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Any Suggestions?

Bobby j

Bobby j

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
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Hello we are new to caring for Guinea pigs, we bought two at Easter and lost one about 1 month ago... No idea why, we came home and he was lifeless, took him straight to the vet but he died on the way. We sought advice from 3 or 4 pet shops and were advised to by another pair... They integrated really well with our remaining Guinea pig and the three have been really happy... However I came home last night to the same thing... 1 was lifeless, and after I cuddled him for around 30 minutes to see if there was anything I could do (it was around midnight) he also passed away. I have read very carefully on what to feed them and how to care for them and have no idea what or if we are doing wrong... They have a two storey hutch outside along with a run that they use in the shade in the day, we clean them out weekly, they have fresh food and water daily and lots of cuddles, we feed them specific Guinea pig food combined with lettuce and veg... I am really worried about the other two, has this happened to anyone else?
 
You haven't mentioned feeding them hay. Guinea pigs need to have 80% of their diet as hay. I'll leave someone more expert to comment on lettuce and veggies, but you must, must, must give them hay.
 
Thank you... sorry yes I do give them hay as well. But based on what you have said maybe not enough... they have hay everyday but I ran out on Friday... I should have had a delivery on thursday and they messed up and it's coming tomorrow... do you really think that could be it?
 
I second what Reenie said loads of hay. You don't need many nuggets maybe a couple of dessert spoons. If you decide that you want to stop the nuggets you will have to give Vit C & there is another vitiman.
Is it possible to bring them inside so you can monitor them. You only need some grids, correx & fixture although the Midwest is a bargain.
The hay is more important than any other food & they have to have a ready supply of it.
How old are your piggies & did you get them from a pet shop or Rescue?
 
I have seen very mixed opinions about whether they should live inside or out... the consensus said outside, do you not agree? I will be going to get hay shortly (not waiting till tomorrow!)
 
Bobby j said:
I have seen very mixed opinions about whether they should live inside or out... the consensus said outside, do you not agree? I will be going to get hay shortly (not waiting till tomorrow!)
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I know a lot of people that prefer indoors they are not as hardy as a rabbit. If you go to the housing forum you will find loads so set ups. Was it hot when your piggies died, & was the hutch in sun or shade. Did they have plenty of water in a glass bottle.
 
Indoors is far safer for them and it will give you a chance to get to know your pigs a lot better! I don't know the statistics, but l beleve indoor pigs can , and do live many years longer than those kept outside!
 
Ok I will have a think about bringing them inside... but no it was not hot yesterday and I made sure their hutch is in permanent shade.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about losing your piggies this way. Its not always possible to get an answer but it could have been an underlying health problem, a genetic problem from poor breeding or just sheer bad luck. It has been known for piggies to have heart failure or strokes for no apparent reason and there is no way you could have prevented that. My piggies live outdoors and it has never caused any health problems, in fact one of mine died in January from old age and had underlying health problems and he was 7 years old. Running out of hay would not cause this problem either, when the hay level starts running low in mine they pig out on their pellets until I top it up otherwise they wouldn't eat many of their pellets.
 
Bobby j said:
Thank you... sorry yes I do give them hay as well. But based on what you have said maybe not enough... they have hay everyday but I ran out on Friday... I should have had a delivery on thursday and they messed up and it's coming tomorrow... do you really think that could be it?
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Doesn't sound like the hay then. Such a shame to loose them, two as well, in such a short time. Have you checked that the veggies are ok for piggies? I always check before I give mine something new. I didn't comment on the lettuce before, because I wouldn't think it could have caused you to lose them so quickly, but you shouldn't give iceberg lettuce, as it's got virtually no nutritional value, and can cause diarrhoea.
There are some fabulous posts on here about diet and care, which I found, and still find, really useful. The people who run the forum are highly knowledgeable about piggies, and they are really good at answering any questions you have.
As far as indoors/outdoors goes, I'm definitely an indoors piggies person, but then I live in Scotland, and it does get really cold and damp, so I wouldn't be the best to advise.
I hope you get to the bottom of it, and the rest of your piggies are ok.:hug:
 
Thank you everyone... I have been out and bought more hay this morning... And yes I have been checking food (I did know about iceberg, thank you). I hope it is just bad luck as they are very loved... Worst thing is my boys are away with their dad this week, so I will need to break it to them when they come back next week.
I am thinking about maybe bringing them indoors, I will investigate!
 
So sorry for your losses, especially as you have had your piggies for such a short time.

Was the second one that died the second of the original two? If so perhaps they were brothers and had the same hidden congenital problem. If not, it could just be extreme bad luck. Alternatively do you ever get foxes in your garden? I believe that a pig could die of shock if a predator got to the cage and attempted to get at the pigs.

I hope the remaining two are okay. Perhaps a visit to the vet might be wise...

PS As you have boars, the shop shouldn't really have sold you 2 after the first one passed away - boar threesomes rarely work out long-term. Hopefully your present remaining 2 will be happy together though. :hug:
 
Sorry to hear what you've been going through. I would definitely take your remaining piggies to a piggy savvy vet to make sure they're healthy and it's not something that's contagious.

Could you add your location to your profile? That way we can help more specifically :)

I personally prefer indoors as it's easier to control their environment eg: temperature, climate, predators/pests etc. Plus it's much nicer having them as part of the family and they bond with you all a lot quicker :)
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Sorry to hear what you've been going through. I would definitely take your remaining piggies to a piggy savvy vet to make sure they're healthy and it's not something that's contagious.

Could you add your location to your profile? That way we can help more specifically :)

I personally prefer indoors as it's easier to control their environment eg: temperature, climate, predators/pests etc. Plus it's much nicer having them as part of the family and they bond with you all a lot quicker :)
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I have been looking at inside houses today?
 
That's what I like about indoor piggies the interaction, everybody that walks by the cage, strokes & chatters to them.
I think a predator may have given them heart attacks. If a fox came up to the cage they would be petrified, poor loves. Really sorry for your loss, it's one of those things that just happened.
 
Could try asking a pig savvy vet to do a post mortem? may give you an answer. Sorry for your losses.x
 
Bobby j said:
Yes I've been looking at those... I can get free correx from work!
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Free correx brilliant. I love my c and c cage. It is such fun to make fleece liners too (if you decide to use fleece).

Hope your remaining guineapigs bet a clean bill of health from the vet.
 
Thanks everyone.. I did take them to the vet and the got a good check over... And seem happy enough... We are camping next week so they are off to my sisters... When I get back I'm going to bring them indoors...
 
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