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I think my guinea pig may be dying. Please help!

S

Savannah_Savvy

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So I have two guinea pigs that we predict are around 4-5 years old. One of them I woke up to and they were lying on their side. I went to go pet it but it felt limp and it didn’t jump up like it normally does. I picked it up and it was gasping for breath and it kicks its feet every now and then. It appears to be having trouble breathing and we think it might be dying of old age. Help would be appreciated because we aren’t sure what to do.
 
I'm very sorry only a vet can tell you what is wrong and if it is treatable, best wishes to you piggy xx
 
I don’t know I don’t want to give them up. We checked his throat and there was nothing there so we thinks it’s old age and should let him peacefully spend his last days with his brother. If I knew a vet that specializes in exotics such as guinea pigs we would take him but we don’t have one near us.
 
Savannah_Savvy said:
I don’t know I don’t want to give them up. We checked his throat and there was nothing there so we thinks it’s old age and should let him peacefully spend his last days with his brother. If I knew a vet that specializes in exotics such as guinea pigs we would take him but we don’t have one near us.
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If your piggy is having trouble breathing then any vet can look at it and advise. You wouldn't want him to be in in pain and suffer. Please speak to your parents ( with you saying you are at school ) about getting to a vet ASAP.
 
We obviously don’t know what is wrong with your piggy, illnesses obviously happen and while 4-5 years isnt young, it also isn’t particularly old age either and he may have a treatable condition. If He is likely to be in pain and if that is the case, then he won’t be spending his last days in peace. I’m sorry if that comes across as harsh, but vet care is essential. Your parents really need to step in and help him.
 
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Jamjarpigs said:
If you don't have the money I'm afraid you perhaps shouldn't have the animals. Perhaps a rescue nearby can take them on and get them to a vet?
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I'm sorry, but I don't agree with this - not everyone is made of money, we all go through hard times, & we do what is best for our animals.
Everyone falls on hard times. I myself have had trouble financially lately because of my piggy's vet bill (she ended up passing unfortunately). Things happen. Everyone's situation is different.

That being said, I hope that your parents can take him to the vet, as he may be suffering if you just let him be. Fingers crossed he can get to the vet somehow. :( Even if the vet is a bit further away.
 
So the vet that is in our town actually does take care of guinea pigs. We took him there and he said it is either a neurogically traumatic something going on (attacked but another guinea pig) or something going on with his middle ear. We think it’s the war because his brother has never attacked him before. We have medicine and he said it takes about a week for seeing a change. We already gave him one dose and he’s trying to move around and he’s eaten a little bit. It’s not exactly that we didn’t have the money to, it’s just that my mom wanted to get things done/clean and we’ve been working on trying to get our cats fixed. Thank you for keeping me and my guinea pig in your thoughts and I will keep you guys updated when he hopefully progresses!
 
I am glad you were able to take him to the vet, I hope he continues to improve. Keep us posted. :)
 
We tried and tried. He seemed to be improving but then he just died and we just buried him. I hope his brother doesn’t die of depression. The vet said it was one of two options but we think it was the first.
 
Very sorry to hear this sad news, I hope you’re doing ok. There’s guidance on this site about looking after bereaved piggies (and bereaved owners) and I’m sure someone here will provide you with good advice on that. Take care and sorry for your loss.
 
I'm really sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, guinea pigs are good at hiding illnesses and sometimes by the time they show signs of illness it's too late. They can go from seemingly fine to passing away very quickly. :(
 
I am very sorry for your loss. By the time you see symptoms it can sometimes be they have been poorly for a while but as prey animals, they hide their illnesses making it harder to get treatment quickly. You did your best for him and that is the thing to remember.

The guide that was referred to above about looking about your other piggy is this one Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig.

He will grieve. You will need to make sure that he is eating enough while he is grieving. The only way you can do that is to weigh him regularly.
I would think it’s unlikely he will die from depression but guinea pigs do get lonely. You and your other piggy need time to grieve, but your piggy will likely be ready for a new friend sooner than you are, so he will need to be found a suitable friend for him to spend the rest of his life with. For now though, keep an eye on him.
 
So sorry for your loss.
You did your very best by getting him to a vet.
Sometimes piggies just don’t have the strength to fight illness.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.
When you feel up to it you can post a tribute to your boy on the Rainbow Bridge thread
 
Ah I'm sorry to read this. You did well in getting your piggie the care he needed, especially being young yourself. It will feel horrible now but it is also a learning journey loving caring and unfortunately losing piggies- it's all part of the process and you sound to be handling everything very maturely. Your remaining piggie will bring you comfort but he will also need a friend soon as they shouldn't be on their own. Take time to process your loss first though and check in here anytime you need information and/or support.
 
We have another boy piggie that is in the same cage and they used to get along completely but now they don’t. I thought maybe after he realizes his brother isn’t here anymore he might try to be friendlier with the other one? Well anyways can you give me tips for that? Because I don’t know if my mom would want to get another guinea pig because she’s the one who buys their stuff.
 
Savannah_Savvy said:
We have another boy piggie that is in the same cage and they used to get along completely but now they don’t. I thought maybe after he realizes his brother isn’t here anymore he might try to be friendlier with the other one? Well anyways can you give me tips for that? Because I don’t know if my mom would want to get another guinea pig because she’s the one who buys their stuff.
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Savannah_Savvy said:
I actually should have clarified after the piggie died I have 3 others.
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Ok. Are they all Male?
You can’t keep more than two Male guinea pigs together - it is a recipe for fights and fall outs. So if you now have one pair of piggies and one single, you cannot put your single in with the pair as it will cause fall outs and you run the risk of ending up with all three of them being single.
For now your single boy will be ok living in a separate cage but alongside the pair so they can communicate through bars only. That will help stop any loneliness.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
No I have them all separated right now. The other male I have, that isn’t the one that just lost his brother, goes in her cage sometimes because them two are like best friends , but they aren’t fixed YET, so I sit right there with my hand in the cage. I have a cage that Penny (female) is in by herself, and I have a long cage with my one male on one side and one of the brothers on the other. So they can still see each other but there is a divider, but I want them to get along so I can take the divider out.
 
Savannah_Savvy said:
No I have them all separated right now. The other male I have, that isn’t the one that just lost his brother, goes in her cage sometimes because them two are like best friends , but they aren’t fixed YET, so I sit right there with my hand in the cage. I have a cage that Penny (female) is in by herself, and I have a long cage with my one male on one side and one of the brothers on the other. So they can still see each other but there is a divider, but I want them to get along so I can take the divider out.
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What are you trying to achieve with their ultimate living arrangements?

If your two boys don’t get on, then they can’t live together.

Neither of the boys should be put anywhere your female, supervised or not, while they are unneutered, that is a very risky move and we do not talk about breeding on this site (putting an intact male in the same cage as a female constitutes the risk of breeding).

If you are planning on neutering one of the boys so he can live with the female, then that is fine. Your single boy can live alongside for company but must never be put in the same cage with a bonded sow/boar pair

However, Guinea pigs also do not do those kinds of constant meetings and separations you say you are doing. That is stressful for them. They either need to be properly bonded (which you can’t do yet as he isn’t neutered) or be kept apart all the time. They start the bonding process every time you put them together only for it to be cut short and then they have to start all over again. That isn’t how bonding works and just because they get on ok while you are doing this Is no guarantee that things will be ok when you remove the divider.

Please don’t put the boy in with the girl again until he is neutered and six weeks post operation (he can still be fertile during the first six weeks after the operation). If they are all next to each other in separate cages for now, then they won’t get lonely as they can still communicate through bars.
 
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