Sudden guinea pig death

[lillykitten]

I only just joined this forum a few days ago, I was not expecting this would be my second post here...

I have my own two guinea pigs who I care for, and my brother also has two he takes care of. When he woke up this morning, he found one of his pigs (Poggle) had died at some point during the night, with her face partially chewed off. While I did not see her feet, my parents said it looked like something was wrong with them, that they may have appeared dry and she has missing toes, like she chewed them off on her own and as though pus may have been coming out of one? I'm confused what could have been wrong. She was only 3 months old, we got her one month ago after the previous pig passed due to old age.

Poggle had no obvious signs of health issues. I never noticed, but my dad mentioned she sometimes seemed to breath heavy, as if she were panting, could her heavy breathing have something to do with it her death? And her feet? I held her on tuesday, touched her feet and gave them a quick glance and they seemed fine? I'm so confused as to what happened

 

[Sunnyandbutch]

I am very sorry for your loss. Did Poggles get along with her partner? I don‘t really know either perhaps she was attacked because of the chewed face? Perhaps she died due to a stress related heart attack? Chewing feet is a sign of stress I believe. Was there anything that was bothering her at the moment? Again very, very sorry.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry for your loss.

 

[lillykitten]

I am very sorry for your loss. Did Poggles get along with her partner? I don‘t really know either perhaps she was attacked because of the chewed face? Perhaps she died due to a stress related heart attack? Chewing feet is a sign of stress I believe. Was there anything that was bothering her at the moment? Again very, very sorry.

Poggle got along extremely well with her cage mate (skwisgaar). They hit it off right from the moment we introduced them, they were almost always together and the roughest Skwisgaar has ever been with her is a very gentle nip to the ear. I can't bring myself to believe she would ever hurt Poggle.

Besides the occasional breathing, Poggle behaved perfectly fine and never seemed stressed. She liked to run around her cage, eat her hay and veggies, like all the other piggies

 

[Sunnyandbutch]

Oh, well I’m very sorry for your loss. How is your other pig doing?

 

[lillykitten]

Oh, well I’m very sorry for your loss. How is your other pig doing?

Earlier, when we found her Skwisgaar was sitting by Poggle, bit of a distance away, but seemed like she was watching over her, maybe waiting to see if she would wake up? She seemed upset and was hiding in her house for awhile after and we offered her some lettuce and she was reluctant to eat at first, but eventually begin to nibble and ate it all. I checked her over, she isn't hurt at all and her feet are fine, looks completely normal. Last I checked, she was eating some hay, so that's good

 

[Siikibam]

I am very sorry for your loss. Did Poggles get along with her partner? I don‘t really know either perhaps she was attacked because of the chewed face? Perhaps she died due to a stress related heart attack? Chewing feet is a sign of stress I believe. Was there anything that was bothering her at the moment? Again very, very sorry.

It’s highly unlikely she was attacked.

 

[Swissgreys]

I only just joined this forum a few days ago, I was not expecting this would be my second post here...

I have my own two guinea pigs who I care for, and my brother also has two he takes care of. When he woke up this morning, he found one of his pigs (Poggle) had died at some point during the night, with her face partially chewed off. While I did not see her feet, my parents said it looked like something was wrong with them, that they may have appeared dry and she has missing toes, like she chewed them off on her own and as though pus may have been coming out of one? I'm confused what could have been wrong. She was only 3 months old, we got her one month ago after the previous pig passed due to old age.

Poggle had no obvious signs of health issues. I never noticed, but my dad mentioned she sometimes seemed to breath heavy, as if she were panting, could her heavy breathing have something to do with it her death? And her feet? I held her on tuesday, touched her feet and gave them a quick glance and they seemed fine? I'm so confused as to what happened

Firstly I am very sorry for your loss.
It clearly has come as a huge shock.

The chewed face and feet is usually done by a partner in a desperate attempt to revive or wake their companion after passing.
It is not an aggressive action, and more often a sign of deeply bonded piggies.
From what you describe I think this is what happened, and once it was clear Poggle has died she moved away to keep watch ver her companion.

