Guinea Pig

[scottstephens99]

Hello everyone, just wondering if anyone has any idea as to why my Guinea pig died. He was perfectly healthy and lived with his brother, getting Guinea pig nuggets and fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Then one morning when going up to feed them he was on top of the hay curled in a ball and had a sort of gooey white substance in his fur (only a small patch) and was making a strange noise and shivering. Checking him throughout the day there was no inprovement and an you or two later he had died. The other Guinea pig seems very depressed and is getting a new companion on Tuesday.

 

[scottstephens99]

Hello everyone, just wondering if anyone has any idea as to why my Guinea pig died. He was perfectly healthy and lived with his brother, getting Guinea pig nuggets and fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Then one morning when going up to feed them he was on top of the hay curled in a ball and had a sort of gooey white substance in his fur (only a small patch) and was making a strange noise and shivering. Checking him throughout the day there was no inprovement and an you or two later he had died. The other Guinea pig seems very depressed and is getting a new companion on Tuesday.

He was 1 year and a half

 

[twiams]

The only way to really know for sure is a post mortem but obviously they can be very expensive.

The problem with piggies is that due to being a prey animal if they are suffering from any illness they will hide their symptoms for a very long time until they just can't hide them anymore. Usually a piggy that looks poorly has been poorly for a little while so it's always best to get them straight to the vet even with little things. Even with the best care piggies are susceptible to a variety of illnesses someone else might be able to come up with some ideas but it's difficult to really say!

Hopefully your other pig settles soon and enjoys his new companion, it might be worth looking at some of the bonding threads as piggies can be difficult to match up with friends!

 

[scottstephens99]

The only way to really know for sure is a post mortem but obviously they can be very expensive.

The problem with piggies is that due to being a prey animal if they are suffering from any illness they will hide their symptoms for a very long time until they just can't hide them anymore. Usually a piggy that looks poorly has been poorly for a little while so it's always best to get them straight to the vet even with little things. Even with the best care piggies are susceptible to a variety of illnesses someone else might be able to come up with some ideas but it's difficult to really say!

Hopefully your other pig settles soon and enjoys his new companion, it might be worth looking at some of the bonding threads as piggies can be difficult to match up with friends!

Thank you very much

 

[sport_billy]

I am really sorry for your loss. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing the cause of his passing... As Twiams as said above piggies hide illness well or it could be something sudden like a stroke.
Until you get another companion for your remaining piggy, please give them extra attention and make sure they are eating okay, piggies do grieve for the loss of a friend as we do.

 

[scottstephens99]

I am really sorry for your loss. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing the cause of his passing... As Twiams as said above piggies hide illness well or it could be something sudden like a stroke.
Until you get another companion for your remaining piggy, please give them extra attention and make sure they are eating okay, piggies do grieve for the loss of a friend as we do.

Thanks, yes he is getting lots of attention and is eating fairly normal

 

[sport_billy]

Thanks, yes he is getting lots of attention and is eating fairly normal

That is good news Takes the worry off you a little. Are you going to a rescue for piggies, some rescues offer piggy dating. So your piggy can pick a friend and help with bonding... What is his name?

 

[Seven]

I would definitely look into adopting from a shelter. If you're UK-based then I'm sure some forumers here can hook you up with a good rescue.

Usually shelter pigs are passed their first year, which is when a lot of issues can occur. There's also a smaller chance you'll end up with a female instead of the desired male, plus a lot of shelters are more than happy to let you hold their guinea pigs and even let you date your boar with another one.

Also here shelter piggies are cheaper and you know you're helping out when you adopt instead of shop. I wish you luck in finding yourself a companion for your boar. It's good he's not letting any grief stop him from eating, which can very well happen.

Sadly, the reason your pig died is unlikely to do with you. You can always take extra percautions by making sure you're not feeding a lot of calcium; unless you own a young (> 6 months) cavy or a nursing/pregnant sow. Also keep temperates not too cold or hot, avoid direct sunlight and drafty areas. You should also regularly 'check up' your guinea pig by examining their feet (trim nails), their weight (weight naturally fluctuates but 3-4 ounces is a cause for alarm), check fur and skin areas for cuts, bald patches, irregular wounds and other things that can indicate injury or parasites, check for weird symptoms that indicate illnesses like URIs which are sadly a common thing for pigs to get and check the eyes (eyes are a surprisingly overlooked thing and there's a lot of problems that can occur there) and tooth length. Guinea pigs hide their illnesses as said above so you have to often look yourself for warning signs of near death.