tragedy

[cathy]

Hi, we had 2 sows about 8mths old one died suddenly, so we brought the other one indoors, after 2 weeks we got another, they got on brill. Been together a month, oink was fine at lunch time, by 3pm she was dead, she was always a quiet pig, when you had her out she just sat. Ate and drank fine. What do we do now, dont think we did anything wrong I used to breed pigs years ago, my son is distraught, do we wait and replace or will a pig be ok on there own. They are in the conservatory, hay every day, good quality pig nuggets for food. Veg every other day.

 

[piggyfan]

How awful for you. Were they related? I wonder if they had a illness which was in the family. It could also be possible that they were both suffering from the same thing. The best place to get guinea pigs from is a rescue as they will have a clean bill of health. With pet shops and breeders you can never be sure the guinea pigs are healthy or correctly sexed not to mention pregnant. With your piggy now the best thing is to take her to a rescue were she can choose her own friend. There is a rescue locator on here you can type your postcode in and find your nearest one.

Guinea pigs need fresh vegetables twice a day not every other day. They cannot make their own vitamin C or store it so the vitamins are essential for nutrition. Also,hay must be available at all times to ensure they can graze on it constantly.

 

[cathy]

Thanks for reply, They had hay every day, and there veg usually lasted them a day and did get every day when I think of it, I'm always doing veg lol, just dont know how long or if at all to replace her, I know guineas love to be in groups, and how long do I wait

 

[piggyfan]

I would find her a friend as soon as you can. She will be very lonely and sad on her own. If you put your location on your profile people can always direct you to a rescue.

With vegetables one cup twice a day is fine.

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your succession of unexpected deaths! It is ever so upsetting when it happens out of the blue. It may be worth to have a post mortem done and your remaining girl vet checked in case it is something infectious before you look at more piggies in order to be on the safe side. It could be just the heart or a stroke, but the quietness is rather worrying.

It would be great if you found a new friend for your girl once you can be sure that you won't head straight into the next upset. We generally recommend dating at a good rescue, so the piggies can make their decision on who they click with. This usually makes for a very stable relationship. All our recommended rescues operate to a high standard whch includes mandatory quarantine and pregnancy watch as well as a full 6 weeks post op wait for any neutered boars. You can use the interim to look around and contact rescues in within your reach. That would give you and your son something positive to concentrate on. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/locator/

Until then, it would be great if she had a soft rag or toys to snuggle up with. Please thoroughly disinfect everything.

As to diet, we recommended a bit more veg and less pellets for pets, but hay is the most important bit. Unlimited hay (should make up to 80% of the daily intake to keep the guts working perfectly and the crucial premolars nicely ground down). About 50g/1 cupful of mixed veg per piggy per day, including one high vitamin C veg or herb, like a slice of pepper, a bit of broccoli or a sprig of coriander/cilantro, parsley, dill, mint or basil (please vary). Feed less pellets instead (about 10-20g for a fully grown adult piggy).
Here is a list of what veg they can eat: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?42-Vegetables-Shopping-List

You are also welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Pets section if you wish.

 

[cathy]

Thank so much, will read and digest properly, we are in northumberland and will look into rescue x will talk to vets tommorow and see what thye suggest x

 

[Wiebke]

Not many good rescues up your way, unfortunately! There is North East Guinea Pig Rescue in South Shields, but the nearest Scottish rescue is on the far side of Edinburgh.
http://www.northeastguineapigrescue.co.uk/

However, I would consider a 2-3 week quarantine under the circumstances, considering that the poor girls has only been with you so shortly and may have had a health issue. Personally, I would think that it is better to be safe than sorry.

PS: With members from all over the world, we are grateful if you added your country and or general area to your details. It makes it much easier for us to give you appropriate advice and links straight away. You can do so in settings at the very top of the page/edit profile/location. Thanks!

 

[BossHogg]

Northumberland and South Shields are neighbouring areas W.

 

[cathy]

Updated settings x thanks for you help x

 

[BossHogg]

My wife lived in Prudhoe for 10 years, small world eh?

 

[Wiebke]

Updated settings x thanks for you help x

I know, but Leila from NEGR prefers to rehome only within the radius she can personally home check and the northern part of Northumbria is a bit too far away for her. Prudhoe should be within her reach, so you are in luck!

I have been as far as Lindisfarne and Alnwick, doing the usual touristy stuff.

 

[cathy]

Weve been here 10 years stocksfield before that x

 

[cathy]

Well, vet said they sound like they had a congenital respiratory bug that lies dormant and can surface at any time, both affected as litter mates. Hopefully chloe will be ok as not from the same litter. Advised to remove sawdust and use blankets, wait for 2 weeks before getting a friend. And ive found a fab place, a friend who runs a pet shop only takes in 1 litter at a time has 2 pigs, 8mth old which shes had for a while, she suggested she keeps them for 3 weeks for us, then we take chloe for an introduction and meet. She knows the pigs history and even takes them home every weekend so they are well socialised. She seems to be a guinea fan x so hopefully chloe will be ok and get on with these 2 x

 

[piggyfan]

At least you know what is wrong. Fleece or vetbed it an ideal bedding. You have to put towels down first to soak up wee. Wash and dry the fleece three times without fabric conditioner to wick away water.