Sick 4 month old baby dies unexpectedly

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

Can someone help me figure out what happened to the younge baby, I have two more guinea pigs and I don’t want the same thing to happen, here’s what I know
1 he was walking funny, I was feeding him vitamin c tablets
2 the window is always open, the temperature changes alot
3 we just moved
4 his last days, he had a weak squeak
5 there are two adult males with him
6 bought from a pet store
7 had eye crust when I found him
My other two are looking for him in the cage, it’s heartbreaking, they seem to be doing ok

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

Also the other two can be rough but the baby’s body didn’t have and bites or wounds

Soecara · Oct 18, 2017

What was his diet like? Had he lost his appetite, become less energetic, lost weight, or shown any other behaviour out of the ordinary prior to his passing? Had he been coughing/sneezing often? What is the highest/lowest temperatures he was likely exposed to (I know you said the window is always open so it is likely his living space reached similar temperature to outside but we have no idea what region you live in so that isn't very helpful)? How was he given the vitamin C tablets?

We may not be able to narrow down his exact cause of death, a necropsy performed by a vet would have been the only way to tell for certain, but we may be able to help by making suggestions as to what changes (if any) you can make for the health of your two remaining boys.

bpatters · Oct 18, 2017

A crusty nose and walking funny are both signs of illness, particularly the crusty nose. He could have had an overwhelming respiratory infection, which would have required a vet visit and antibiotics to treat.

You have to watch guinea pigs carefully for any signs of illness. And they're pretty fragile animals, so when you see something like a crusty nose, failure to eat, walking funny, etc, you should get them to an exotic vet ASAP.

As far as your other two are concerned, are they displaying any symptoms?

What exactly are you feeding them? What brand of pellets, and how many? What kind of hay? What veggies, and how much of each?

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

Soecara said:
What was his diet like? Had he lost his appetite, become less energetic, lost weight, or shown any other behaviour out of the ordinary prior to his passing? Had he been coughing/sneezing often? What is the highest/lowest temperatures he was likely exposed to (I know you said the window is always open so it is likely his living space reached similar temperature to outside but we have no idea what region you live in so that isn't very helpful)? How was he given the vitamin C tablets?

We may not be able to narrow down his exact cause of death, a necropsy performed by a vet would have been the only way to tell for certain, but we may be able to help by making suggestions as to what changes (if any) you can make for the health of your two remaining boys.

Timothy hay and kibble, we used oxford kibble, the most expensive and best pet store brand and the Timothy hay we would switch up brands. He wasn’t as energetic and spunky before his passing.no coughing or sneezing but his squeak was getting weak. It got warm, not too hot, but it did get chilly at night, he was given the vitamin c 1 every couple days.

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

bpatters said:
A crusty nose and walking funny are both signs of illness, particularly the crusty nose. He could have had an overwhelming respiratory infection, which would have required a vet visit and antibiotics to treat.

You have to watch guinea pigs carefully for any signs of illness. And they're pretty fragile animals, so when you see something like a crusty nose, failure to eat, walking funny, etc, you should get them to an exotic vet ASAP.

As far as your other two are concerned, are they displaying any symptoms?

What exactly are you feeding them? What brand of pellets, and how many? What kind of hay? What veggies, and how much of each?

The other two have been slimming down recently, but no crusties, Oxford pellets, I’d fill up those bowl which is about 1 cup until it got empty then I’d fill it up again, Timothy hay, we would try to change the brand, as for veggies, I gave them some Romain lettuce two days ago, I’d give them each a leaf of lettuce

Shieme · Oct 18, 2017

Besides he might have already been sick when you got him, either close the window or put up blankets (or towel) to make a spot that the piggies can retreat without the breeze or cold air. It got really cold where I live so I put up towels around the hut (outside of cage) to keep heat in. They loved it. You can also use a sock and rice. Heat it up in a microwave and put it in a spot like their sleeping area for warmth.

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

Shieme said:
Besides he might have already been sick when you got him, either close the window or put up blankets (or towel) to make a spot that the piggies can retreat without the breeze or cold air. It got really cold where I live so I put up towels around the hut (outside of cage) to keep heat in. They loved it. You can also use a sock and rice. Heat it up in a microwave and put it in a spot like their sleeping area for warmth.

Alright thanks for the advice

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

Do u think it could’ve been a uri?

bpatters · Oct 18, 2017

Did you read my post (#4 above) where I suggested it could have been a respiratory infection?

Jewelsw · Oct 18, 2017

bpatters said:
Did you read my post (#4 above) where I suggested it could have been a respiratory infection?

Oh sorry, there are so many replies, I kinda got lost in all of it, thank you

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Sick 4 month old baby dies unexpectedly

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