They clearly had a very loving bond.
Be kind to yourself as you grieve.

 

[lillykitten]

Firstly I am very sorry for your loss.
It clearly has come as a huge shock.

The chewed face and feet is usually done by a partner in a desperate attempt to revive or wake their companion after passing.
It is not an aggressive action, and more often a sign of deeply bonded piggies.
From what you describe I think this is what happened, and once it was clear Poggle has died she moved away to keep watch ver her companion.

They clearly had a very loving bond.
Be kind to yourself as you grieve.

That's so sad, I feel bad for Skwisgaar. I figured that could be the case, she may have been desperate to wake her up since they were so close, and she only lost her old partner a month ago.

Since Poggle appeared and behaved pretty normally, I'm thinking maybe she had something genetically wrong and that morning was just it. One thing that's still on my mind- my parents said it looked like pus (or something resembling it?) was coming from a missing toe. I searched around about it, but all I could find was bumble foot, which I think only affects the bottom of the foot, and I am very certain she did not have that.

Could she have had some kind of internal infection we didn't know about that caused that? Could the stuff coming from her toe have been something else? Should I be concerned of it potentially being contagious to Skwisgaar? I checked Skwisgaar over and she appears to be in good shape

 

[Siikibam]

I’m afraid we can’t tell you what may have been the cause. The only way to find some kind of answer is to ask the vet to do a post-mortem. Take good care of yourself and the piggy.

 

[Free Ranger]

I think @Swissgreys has the measure of your situation there with the two bonded girls - it must have been an awful way to find her and I'm really sorry for your loss and for poor Skwisgaar. If all your piggies are girls perhaps they can be housed where they can see each other to give her comfort?

Piggies breathing rate varies quite widely so if she was breathing faster than her companion this does not necessarily mean anything. Occasional heavy breathing that is different to her normal breathing might have been a sign of discomfort or perhaps an indication of something else - like heart problems - but I'm sorry it's not possible to tell at this point. If your girl had a congenital (genetic) heart problem there was likely not much you could have done even if you had known. It is quite possible for a piggie to drop dead suddenly of a heart attack - I lost one this way with no sign in advance and found her with hay still sticking out of her mouth! It must have been so very quick.

Weight checking your pigs on a weekly basis is always a good idea as they hide their illnesses very well. If you want to keep an extra close eye on Skwisgaar it might be an idea to monitor her weight... there will be some ups-and-downs but it should stay roughly the same (within about 50g) and the guides at the top of the page can tell you more about that.

[PS It's not a nice thing to suggest but I should just add that if these piggies are kept outside or in a shed away from the house, is it possible that the cage was invaded by any other animal? We have seen some posts where rats have got into piggies cages for the food (one lady saw a rat nicely sharing the pellet bowl with her pig!) The only reason I'm mentioning this is that if the cages are outside and there is a place a predator might have got in it is important to keep the others safe.]

Please look after yourselves at this time and once again I'm so sorry for your loss x

 

[Freela]

I'm so sorry, that's got to be really upsetting! It's very likely that any chewing was done postmortem... guinea pigs will often lick/nuzzle for faces/ears/eyes of deceased companions, and this may get slightly out of hand with chewing over time. It's not malicious, it's more of an attempt to wake the companion or grieve. Unfortunately there's no way to know for sure what caused the death- guinea pigs are good at hiding symptoms, and some causes of sudden death, like heart attack or heart failure, can kill quite quickly. Keep an eye on the remaining pig for any signs of illness or signs of emotional distress (like not eating or drinking.) Guinea pigs grieve too and some pigs will acutely pine after losing a friend.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Earlier, when we found her Skwisgaar was sitting by Poggle, bit of a distance away, but seemed like she was watching over her, maybe waiting to see if she would wake up? She seemed upset and was hiding in her house for awhile after and we offered her some lettuce and she was reluctant to eat at first, but eventually begin to nibble and ate it all. I checked her over, she isn't hurt at all and her feet are fine, looks completely normal. Last I checked, she was eating some hay, so that's good

I’m so sorry for your sad news, I think Skwisgaar will have been desperately trying to wake Poggle and in the process damaged Poggles face. There will have been no intensional harm done there and was done out of love for her partner, I have seen this happen before, it’s so very sad x

 

[lillykitten]

I think @Swissgreys has the measure of your situation there with the two bonded girls - it must have been an awful way to find her and I'm really sorry for your loss and for poor Skwisgaar. If all your piggies are girls perhaps they can be housed where they can see each other to give her comfort?

