Help! 2 Of My Son's Piggies Died Within 1 Week Of Each Other

[realdancer]

We recently became piggie owners. We purchased an 8 month old one that had been at the pet store for awhile. She wasn't extremely friendly and always scattered when we went near her cage, unless we had Timothy hay. About 2 weeks after we got her we got her a companion. She was younger and we were hoping they would get along great. Well, they did. They cuddled together and ran for food together. One night my son came in while I was in the shower & said that Scatter's tummy felt "light". I was not sure what he was talking about so I got out as fast as I could and when I got in there, she was already gone. My son was devastated! We took a few days to mull over the events and could not figure out what went wrong.
Well, yesterday we decided that we needed to get a friend for our remaining piggie, Squeek b/c she had been so quiet since Scatter had died. We ended up coming home with 2. All went well with the transition. However, once again tonight we get the dreaded cry from my son that something was wrong with Squeek. I go running up there and she is laying there like her legs don't work and every once in awhile twitching her head. Almost like a seizure. We are all devastated and at a loss as to why we have lost 2 babies!
They both did come from the same pet store so I am not sure if they came with some sickness that we did not know about.
Any insight would be appreciated!
Kym

 

[piglet_and_rogers_mama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your losses; you and your family must be devastated. Unfortunately, it is all too common for pet store pigs to be ill. I would suggest that you book an appointment with an exotic vet to give your remaining pigs a check up, and explain to the vet what happened with your previous pigs. If you haven't done so already, it would be a good idea to disinfect the cage, incase something contagious is to blame. Also look out for warning signs of illness: puffy fur, runny nose, crusty eyes, audible breathing, and not eating. Where are you located? This forum has a vet locator for those in the UK, but guinealynx.com (a very helpful Site by itself) has a located for the US. Good luck.

 

[Jerrybelly]

Please get your remaining pigs checked by a vet as soon as possible. Thoroughly disinfect the cage and all toys/hideys - anything that can't be properly cleaned should be replaced.

It is also important that you quarantine all new animals for 2-3 weeks, particularly those that have come from a pet store. Please read here for more information:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/

 

[Wiebke]

Please get your piggies checked out by a piggy savvy vet. The deaths may not be related, but you want to make sure.

Weigh your piggies and give them a checkover weekly to make sure that you are alerted to any developing heath issues quickly. Loss of weight is often the first symptom that something is not right.
http://www.guinealynx.info/health.html
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-body-quirks.58854/

Could you please add your country, state (US/Aus) or general area (UK) to your details, so we can always give you the appropriate advice, recommendations and links for your corner of the world straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. We have to a UK piggy savvy vets locator on the top bar.

 

[Rodentopia]

I agree with everyone else you need to get the new piggies checked over by a piggy savvy vet and thoroughly clean out the existing accommodation to make sure there are no nasties lurking. Did you notice anything wrong with either of them beforehand?

Its good regime from day one to weigh your piggies once a week it gives you a chance to notice if anything is adrift and also do a basic health check at the same time. I'm sorry for your loss, never easy losing one piggy let alone two within a week of each other.