Depressed Piggy

[LetThereBeCakes]

Hi all, I'm feeling like I could use some advice from other owners.

There's many piggies involved so here's the situation:
Liesl, 5 years 8 months old, recently passed.
Leilani 2 years 5 months
Beca 2 years 2 months
Tamsyn 1 year 10 months
Isla 2 months
Aoife 2 months

Liesl died peacefully in her sleep nearly a month ago and we knew it was coming for around a month before that. All 3 adult piggies were grieving as Liesl had been kind of a mum to all of them. Leilani and Liesl were I guess bonded? They were closer as they lived together by themselves for around 4/5 months before Beca and Tamsyn came on the scene.

I know that grief takes different forms, but I am worried about Leilani. She is eating and drinking now, although that was hard work to get her to do that just after Liesl's death. But she's had a poorly stomach on and off since (greeny coloured a little soft but not diahorrea). I've put all the guinea pigs on a break from veg for a couple of days to see if that helps settle her stomach (although they are not gonna be happy when they find that out!). Leilani unless she gets up to eat or drink just lies in one spot for most of the day. We clean the cage twice a week (its 2 levels and quite large) but today I found her bum all covered in poop from where she's not been moving at all and its got squished into the fur. One bath later and she is very clean with a spiky bum from the additional haircut.

I'm just not quite sure what to do now. I've had guinea pigs for 8 years and they havent ever grieved like this before. I give her lots of head pats and hugs which she seems to enjoy. I thought that getting the baby piggies might help her as thats always worked previously with the previous generations of guinea pigs and she does tolerate them and groom them occasionally, but not much beyond that.

In my desperation to get them mentally better tho, I didnt isolate the baby pigs and they brought ringworm with them so I've had to chuck out any toys made of wood. Rookie mistake, I know. All of them are now on antifungal medication for the next month and my pockets are £400 lighter for this. A lesson hard learned, but I wont make that mistake again!

I will point out that when I come down in the morning and evenings, she squeaks the loudest commanding food to be brought to her which is a bit of a relief.

Please, any advice you can give would be most welcome.

 

[sport_billy]

I would recommend a vet check up. Most piggies after a loss are quiet for a few days BUT survival instinct kicks in and they are usually back to themselves.
Has the soft poop stopped? I would recommend re introducing veg one at a time to see if anything sets her off if it is an issue

 

[Persimmon & Clementine]

Yeah. I think you should take her to the vet. Also, for the behavior, guinea pigs are social animals, and they get very sad when one of their friends/ cagemate dies. So, some guinea pigs will die of sadness when a guinea pig dies. But, ways to prevent them from dying of sadness is:

1. Let Them Say Goodbye

If possible, let the surviving guinea pig see the body of their deceased friend. This helps them understand that their friend is gone rather than suddenly disappearing. Some guinea pigs will sniff or nudge the body, while others may not react much.

2. Give Them Extra Attention

• Spend more time with them by talking to them, petting them, or just sitting near their cage.
• Give them extra treats (but not too many sugary ones).
• Play soft music or keep their environment calm.

3. Keep Their Routine Consistent

Try to keep their feeding times, playtimes, and cleaning schedules the same. A familiar routine helps them feel secure.


4. Provide Enrichment

• Give them new toys, tunnels, or hideouts to explore.
• Scatter their food around the cage so they have to forage for it, which can keep them busy.
• If they like it, let them explore a safe playpen outside their cage.

 

[LetThereBeCakes]

I would recommend a vet check up. Most piggies after a loss are quiet for a few days BUT survival instinct kicks in and they are usually back to themselves.
Has the soft poop stopped? I would recommend re introducing veg one at a time to see if anything sets her off if it is an issue

I'm going to stop veggies for a couple of days to give her digestive system a break. Good idea to introduce one at a time. If it doesn't work than a vet visit will be in order. I think the survival instincts have kicked in in terms of food and stuff. But she basically just finds the food, wherever it is, and sits on the pile and eats food from there until its gone.

Thank you for the advice

 

[LetThereBeCakes]

Yeah. I think you should take her to the vet. Also, for the behavior, guinea pigs are social animals, and they get very sad when one of their friends/ cagemate dies. So, some guinea pigs will die of sadness when a guinea pig dies. But, ways to prevent them from dying of sadness is:

1. Let Them Say Goodbye

If possible, let the surviving guinea pig see the body of their deceased friend. This helps them understand that their friend is gone rather than suddenly disappearing. Some guinea pigs will sniff or nudge the body, while others may not react much.

