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Loss of guinea pig

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steph-J

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We have suddenly lost our 3yr old guinea pig. We introduced 3 new babies 6 weeks ago after loss of another older guinea pig, they seemed to of bonded well snuggle together etc the only thing I noticed was 1 of the babies was barbering her at times, no noticeable bald patche's etc. Has any one had any experience of this I honestly don't know if it was just her time or if there has been anything wrong.
 
steph-J said:
We have suddenly lost our 3yr old guinea pig. We introduced 3 new babies 6 weeks ago after loss of another older guinea pig, they seemed to of bonded well snuggle together etc the only thing I noticed was 1 of the babies was barbering her at times, no noticeable bald patche's etc. Has any one had any experience of this I honestly don't know if it was just her time or if there has been anything wrong.
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Hi and welcome

HUGS

I am so sorry for your losses so close to each other.

Unfortunately, it impossible to tell what your piggy died from. A sudden death out of the blue can happen at any age, especially sudden acute heart failure or a heart attack, a stroke, severe bloat etc... It is always hard to make sense of it. The strong feelings of failure and guilt are not a sign of you having missed something (I am sure you haven't) but of how deeply you care. You wouldn't experience them if you weren't a loving owner in the first place. We all suffer them to some degree or other since as humans we are wired to reflect everything back on ourselves. They are characteristic for the onset of the grieving process but you get them a lot stronger in the wake of a mystery loss or losing several piggies in quick succession.
You may find this guide link here helpful to make sense of it all: Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children

The barbering from newly bonded babies of an older is social barbering and usually meant as a sign of affection. It is most common when when the older piggy is long-haired. Barbering that doesn't go right down to skin is generally well meant; it is does go down it is more commonly self-barbering due to pain in or under the skin (mange mites, arthritis etc.)
Occasionally it can indicate a painful area when piggies barber in a distinctive area although licking is much more common in this instance since saliva has very mild antibiotic qualities.
More about the different forms and functions of barbering: Barbering ( Eating Hair)
 
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