piggies diying

Question
yesturday i went in to check on my guineapigs and give them their vit c but when i checked on my baby pig Price he was lying dead me and him were best friends i even took him for walks in the night. we keep him in a cage that goes inside but we kepy him outside in a shed. his father also died in the same cage before what could have caused this?

Answer
Hi Crumpet,

Guinea pigs are exotic pets and are not as easy to care for as people think. It's very hard for me to guess at why they died, but if you answer the following questions I may be able to help:

1) What was his daily diet?
2) Was the shed heated?
3) What else was in the shed?
4) Did the shed have a window?
5) What bedding did you use & how often did you change it?
6) Do you have any other pets?
7) How old was Price?
8) How old was his father?
9) How long ago did his father die?
10) Did they seem to be acting normal in their last few days?

In the wild, guinea pigs hide their illnesses as a defence mechanism - so they don't get hunted. This means owners often don't realise something is wrong until it's too late. Even if you feed your piggies a perfect diet, and perform health checks regularly, they can go rapidly downhill overnight and will only let you see they are unwell when they can no longer be saved.

Best wishes,
Jenny.