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Post by seabrooke on Nov 17, 2009 5:16:45 GMT
Hello everyone: Maybe somebody can give me some advice? I have 2 guinea pigs who are brothers and one of them passed away 3 days ago . I'm worried about if there is anything I should be doing in this situation? i do not want the one who is remaining getting too stressed, etc. Is there anything I can do for him in a time like this? Any advice would be welcomed, thanks.
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Post by abby on Nov 17, 2009 12:40:03 GMT
Hi, I am sorry you lost one of your piggies. Every pig is different but in my experience brothers have a closer bond and they are more likely to be affected by it (also now he is on his own he is bound to feel lonely). When one of mine lost his brother he got very depressed so I got him a friend and he got better. It still took 3wks for him to recover his usual happy, chirpy, chatty self. If possible, you could try getting a young male to be his new friend. You would need to introduce them somewhere neutral and then make their living area as neutral as possible but he should be happy to see him and the baby would feel instantly reassured at his presence. There are lots of threads on advice about introductions and i'm sure others will say the same. Equally some have found that they do ok on their own but when they've been used to company they are far more likely to continue to thrive with it than without. Personally I wouldn't ever keep one piggie on its own but only you will know how is affected by it.
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Post by seabrooke on Nov 17, 2009 14:19:09 GMT
Thanks for the response. I'm worried about the little guy because they were very close, so close that they would freak out if one was separated from the other. The guinea pig I lost this weekend died at the age of 2! He was too young to die! He caught some sort of cold and I brought him to the vet within the first 12 hours of the signs that he was sick. So I reacted on time but I guess it was too late? He died the next morning. I am still in an arguement with the vet because she told me that he would be just fine the next day and that his cold was not fatal because he had only showed symptoms the same day I brought him. Any ways, she told me that he could have had that rare disease that guinea pigs get that attack the brain. He almost had no energy and was breathing heavy. The vet told me that his brother may be all right, even though she did not look at him!!! Apparently it is a disease that does not transfer to other guinea pigs. Gezz, I do not know what really happened? Before he died his ears turned yellow and crusty. The vet told me not to worry about it, that it was because he was not cleaning himself. Any ways... those darn vets!!!
So I do not want to lose another one. I do not want this one getting depressed and then getting sick. Gezzz, I do not need another guinea pig passing away at 2 years old! My last guinea pig lived for 6 years so... It is so hard when we lose one of our little buddies isn't it? I find it hurts more then losing a dog or cat! There is just something about guinea pigs that makes the pain so much worse when we lose them.
Once again, thanks for the advice. I will consider thinking about getting him a friend. Right now he seems to be doing fine but he has these times where he seems to pant while he breaths (like he is stressed or something?) I am just keeping a close eye on him to make sure he is not sick either. So far he is eating well and has energy. (By the way, he does not talk, chirp, whistle, etc. He never did. I brought him to the vet a few times when he was a baby and they found nothing wrong with him. weird hey? So it makes it even harder to tell how he is feeling when I cannot hear him making noises.) Oh, and he has always had a cough since he was a baby and the vet did not find anything wrong with him, gave him meds but 2 years later the cough is still there. Someone told me that it could be that he is a nervous eater.
Any ways.... sorry for writting so much. I am just very worried about my little guy. I do not need to lose him either. He has a right to live a long and happy life. I just wish there was more I could have done for his brother!
Thanks so much for the advice
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Post by delukem on Nov 17, 2009 15:04:50 GMT
I too would suggest that you get a baby boy for him as guineapigs don't like living alone as they live in groups in the wild. I would wait a little while though to make sure that he isn't going to come down with the same as his brother. If you think he is then I would try another vet, but unfortunately there aren't many guineapig savvy vets around.
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Dawn - Admin
Administrator
MOTM May 2006, TPOTM Nov 2007
Dawn and the Cutiecavies
Posts: 22,784
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Post by Dawn - Admin on Nov 17, 2009 19:29:40 GMT
Sorry for your loss, yes I too would get a baby piggy to keep him company that should make him happier.
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Post by seabrooke on Nov 18, 2009 15:07:33 GMT
Thanks so much Delukem, Abby and Dawn for all your help and sympathy. I really do appreciate it! It's hard to know what to do in circumstances like this when you do not know anyone else who has guinea pigs. Also, most people do not love and respect animals like we do, especially guinea pigs!!! Sometimes I think about joining those animal right groups who break into labs and save all the guinea pigs! They are the most social and loving animal I have seen to this day. Any ways...
I brought Snowflake to the vet yesterday to make sure he does not come down with anything. Gave him a shot of vitamin C and a prescription of Enrofloxacin for two weeks (just to not take any chances.) It is unbelievable how little these vets know about guinea pigs! The vet that saw him and his brother who passed away, Sunshine, also specializes in exotic animals; however, she seems to know little about guinea pigs. So much so that she had to look stuff up in a book. But at least she was honest to me about her knowledge in guinea pigs.
Yes, for now I have bought him a stuff animal that resembles the color of his brother. I put it in the cage but it seemed to be stressing him out. So I will wait a little while before getting him a friend. I do agree, it would be ashame to not get him a friend considering his lost. Poor little guy! It`s hard on me too. I buried his brother in my garden in my backyard and I still cannot look out of the window, too hard to look that way! My last piggy was cremated but I could not afford to get Sunshine cremated. Any ways, it`s so hard when we lose one of these little beautiful animals.
Once again, thanks so much to all of you for your help. I will start to visit this site on a regular basis.
I like to show you guys a picture of both of them together but for some reason I am having trouble figuring out how to post a picture with the insert function on this forum.
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 7, 2009 17:28:00 GMT
Aw, they're both very handsome piggies. Such beautiful hair.
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