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Sudden death of healthy guinea pig

  • Thread starter Thread starter Qulbutoke
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Qulbutoke

Until today, I had two healthy 1 year old male guinea pigs. I left them in their run today while walking the dog (as I regularly do). When I returned, one of them had escaped and got into their other run (which they prefer). He was not breathing, although a very faint heartbeat could possibly be heard. Within about half an hour, he was dead.
To get into this run, he would have squeezed himself through a fence, though he had done this on numerous previous occasions, with no obvious side effects. There were no plants in the run that were poisonous as far as we are aware.
He is slightly overweight, and a bit podgy, but was apart from that in good health.
Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this? We thought perhaps a heart attack, or that he had thrown up, as he had some food around his mouth still. Does anyone know how likely either of these are?
Another question - with the other guinea pig, would it be best to find him another friend, or to leave him on his own? If we should get another one, what kind of age would be advisable?
I appreciate any help on either of these issues.
 
I am sorry for your shock!

The "throwing up saliva" is normal in a dying guinea pig (they cannot, actually, throw up; what goes in has to come out the other end).

If you want to find your remaining boy a friend, it would be best if you could find a local rescue where you could take him for an afternoon of "road testing", as character compatibiliy is very important. You might not come away with your personal favourite, but two happy pigs instead!

Barring that, get him a baby boar as a new companion, so there wont be any dominance struggle at the beginning.

For rescues, please have a look on this website to which this forum is attached to: http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk
 
Firstly so sorry to hear your story - what a shock :( I have no idea what could have caused it.

The only thing I know about from being on here is to yes definitely get another friend and to make sure it's a young male guinea pig unless your remaining boy is neutered then you can get a girl.

I have heard (But don't know how true this is maybe someone can help me out) that it helps the remaining guinea pig come to terms with what's happened by letting them see the body? Seriously don't quote me until someone else comes along as I am very much a newbie.

Sorry again, that's very sad.
 
sorry for your loss :( i do not know what it could be, I'm guessing you checked for marks if he was attacked by anything whilst escaping?

i suggest the rescue approach vickyt suggested. there may be a boar in the same situation needing a friend.

xx
 
Thanks for the advice about taking Scruffy along to find a new friend - I wouldn't have thought to do that.
I'll probably go back to the rescue centre I got Scruffy and Elvis from, and see if they have a suitable new companion for him.

EDIT - Lisajazz - we did show Scruff the body, he talked to it for a bit and lay his head on him and looked sad. I think he understood what had happened.
 
The unexpected and sudden death of a pig is always distressing, more so when the pig is young and healthy. I very much doubt that he was overweight. It sounds as though he suffered a heart attack whilst he was eating as guinea pigs cannot vomit.
It would be unkind at the least to leave the surviving pig without a companion.
A lot of nonsense is written about pairing guinea pigs. There are only two points to bear in mind. Male and female will mate, secondly you have to let the pig select a friend for himself. A rescue centre is the best place to go to for another pig, most centres let pigs choose for themselves who they will get along with. If you buy a guinea pig at random from a pet shop it is a fifty-fifty chance as to whether they will fight or be friendly tgowards one another.
 
My vet has advised me against showing a dead animal - it could seriously upset them. He'll know anyway that his friend has gone and will be mourning him. Be prepared that he may be sulking and off appetite for a few days. Many guinea pigs prefer to be on their own and don't like being cuddled or cosseted; respect that, even if it is hard on you.

I find that looking for a new companion is a good distraction for my grief. A new friend will never replace the piggy you have lost; he'll create his very own bond with you in due time.
 
Humans and, apparently, elephants understand death/dead companions, I don't think guinea pigs have that level of understanding.
I tend to show a body to the survivor, most times there is no reaction, sometimes a quick sniff then "Where's the extra food?"
In quite a few cases the remaining pig has become extrovert and developed a character than was previously not apparent, even though they got on well together it is as though the remaining pig is glad of the "freedom"
 
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Sorry for your loss, My heart goes out to you.