2. Give Them Extra Attention

• Spend more time with them by talking to them, petting them, or just sitting near their cage.
• Give them extra treats (but not too many sugary ones).
• Play soft music or keep their environment calm.

3. Keep Their Routine Consistent

Try to keep their feeding times, playtimes, and cleaning schedules the same. A familiar routine helps them feel secure.


4. Provide Enrichment

• Give them new toys, tunnels, or hideouts to explore.
• Scatter their food around the cage so they have to forage for it, which can keep them busy.
• If they like it, let them explore a safe playpen outside their cage.

Yea, I think so too, when I came down in the morning, Liesl's body was cold and in rigor, and Leilani was next to her. It's the only time I've not seen her come demand food, because she didn't want to leave Liesl. But I think she had a lot of time to understand that Liesl had died.

The music idea is an interesting one. I got some toys for them which worked for a while, but we had to get rid of them cos ringworm and wood. I plan to get more tho once they arent contagious anymore.

Thank you for the advice

 

[Persimmon & Clementine]

There are some calm guinea pig music that I played for them when we just got my guinea pigs, and it actually calms them down a bit, so it might work on calming down Leilani.

 

[Persimmon & Clementine]

Hi all, I'm feeling like I could use some advice from other owners.

There's many piggies involved so here's the situation:
Liesl, 5 years 8 months old, recently passed.
Leilani 2 years 5 months
Beca 2 years 2 months
Tamsyn 1 year 10 months
Isla 2 months
Aoife 2 months

Liesl died peacefully in her sleep nearly a month ago and we knew it was coming for around a month before that. All 3 adult piggies were grieving as Liesl had been kind of a mum to all of them. Leilani and Liesl were I guess bonded? They were closer as they lived together by themselves for around 4/5 months before Beca and Tamsyn came on the scene.

I know that grief takes different forms, but I am worried about Leilani. She is eating and drinking now, although that was hard work to get her to do that just after Liesl's death. But she's had a poorly stomach on and off since (greeny coloured a little soft but not diahorrea). I've put all the guinea pigs on a break from veg for a couple of days to see if that helps settle her stomach (although they are not gonna be happy when they find that out!). Leilani unless she gets up to eat or drink just lies in one spot for most of the day. We clean the cage twice a week (its 2 levels and quite large) but today I found her bum all covered in poop from where she's not been moving at all and its got squished into the fur. One bath later and she is very clean with a spiky bum from the additional haircut.

I'm just not quite sure what to do now. I've had guinea pigs for 8 years and they havent ever grieved like this before. I give her lots of head pats and hugs which she seems to enjoy. I thought that getting the baby piggies might help her as thats always worked previously with the previous generations of guinea pigs and she does tolerate them and groom them occasionally, but not much beyond that.

In my desperation to get them mentally better tho, I didnt isolate the baby pigs and they brought ringworm with them so I've had to chuck out any toys made of wood. Rookie mistake, I know. All of them are now on antifungal medication for the next month and my pockets are £400 lighter for this. A lesson hard learned, but I wont make that mistake again!

I will point out that when I come down in the morning and evenings, she squeaks the loudest commanding food to be brought to her which is a bit of a relief.

Please, any advice you can give would be most welcome.

I am very sorry for your lose of Liesl. I could never imagine loosing Persimmon and Clementine.

 

[Persimmon & Clementine]

Yea, I think so too, when I came down in the morning, Liesl's body was cold and in rigor, and Leilani was next to her. It's the only time I've not seen her come demand food, because she didn't want to leave Liesl. But I think she had a lot of time to understand that Liesl had died.

The music idea is an interesting one. I got some toys for them which worked for a while, but we had to get rid of them cos ringworm and wood. I plan to get more tho once they arent contagious anymore.

Thank you for the advice

That must be so sad! Seeing Liesl just lying there, dead.

 

[sport_billy]

I'm going to stop veggies for a couple of days to give her digestive system a break. Good idea to introduce one at a time. If it doesn't work than a vet visit will be in order. I think the survival instincts have kicked in in terms of food and stuff. But she basically just finds the food, wherever it is, and sits on the pile and eats food from there until its gone.

Thank you for the advice

So very sorry for your loss also