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What am I doing wrong?!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sarahsteel2002
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Sarahsteel2002

I have lost so many pigs to illness I'm starting to think it's my fault. Saturday morning I noticed my little sun worshipper, Biscuit, wasn't sunbathing. I popped my head round the door and she had died. She was fine the day before, no difference in behaviour, eating habits, toilet habits, nothing. She just died! She wasn't even a year old. Her sister is fine though, but I thought Biscuit was fine.

I put up a post just after Christmas about my babies Frankie and Marmite who were dramacitcally losing weight and poor Marmite died. We thought Frankie was getting better but a couple of weeks later he died as well.

In February I was on holiday and my partner was looking after my babies and the day I came home my little girl Dutchess also died symptomless.

I lost Dutchess's sister Piggy last Summer, I think to sunstroke when I was at work and I blame myself so much for this. I am extra cautious in warm weather now and have fans going and wet white towels over the hutches etc.

I lost Buddy New Years Day to polycytic ovaries last year.

I lost Fudge 18 months ago, suspected broken back from falling down his hutch stairs, (none of my pigs have stairs now just in case)

I lost Nibbler 15 months ago, he was only 9 weeks old. He accidentlly got in the way of an older pig and was paralysed in back legs, then 2 days later he ate his back legs, a week later he died.

It's not fair, what I am doing wrong?!
 
Oh you poor sweetheart, bless you. You have really been through the wars with you guineas. Can I first say I am so sorry you have lost quite a few guineas in such tragic ways. Secondly we all have uncontrollable stuff happen to our guineas, which we all feel guilty about. Even when guineas past away because of old age people still question themselves and still feel slightly guilty.

The first thing I would do is take whatever guineas you have down the vets for a check up, just to make sure they are all healthy and not hiding any illnesses. However, I think you have just had a string of bad luck with your guineas and I wouldn't think you are doing anything wrong. If you feed them proper guinea food, hay, fresh fruit and veg, water them, shelter them, clean them out regularly, take them down the vets if need be, and love them, there is not much more you can do.

Don't get down on yourself or feel you contributed to the lost of your other guineas, what has been has been, concentrate on the ones you have now. I personally wouldn't advise your getting another guinea soon as I think it would be best you give yourself a little break from the upset you have been through. :-* :)
 
I am sorry for your loss... Please do not blame yourself... As Cavy Crazy said, you can concentrate on pigges you currently have and give them the best of your love and care to let them enjoy their lives to the fullest. There are many good web sites on guinea pig care so you may check those and find out what you need to change, my dear?
At the top of this Health & Illness topic page you can find a good thread titled "Recommended Health and Illness Links". :-*
And more:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/care.htm
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/Guineas/careguide.html
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Oh gosh big <HUGS> to you, you're not doing anything wrong i just think nature is doing this :'(
RIP for all your little ones so recently gone to the bridge :'( :'( :'(
 
So sorry to hear you have lost your piggies. :'( I have had piggies for 10 years now and several have had unexplainable deaths, its so frustrating not knowing why they died and whether you could have done anything to prevent them. My dear Rocky died a month ago, he seemed absolutely fine one day and then dead the next. I was so angry with myself as I thought it must have been something I had done but I guess it is just one of those things and you cant blame yourself. One thing I have learnt is that if your pigs live outside they must be in the shade at all times of the day. I lost a piggie to sunstroke and I have never forgiven myself, we were in the process of moving house and the cage was left for just one day in the sun :(

I agree with the others and maybe you should get your pigs checked out at the vets, are all your pigs related?
 
so sorry to hear whats happened to you, i have had guineas since i was about 8 and sometimes it doesnt matter what you try and do for them, things happen. :smitten:
 
so sorry to hear your sad story but its part of being an animal lover and piggy mum both me and Debbie ( Furryfriends) had a bad start to the year losing quite a few, some unexplained as you had, having kept pigs for over 30 years I know it does hapen like this but still I question my abilitys, both me and Debbie were distraught and thought about giving up but we both keep quite few pigs so it does happen its called nature which can be damn cruel at times and pushes its luck with us ,
I agree get your others checked , I had a paralised pig who was on restricted run space and calcium tablets and he has made a full recovery if you had known this you might have done things different for your paralised pig but you didn't so dont blame yourself but please read up on her for a start is a good idea and ask questions between us lot we can normally sort you out and read on the guinea pig web sites and even books you can find all the info we use to stop this happening hopefully to you again but please dont blame yourself it happens to the best of us despite us being clued up it still happens when an unexpected death occurs , good luc ;)k
 
So sorry to hear about Biscuit. I know exactly how you feel - I have lost lots of piggies for all different reasons, and once thought I'd never have one reach age 2! :o

Others will probably disagree, but I strongly feel that there is something to be said for poor breeding - I know care is hugely important, but if they have been poorly bred in the first place, they are at a big disadvantage. That's just my view! :)
 
so sorry to hear about biscuit but you're not alone i also have lost a few of my guineas unexpectedly and the thing with guinea pigs is they can become seriously ill in just a few minutes really as i found out with gideon recently. it is not you're fault and you aren't doing anything wrong. it's just a guinea pig thing sometimes there is no outwardly sign of ill health.
 
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