Piggies breathing rate varies quite widely so if she was breathing faster than her companion this does not necessarily mean anything. Occasional heavy breathing that is different to her normal breathing might have been a sign of discomfort or perhaps an indication of something else - like heart problems - but I'm sorry it's not possible to tell at this point. If your girl had a congenital (genetic) heart problem there was likely not much you could have done even if you had known. It is quite possible for a piggie to drop dead suddenly of a heart attack - I lost one this way with no sign in advance and found her with hay still sticking out of her mouth! It must have been so very quick.

Weight checking your pigs on a weekly basis is always a good idea as they hide their illnesses very well. If you want to keep an extra close eye on Skwisgaar it might be an idea to monitor her weight... there will be some ups-and-downs but it should stay roughly the same (within about 50g) and the guides at the top of the page can tell you more about that.

[PS It's not a nice thing to suggest but I should just add that if these piggies are kept outside or in a shed away from the house, is it possible that the cage was invaded by any other animal? We have seen some posts where rats have got into piggies cages for the food (one lady saw a rat nicely sharing the pellet bowl with her pig!) The only reason I'm mentioning this is that if the cages are outside and there is a place a predator might have got in it is important to keep the others safe.]

Please look after yourselves at this time and once again I'm so sorry for your loss x

We took her to the vet to be cremated and they examined her body, said they missing toes and face was definitely caused by Skwisgaar trying to wake her. The stuff on her toe was not actually pus, think it was just the way her nail was looking. Like you suggested, they said it was probably a heart problem or she had some other genetic issue and had a heart attack or stroke that happened quickly.

They said Skwisgaar is probably completely fine, besides grief over her partner, but she has a vet appointment to give her a look over just in case. But they said it would be okay to give her and my pigs floor time, and Skwisgaar was so lively after she did and felt better. After we put her back in her own cage, she was racing around squeaking and popcorning.

And nope, there's no way a predator could have gotten in. They're in my brother's bedroom and there's nothing that could have gotten to them in there.

My brother ended up going to a different place to get her a new partner, and we ended up with three new babies... which was a bit of a shock, but guinea pigs do better in bigger numbers, so we think it might be good to give them some new friends.

Looking over these ones and comparing to Poggle, they look healthier. After seeing these ones, it seems Poggle was much smaller than she should have been, and almost too mellow. We thought she was just a runt and her mellowness was just her personality, since Skwisgaar was pretty mellow when we got her, but Poggle just seemed...different. Now wondering if that was another sign we just didn't know. These ones are larger (think they're the same age as Poggle) and very active. The babies are being kept separate for a week or so for now, but close to Skwisgaar so she can see and hear them, and she seems very interested- if Skwisgaar suddenly makes a bad turn they'll go in with her as soon as it happens if that helps her.

We're planning on introducing the babies and Skwisgaar with my two all together once we know they're all healthy, and having one of the babies end up staying in with Panda and Pickles, and the other two with Skwisgaar and having them all interact more with each other, and sometime if we are able to make it work with a very big living space for them, having them all live together instead of having them live in separate cages

 

[Free Ranger]

I'm glad you're all coming to terms with what happened as it must have been such a terrific shock. Console yourself that if little Poggle only had a short time to live she was in a happy home with company and caring owners It must be a relief that Skwisgaar is adjusting too. It certainly sounds like you have a big plan for a guinea-pig future! Best of luck with it all and remember the Forum is always here to help x

 

[Siikibam]

Sorry I’m confused @lillykitten did your brother bring home three pups? How old are they? Be aware that they may not all get on together. And make sure you have the space they need. Three sows need a 2x5 or approximately 180x70cm. 6 altogether would need 2x8 or approx 285x70cm.

