly, did you have any ideas as to why it happened? Thankyou

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry for your loss. A sudden loss is always hard to deal with.

Hay is their main food intake but intake can’t be gauged by eye but it is also the first food group to be dropped when a piggy is feeling unwell. So by the time they stop coming for other food so quickly, they often haven’t been eating enough hay for a little while. The weekly weight checks are very important to spot drops in hay intake but equally major illnesses such as bloat can come out of the blue and can sadly be fatal within a matter of hours.
I’m afraid the only way to know what actually happened would be to have a post mortem done and see if that sheds any light on it.

Most piggies are ok for a couple of weeks on their own. However As it is an unexplained passing, we would advise that you switch to daily weight checks for your other piggy but put him in two weeks quarantine to ensure he doesn’t show any signs of illness. Step in with syringe feeding if he loses weight and see a vet if he does show any signs of illness.

After that, it is best to get in touch with a rescue centre and get their help in finding a character compatible friend for him.

I’ve added some guides below to hope further in looking after him in the meantime

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

 

[Bloxilla]

Thankyou for your advice and these links. This is really helpful. I’m just trying to process it and get to grips with it. The information you’ve sent is really thorough and I’ll keep going over it.

About 1-2 months ago I switched from using fleeces to wood shavings and small animal litter pellets from Pets at Home. I’ve just read the wood shavings can be unsafe due to the scented smell and I’m worried that could have contributed. I got the g pigs from the same place and never would have thought products from there could do harm. Have you heard if they are safe? Thanks

 

[Truffolo]

Sorry to hear of your loss. RIP little one

 

[hana<3pigs]

Oh no, losing piggies is heartbreaking. Sending lots of care and support your way.
Two of my pigs suddenly passed away in June and July, and I was left with my youngest senior sow. I quickly bought her to the vet for a thorough health check to rule out any illness, and once I was given the all clear I started getting ready to bring a foster pig home. My girl was on her own for 2 months, and I think that's kind of the absolute limit for pigs.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thankyou for your advice and these links. This is really helpful. I’m just trying to process it and get to grips with it. The information you’ve sent is really thorough and I’ll keep going over it.

About 1-2 months ago I switched from using fleeces to wood shavings and small animal litter pellets from Pets at Home. I’ve just read the wood shavings can be unsafe due to the scented smell and I’m worried that could have contributed. I got the g pigs from the same place and never would have thought products from there could do harm. Have you heard if they are safe? Thanks

Wood shavings are safe. They are kiln dried and perfectly fine to use as bedding. I use them myself as do many others on here.

Some types of bedding can actually be scented with essential oils ie some have lavender or such like to try to mask odours, while they aren’t a risk to life, they aren’t recommended as strong smells can upset their airways.

It is the case that not every product from a pet shop is safe, healthy or recommended for use - unhealthy treats, unsafe toys and poor cage sizing advice/selling cages which are too small, so you can’t always trust items in shops.

If you found he wasn’t coming out for food as quickly, then potentially his hay intake had reduced prior to that (as I say, hay intake drops first during an illness and the weight checks are the only way to notice it ) and reduced hay intake and weight loss can be the first signs of something being wrong sometimes even before there are diagnosable symptoms; equally it could have been something very sudden.
I’m afraid all we can do is speculate and it’s normal for you to try to find a reason when you most likely never will. It’s a hard part of loss to deal with

 

[Bloxilla]

Thankyou, this has been so reassuring as I have been going over everything trying to figure out what’s gone wrong.

At the end of the day I miss the little guy and it’s come as a big shock. They have never liked being picked up and I’ve never weighed them because of that. He has been hiding a bit more as well but it’s easier to see signs in retrospect. Thanks again

 

[Bloxilla]

Oh no, losing piggies is heartbreaking. Sending lots of care and support your way.
Two of my pigs suddenly passed away in June and July, and I was left with my youngest senior sow. I quickly bought her to the vet for a thorough health check to rule out any illness, and once I was given the all clear I started getting ready to bring a foster pig home. My girl was on her own for 2 months, and I think that's kind of the absolute limit for pigs.

Thank you for your reply and I’m sorry to hear that you experienced this as well. I need to arrange for my other guinea pig to see the vet and I am going to register for a guinea pig rescue. I keep checking on the little guy who is left. He looks so sad.