Guinea pig - Death

Question
Hi Jenny

I have 2 pigs mum Kimmy 4 and half and her daughter Sugar 4. I got them from my sister in law 3 years ago.
I had put them out on the grass on sunday as a nice day in a big cage with a cover over and a house in side for shelter (but stayed in monday and tuesday as bad weather) I took them in about 5pm. On monday kimmy seemed a bit down but still eating and drinking. Tuesday we put her in a smaller cage with a hot water bottle and hay to keep her warm (by this time she was not eating) she started to have little fits every now and then. One fit she fell on her side but did not make and effort to move. She had moved 3 inches to the left and a while later let out 2 loud squeaks and that was her gone :( Do you have any idea what this might have been? I thought it might have been a heart attach/stroke?  Sugar is still happy running about but sometime seems to be missing something. If you have any idea of what might have been wrong i would be very great full for you help.

Thank you
Sam

Answer
Hi Samantha,

I'm very sorry for your loss. It's never easy to lose a pet. Find comfort in the fact that as it was a quick death, Kimmy probably didn't suffer. Also, as she was four and a half and has had at least one litter, it is highly likely that she simply passed away due to old age. Whilst a healthy and happy guinea pig can live for 6-8 years, even a seemingly healthy one can die a natural death at around 4 or 5 years of age, especially a breeding female.

Unfortunately, because they are preyed upon in the wild, guinea pigs hide their illnesses as a defence mechanism. This means that even the most loving owners who conduct regular health examinations of their guinea pigs can often be caught out by a sudden death. If she very suddenly went downhill it is possible that she suffered a stroke or internal infection. With heart attacks there are usually no symptoms at all; you just find a dead piggy.

If Kimmy died of something contagious it would have been obvious very quickly that Sugar had it too, so try not to worry. Guinea pigs feel similar emotions to humans though, so she will be feeling very sad that her Mum has gone, and a bit confused too if she was in a separate cage when she died and she hasn't seen the dead body.

Usually I would recommend that you get a new companion for Sugar. Not to replace Kimmy, of course, but guinea pigs are much happier when they have one of their own kind to cuddle up to, play with, and chat to. However, as Sugar is not a young guinea pig, you will be stuck in a situation when in a couple of years you'll have another young one left alone. Female guinea pigs are much more tolerant of new cagemates than males, so you may want to consider getting two new (young) piggies to keep her company, although you will then need to commit to a possible further eight years of piggy-keeping.

For the time being, make sure you give Sugar lots of TLC as she'll be mourning even more than you are. Get her out for extra cuddles, give her extra hay to keep her warm at night, and make sure her meals consist of all her favourite veggies.

I hope this helps in some way.
If you have any other questions ... just ask!

Best wishes,
Jenny.