Alcesterpigs- I found that when Spice passed away Honey became much more independent and friendlier towards me. Shes turned into a right confident sow now - very demanding!

As the others have said, I would take him to a rescue
 
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Scruff seems to be ok - been feeding him treats of his favourite foods. I did show him the body, he seemed to appreciate it.
I'm going to phone up some rescue centres tomorrow, and see what they say about taking him in to find a new friend.
Thanks again for the help.
 
I must say that when I lost one of my guinea pigs the other liked being on her own much more, I don't think she missed Blossom in the slightest.

Joy xx
 
alcesterpigs said:
Humans and, apparently, elephants understand death/dead companions, I don't think guinea pigs have that level of understanding.
I tend to show a body to the survivor, most times there is no reaction, sometimes a quick sniff then "Where's the extra food?"
In quite a few cases the remaining pig has become extrovert and developed a character than was previously not apparent, even though they got on well together it is as though the remaining pig is glad of the "freedom"
Click to expand...

I would concur, especially if the surviving pig is the 'underdog'. They have a new lease of confidence as they tend to be promoted to top pig in new pairings.

Bertie changed from whinging whimp to Daddy Cool.
Finlay has changed from scarperer extraodinaire to Mr Cuddles.

Sorry for your loss. No pig can replace a late piggy, but a new arrival always lifts spirits.
 
Vickyt said:
My vet has advised me against showing a dead animal - it could seriously upset them. He'll know anyway that his friend has gone and will be mourning him. Be prepared that he may be sulking and off appetite for a few days. Many guinea pigs prefer to be on their own and don't like being cuddled or cosseted; respect that, even if it is hard on you.

I find that looking for a new companion is a good distraction for my grief. A new friend will never replace the piggy you have lost; he'll create his very own bond with you in due time.
Click to expand...

I do think that the remaining piggy can grieve for their lost cage mate. I believe it's really important for them to see that their friend has gone and I always put the piggy who has passed away back in for a few mins. Before I did this, I found that the remaining pig or piggies took longer to get back to normal after a death but when they have seen that their friend has gone they don't seem to grieve so much. My vet was very happy to let me put Berby back in with Ralfie for a few mins when Ralfie died a few weeks ago.
 
I usually put the cuddle cup we keep the dead piggy in until the burial back in the cage afterwards, so they can smell that.
 
sahm
I have found the same with some of mine, it is as though become people friendly.
 
I'm very sorry to hear about your piggie Elvis 8...8...8...
RIP Elvis run free at the bridge, popcorn and munch away with the other piggies, enjoy the dandelions and clover xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))) and loves from us all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Another little star twinkling in the sky ........... :(


When our boy Sully passed on, we let Dukey sniff him and say his goodbyes :(
Good luck with Scruffy i do hope he finds a lovely play mate soon :)
 
I am very sorry for your sudden loss, I do hope some of the other posters have given you some peace of mind as to what may have happened to him.

Personally I prefer that the other pigs have just a few moments with the body of their deceased friend. Some pigs wander by and pay no attention, in which case I accept that they are already aware. By the time I found Lottie's body, she had been gone for some hours, and it was evident that all five of her friends had already said goodbye.
The worst thing I did, I feel, was to not leave Tuppy with Charlie when he was PTS. I never got to show her his body, and she was not with him when he passed. The last she knew was he got taken out of the carrier and she never saw him again, the only pig she ever connected with (ever wanted to connect with) had just gone, and she never had the chance to find out why. At least, if the body is placed in the cage for a few moments, the cagemates get an idea that the pig is no longer active, whether they show an interest or not.

I adopted pigs just days after losing each of mine, I still felt the pain of the losses but I strongly felt that the new pigs were a fitting tribute, honouring the life of the passed pigs. Those pigs that died paved the way for some other pigs in need of homes - I had no reason not to adopt again.
 
So sad to read about your loss. If one of my pigs died I would show the body for a few minutes.

Anders.
 
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