I think as they’re together you will need to quarantine them for two weeks - in a separate room to your other piggies. (@Piggies&buns please can you confirm this?) You should also make sure that they’re sows. You don’t want any accidental pregnancies.

We’d love to see photos of your other piggies - yours and your brother’s pair.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I think as they’re together you will need to quarantine them for two weeks - in a separate room to your other piggies. (@Piggies&buns please can you confirm this?) You should also make sure that they’re sows. You don’t want any accidental pregnancies.

As there are multiple babies, then they can be quarantined in a separate room to existing piggies so as to not risk spreading illness to the existing piggies. It’s acceptable to quarantine babies in this instance as they have each other. It’s only when you have a single baby that they cannot be quarantined due to their social needs.

 

[Siikibam]

Thank you

 

[David Piggie Lover]

Oh this is sad.
How are things now. . Pls

 

[lillykitten]

Yes, three piggies were brought home, and I believe each one of them is around two and a half, to three months of age. They're all female, no risk of surprise pregnancies.

We have enough room with each cage for three pigs- we were even talking about adding more cubes to the cages before any of this happened, which I'd like to do, so that's even extra room. And if everyone does get along well and we can have everyone live together (I'm aware this may not happen if there is strain between some of the pigs), we could combine the cages, which is what we are hoping will happen in the future with enough time and patience.

It's a lot in only a few short days since Poggle, and now we suddenly have three extra piggies. I'm hoping all goes well with all of these pigs.

 

[Siikibam]

Where did he get them from? And could we see some photos of all your piggies please? If you look below the box you type a message in, there’s a button with ‘Attach files’ and a paper clip. You can upload photos straight from your phone.

Is the piggy in the avatar yours or your brother’s?

 

[lillykitten]

Where did he get them from? And could we see some photos of all your piggies please? If you look below the box you type a message in, there’s a button with ‘Attach files’ and a paper clip. You can upload photos straight from your phone.

Is the piggy in the avatar yours or your brother’s?

My avatar is just a cute photo I found online!

The three new pigs were adopted at a rescue, can't recall the name. He and my dad checked a few out at some different locations before picking the three that were there together.

Skwisgaar is the black, brown and white (calico?) one, Pickles is the mottled gray one and Panda is the black and white one with her

The babies are these three in the last pic. I've tried taking individual pictures of them, but they WILL NOT sit for photos. The white one has a brown patch on half of her face, her name is Toki. The little black and white one is Dio, and the brown one is Fizzgig

 

[Free Ranger]

What beauties! I think your Pickles looks like the same sort of pig as my Flora (the Explorer)

I called her a jigsaw pig because there seemed to be clear lines separating quadrants. I've had red-eye pigs and dark-eye pigs but Flora looks almost half-and-half... her dark eyes have a distinct red 'glow' to them which is clear to see in the daylight but hard to photograph! Are Pickles' eyes the same? Flora came here for companionship - she was a 'last piggy'. There is another poster with a similar 'jigsaw' pig but her boar is a mix of black and light brown. There's apparently a name for it but I woke up painfully early this morning and my fuzzy brain has forgotten it!

 

[lillykitten]

What beauties! I think your Pickles looks like the same sort of pig as my Flora (the Explorer)
View attachment 169215
I called her a jigsaw pig because there seemed to be clear lines separating quadrants. I've had red-eye pigs and dark-eye pigs but Flora looks almost half-and-half... her dark eyes have a distinct red 'glow' to them which is clear to see in the daylight but hard to photograph! Are Pickles' eyes the same? Flora came here for companionship - she was a 'last piggy'. There is another poster with a similar 'jigsaw' pig but her boar is a mix of black and light brown. There's apparently a name for it but I woke up painfully early this morning and my fuzzy brain has forgotten it!

Yep, that looks a lot like Pickles, and the way you described her eyes sounds like her too