7 piggies all pass in one day but one survived or doing well

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Jeansama

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I left my guinea pigs outside for the day. I always check the weather and leave plenty of water and food also hay. I have this huge guinea pig run with hiding places and lots of shade. I left for a 6hr shift. Usually when I get back I check on them and their well being. Today I found 7 piggies dead and 1 still alive. They still had all their food and water. I need some idea what could have happened or what I did wrong. It was 72° today with a little wind. I never had problems with keeping them outside for a day. I always kept them clean and fed all the time as well as their oranges for vitamin c. I'm really sad what happened to them six were 1 year old or younger and the 7th was 3 years old.
 
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for your loss. :(
Your piglets are now safe over the Rainbow Bridge with lots of piggy friends. 💕
I feel so awful. :(
I don't have any experience with keeping piggies outdoors. This is a UK-based forum so most members are asleep right now. I am sure someone will be along shortly.
I am sending love and hugs to you and your piglet during this time. xx
 
Yes they were on some grass that was freshly cut and watered an hour before.
 
All that I can think of is that too much grass all at once can cause bloat.
I would wait for a notable health contributor to assist you, though, as I am unsure.
I am so sorry. :(
 
It would really be a guessing game unless you chose to have a post mortem carried out. Things it could have been include:
1. Heat stroke - even with shade it can be too much for them
2. Bloat - especially if grass cuttings were left down as they ferment quickly.
3. Fright - if a predator has been near to the run
4. Chemicals getting on the grass and poisoning them
5. An underlying health problem which is transmittable
 
Jeansama said:
I left my guinea pigs outside for the day. I always check the weather and leave plenty of water and food also hay. I have this huge guinea pig run with hiding places and lots of shade. I left for a 6hr shift. Usually when I get back I check on them and their well being. Today I found 7 piggies dead and 1 still alive. They still had all their food and water. I need some idea what could have happened or what I did wrong. It was 72° today with a little wind. I never had problems with keeping them outside for a day. I always kept them clean and fed all the time as well as their oranges for vitamin c. I'm really sad what happened to them six were 1 year old or younger and the 7th was 3 years old.
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Hi and welcome

I am very sorry! How upsetting for you!

Sadly many people underestimate the risk of leaving their piggies outside in warm or even hot weather without enough shade or without consideration that a hot breeze can penetrate into shade. We have seen plenty of this in the recent record heat summers when we were contacted by loads of people with struggling or dead piggies. :(

It would be good to have your survivor vet checked. Please make sure that she is eating and holding her weight, as heat exhaustion can impact on the heart and can cause GI stasis (the gut stopping to work).

Please take the time to read this guide here. It contains all the information on heats stroke as well as measures you want to take:
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

This link here contains all necessary information on emergency care from finding vets, what counts as a life or death emergency, support care and how to improvise until you can see a vet/online orders arrive, how to syringe feed and monitor the weight etc.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

It would be good if you bookmarked the links and read them so you know what to look out for and what to do.
All the best for your surviving piggy and please take care of yourself as well. It won't be easy for you to process what has happened.
 
Rynn21 said:
I was wondering if maybe the grass had been treated with some form of pest control. Even though my lawn isn't treated, I'm too paranoid about neighbors throwing things over by accident to risk the unknown variables.
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It wasn't treated for anything or any chemicals
 
Omg. What a shock to deal with. . . could be a few reasons why this has happened. . Not wanting to bring up bad memories etc. Did the piggies look stressed or hiding etc.
What has happened is sad very but you need to look after yourself and last piggie.
You care and course hurting
again really sorry for you.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. That is a hard one to swallow ☹️ Remember to take care of yourself as well as the one left behind. 💓
 
I am so sorry for your loss, what an awful shock that must have been!

When you say the grass was freshly cut, was this with a mower? Fresh mown grass is bruised, which when eaten will ferment and cause gas build ups and bloating which can be fatal, this is why it's advised not to feed mower clippings. I can only assume the grass left behind on the lawn is similarly bruised? I wonder if that had anything to do with it if only an hour had passed.
 
So sorry for your loss. It feels awful when you can see no obvious cause. look after yourself and your little piggy. Massive hugs 💔 🌈
 
Stycks said:
Don't you think it's irresponsible to leave your pigs outside for hours unsupervised, or is that encouraged and common practice?
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What part of being insenstive do you not understand . . .
Read the message and digest it.
It was a SHOCK the piggies died and the person who posted the message has asked on here if anyone can help with grief. .
Not pls kick me whilst I'm struggling. .
If you can't post a decent message then don't . . .
 
@Stycks your original message was deleted by a staff member solely as it was rude and unhelpful. This is a friendly forum and your post served no purpose other than to make the OP feel even worse over this horrible situation. I have again deleted your post. If you have nothing supportive or actually helpful to add I would strongly suggest you keep scrolling and don't reply.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss! At least, think of it this way, since your piggies already died, they’re resting in heaven and you don’t have to deal with the grief of them passing away if they lived longer! R. I. P. 😭😢
 
David Piggie Lover said:
Using the word irresponsible can be very hurtful.
I'm sure losing 6 piggies is heart breaking enough.
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Yes, it is also very rude, don’t you know how devastated and depressed the owner is? I’m sure she didn’t mean to leave them outside all day. You should think next time before your actions.
 
OliviaZhou991 said:
I'm so sorry for your loss! At least, think of it this way, since your piggies already died, they’re resting in heaven and you don’t have to deal with the grief of them passing away if they lived longer! R. I. P. 😭😢
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I understand you are dealing with grief at the moment but this kind of reply is also not helpful and is insensitive too
 
I have an update. I got the dead piggies checked and someone gave them or accidentally ate rat poison. I wasn't irresponsible. I have experience with guinea pigs. I have suspicions against my father in law who didn't like them at all and kept rat poison in the garage. He always told me to get rid of them or he will. So no I will not get anymore for awhile. I plan on taking care of the three that I have left and that's it until I can get my own place. Thank you for the support.
 
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