What is the average age of guinea pigs? I've had 2. One passed away when she was about 4(just a few months under). She got sick earlier but I kept her alive for about a year. The other one I have is 6 right now, she seems sick, I'm not sure how much longer she has left. She was never sick once before. I've seen online that the average lifespan is 4-8 years some say 5-7, etc. So I was just wondering. Both seem to about the average age.
It depends on how widely or closely you define 'average', but the peak for pet guinea pigs, whether bought from stores, from for sale breeders or adopted from rescues (most of their piggies are surrendered bought pets or negelect/dumping intakes so they cover essentially the same pool of origin) seems to be 5-6 years.
4-8 years pretty much covers the normal healthy life span of most pet piggies, excepting those that have sadly died at a younger age from mostly accidents, medical or genetic issues.
Some of my adoptees come from very bad backgrounds; with those I am always glad if they make it to 4 years. Anything beyond is a bonus for me although a few have surprised me and have doubled the bottom age. My record holder in terms of time spent with me lived to celebrate her 8th Adoption Anniversary (the only piggy of mine to do so) even though she was just 40g when born and needed a helping hand in her first days. One of her litter sisters (which I had also adopted) sadly died from a gut blockage over Christmas Day just short of her 4th birthday, so you can really never tell...
Our family piggy back in the 70ies lived to nearly 10 years and one of my lonely pensioner adoptees to 9 years - having company again did give her a new lease of life for an added 1 1/2 years.
But I have also lost 1-2 year olds to genetically determined sudden acute heart failure and several 3 year olds in recent years to cancer. The bulk of my piggies have however lived to 5-7 years.
A good balanced hay/grass based diet can add 1-2 years to a normal life and can shift the peak of the deaths line that bit further up the age scale to about 5-7 years - which explains that definition of average.
The fact that you have been able to nurse an ill young piggy for another year within touching distance of 4 years speaks of your good care but she would more likely fall into the category of 'young illness deaths' rather than normal life span.
6 years is a very good life span for a healthy pet piggy. I am always very happy for any of my own adoptees to make it that far. It means that they have lived longer than half of all pet piggies.
Some specialist breeder piggies can live quite a bit longer but they are carefully kept out of 'mere' pet keeping circles.
However, piggy lives are not about human defined 'averages' but about the quality of life and care they have. Piggies don't have a concept for 'average life span'. They measure their lives in happy todays. If you give them plenty of those, it doesn't matter how long they live or how long they are with you - you will always come out ahead.
Some of my most memorable piggies that I cannot but remember with a big smile are in fact 'golden oldies' who haven't been with me for long but have filled their time here with so much joy and zest of life that the time span feels so much longer...
You can never choose when or what from your piggy dies. We have our pets on a lease from above that can be cancelled at any time without warning. As long as we fill the time we have with them with love and good care, we do not fail our pets; irrespective of the actual life span which is an entirely arbitrary human concept and all too often out of our control anyway.
PS: You may find this link here helpful. It is very practical, sensitive but also thought provoking:
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection
