Lethals Mysterious Guinea Pig Deaths

[Kraiole KC]

A little over a week ago, I lost my dear friend Marble from unknown causes. Shortly after playing with her, we found her on her side, not able to get up. She had seizure-like fits and seemed to be arching her back in pain. She passed waste no problem, but had no will to eat. I sat with her until the very end, which was only about an hour after we discovered her state. Today I lost another. Azu was supposed to help us heal after Marble's death. We got her in a local pet store and seemed to be in good shape. She was put in the same cage, with the same cage mate as her predecessor. She was fine, happy, lively even. She had a big appetite like the others and loved fresh grass. Today is directly a week since we first got her, and we found her limp and stiff in her cage just hours ago. I'm worried about the state of my piggies and why this is suddenly happening. Any ideas why...?

 

[Soecara]

First things first, is there anything in/immediately around the cage that they could have ingested that could be toxic. Were they fed the same food (hay, pellets etc.) from the same package? Had the grass been recently treated with anything (fertilizer etc.)? Do you have any other pigs in the same environment and if so are they healthy?

It is possible the two deaths are unrelated to each other, but if both deaths were caused by the same thing poisoning is one of the more likely possibilities. Marble's symptoms sound like they were caused by neurological issues, Azu's sudden passing with apparent lack of symptoms is not entirely uncommon and may have been caused by any number of internal issues (possibly as the result of inbreeding as she was from a pet store).

 

[Soecara]

Sorry I just re-read the original post. Even though your other guinea pig is okay I would still assess the environment. If nothing in the environment could have caused it is much more likely the two deaths were unrelated. I also want to add my condolences for your losses.

 

[pinky]

Do you have children who handle them? If they were squeezed or dropped, either could have resulted in internal injuries that were life threatening. Young guinea pigs are really squirmy and holding them tightly can injure them. The best way to have kids handle them is for an adult to place them in a "guinea pig sleeping bag" and have the kids sit on the floor and hold them that way.

I'm sorry for your loss. The only way to really know the cause would be for your vet to do a necropsy.

 

[Kraiole KC]

We haven't added much to their environment besides two new tupperware boxes I use for hayboxes and a small chew-free bottle they can roll around for pellets, but I doubt those are causing the problems. I did check to make sure, and that seems to be it. Our grass never gets treated here in the Philippines, rarely even trimmed, so that wouldn't be the case either. Also, all four of my piggies get their food from the same place, in the same container. They are all healthy, except for the two I mentioned, but their cage mate Near had some bleeding from her rump months ago (it hasn't happened since and I assume it was a miscarriage since we had only recently gotten her then), but is otherwise healthy.Thank you for your reply though, it gives me some closure even if the causes are still uncertain.

 

[Kraiole KC]

Also, we do have children in the house and I fear that might be the case. However, with Azu, we rarely touched her as a rule because she was still terribly shy and frightened of us, only lifting her when we had to. We've already buried her, so I guess the vet thing is out. Thank you anyway and I hope I won't have to come back for this sort of help again.

 

[Fay]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. What are the ingredients of the pellets and are there herbs mixed in with your hay? It does sound like it could be poisoning so I'd try to rule that out first. If not it could be the internal injury mentioned before or neurological. It's difficult to say without having it diagnosed by an experienced exotic vet.

 

[pinky]

Where do you keep your cage? I'd suggest it be kept in the room of the house with the most activity and where an adult can monitor it at all times. I wouldn't keep it in the kids' bedroom. If your kids are really young, you can keep a lid with a lock so little they can't get to them. If your kids are a little older and understand rules but might not be able to handle them with care, I'd never allow them to pick up the guinea pigs without an adult being there. Guinea pigs will use their back nails to try and propel themselves out of your hands. Their nails can do a lot of damage if they scratch hard enough. I had some serious cuts on my hand from a guinea pig that was trying to jump out of my hands. The first instinct for anyone who holds a guinea pig like that would be for them to hold tighter which could injure the guinea pig. A lot of people think of guinea pigs as starter pets that are good for kids but they're actually pretty fragile. If you decide to get another one, I'd steer clear of the pet store and pups. Contact your local rescue and ask if they have any calm adult guinea pigs which are better suited for kids.

 

[pinky]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. What are the ingredients of the pellets and are there herbs mixed in with your hay? It does sound like it could be poisoning so I'd try to rule that out first. If not it could be the internal injury mentioned before or neurological. It's difficult to say without having it diagnosed by an experienced exotic vet.

They both shared the same cage mate. That one hasn't died so I doubt that it's due to something ingested.

 

[pinky]

You mentioned being in the Philippines. Are there any venomous bugs or snakes that could have gotten to them? Are they kept indoors?

 

[Kraiole KC]

Yes, I highly doubt it's poisoning. All three of the others seemed fine and are actually wheeking right now. They stay in my bedroom, which does happen to be the room with most activity. I've explained what you said to the children and they've both agreed to handle them sparingly from now on, and only when supervised. I never take them outside because we keep chickens and there's a lot of cats and dogs about. I doubt there could have been a venomous bug around unless it was a spider because those things spring out anywhere...And as far as I know there aren't any snakes in my room...

 

[bpatters]

How old are the kids?

I didn't let ours handle the pigs until they were about eight. Before then, they had to sit on the floor and I put the pigs in their laps.

 

[Kraiole KC]

They're eleven and six. The younger was a bit rough with his piggie, but we've extremely limited him now. I wish not to take chances and he understands the consequences better.