• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Guinea pig experts - is this anything to worry about? UPDATE

Bunsters

New Kit
I have been looking after my friends guinea pigs and bunnies. I have bunnies of my own but I have never had a guinea pig so I don't know so much about them.

I have been brushing the piggies long hair and usually they squeak like mad and hate it. :(

Tonight however, one of them didn't squeak once. :shock: She had quite a few tangles too. It sounded like she was trying to squeak but nothing was coming out. Is this anything to worry about? She seems fine otherwise but has maybe been a bit quieter the last couple of days.

UPDATE

This morning she was very flat to the ground and couldn't really walk properly. :cry: She wasn't interested in eating.
Until today, she was her normal self apart from the lack of squeaking. We took her to the vets and the vet couldn't see anything else wrong apart from a sore foot but agreed that she was a very sick piggie. She couldn't tell what it was though. Poor Penny felt warm but had a low temperature so the vet said she may have an infection. She gave her some painkillers, antibiotics and fluids.
On the way home however, she seemed to shake or have a fit for a bit and then she unfortunately died. :cry: :(
The vet said she would have felt no pain luckily as she didn't react to the injections.


Poor Penny. RIP sweetheart - you were such a lovely little piggie.

Thanks everyone for your replies.
 
Hi,

I'm no expert but I do have two gpigs of my own one long haired. It is very strange that there was no noise as mine create merry hell.

Is the piggy eating and drinking ok, if it is then I'm sure everthing is ok. I suggest you study them up close for a while to see what is going on. Does their breathing seem ok?

If in any doubt pop them to the vet just incase.

It's a real responsibilty looking after a friends pets.

Best wishes

Maureen
 
Mine sound like they are being murdered when i brush or clip them.Like Maureen asked is she eating,pooping,drinking?
I would take her to the vets for a check over if you are worried.
Hope all is well :D
 
mine hat being groomed and squeal like mad but one day Bing didn't squeal??? i dunno, I would take them to the vets if you are woried, especially if they are your friend's, i would be worried sick about them.
 
I've got a guinea pig that can't squeak, he just wheezes, which is very endearing when all the others are shrieking at me :D

If she was squeaking before, she's maybe just afraid - I've got a very timid girl who wants to squeak when she's being groomed, but is just too afraid to move or make a noise while I'm holding her :( Poor thing - after 18 months you'd think she'd realise I don't eat piglets!
 
oh that is a shame. I have had pigs for many years and they go down hill so fast, more so than rabbits. I have lost a couple to infections and they show no signs right until the end. You di what you could!
 
I agree - they hide their illnesses so well. One of my first piggies collapsed at about 5 pm one bank holiday, and I had no idea she was ill. Went on a trip to the emergency vet, and by 10 pm she was dead. :(
 
I lost 2 of my piggies recently. I think that dudly might have died from shock and not long after harly died. My sister said that guinea pigs will just suddenly die because they dont want to live anymore. although dudly and harly didnt live in the same hutch they have spent their whole lives together. Dudly used to fight with harly which is why they didnt live together but harly did seem to like dudly. I think when dudly died harly knew (probably because dudlys smell went when i cleaned his hutch out) and he just gave up living. He stoped eating and became very depressed and died a few days after.
 
Very true, Gizmo - I've never left a bereaved piggy for longer than a day on their own, as they tend to just sit in a corner (and can give up eating and drinking). :(
 
Back
Top