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Do I have a black widow piggy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cara620
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cara620

I need help decideing if we should get another guinea pig. We adopted 2 piggies back in 3/07 both very young, 1nueterd male 1female. Everybody seemed happy. They were cage mates and happy as clams. Then in 7/07 the male died, found him in the cage one afternoon, on his side and just gone. :( Then in 8/07 we got another female, also very yong. In 10/07 she started going down hill. Lost weight, started dragging her hind feet, not eating or drinking. We took her to the vet. He was not able to diagnose why she was sick, but tried to help her. Gave her warm saline shot and vit C shot. And gave me antibiaotics to inject. And started feeding her with babyfood. She died about an hour after we got back from vet. :'(

The most puzzling part to me is that the origanal female we got in 3/07 is still strong and healthy. Never a question with her health. But both of her cage mates are gone. I am wondering if she could be a carrier of somekind of virus or bacteria and be giving it to her cage mates? Vet says there is really no way to be sure. Has anyone ever heard of such a strange situation? We would like to get another cage mate for Sally, but I don't want to get another piggy just for it to catch what the last 2 had and die. Not fair to piggy and not fair to my family. Any advise it greatly apprieciated and anticipated. :-\

Thanks,
Cara
 
What a horrible thing to have happened to you Cara.

I have googled and it does seem that guinea pigs can be carriers of certain diseases and show no signs of illness themselves. It does seem too much of a coincidence that you have lost two cage mates of Sally and in the same time frame. It would be that time frame that would worry me. If you had lost one within a week say and then the other after a month I would have thought that perhaps you had just been unlucky. It does seem to indicate that Sally is a carrier of some virus, personally i would not risk getting another cage mate for Sally, as you say it not fair on either the piggy or you and your family.
 
Yep I would be inclined to totally agree with that! It is highly likely that she has something but remains unaffected although all others in contact with her are blighted by it. There is the chance that no future cagemates would succumb but personally I think it is too great a risk to take. Have you considered another guinea (or two) in a cage next door to her cage? That way she would hear them and see them but not be able to infect them.
 
I don't in anyway condone putting buns and guineas together, but maybe you could find a rabbit that has recently lost it's guinea pal and put that with her? There would be little chance of her passing something to a rabbit and she would have company.
 
Guinea pigs often outlive their cage mates. I had one that died at 18 months yet the sow he was living with is still alive and has 'seen off' two other boars already. I would get another friend for her. :)
 
I would get her another friend :) maybe a rescue that is of the same age as Sally :)
 
Poor piggy its not her fault the other two died! Get her another companion i am sure it will be fine.
 
I have a piggy who is now 3, he outlived 3 partners before i got him & has since outlived another one.

I too would get Sally a friend :)
 
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