unexplained deaths

Question
hi
i had a female guinea pig she had 3 litters at a very young age.
in her last litter 2 babies were still born.
The mother was found dead in the cage with the remaining three babies.
and today 1 of her babies from her second litter was found dead this was a male and he was living separate from the others.
i was wondering if you could tell me whats going on and whats going to happen to the rest of them

Answer
Hi T,

I'm really sorry for your loss. It's always sad to lose a pet, especially so many at once! I apologise for not answering your question sooner but one of my piggies had to be put to sleep on Friday so I haven't been online. I hope you understand.

The two stillborn babies and the death of the mother will most likely be connected. It sounds like she had complications; whether these were during pregnancy or during the birth, it is difficult to say. The only way you will know for sure is to have a post-mortem carried out. It seems strange that the already-born babies from her second litter have died, too. Perhaps they have a genetic defect? Do you know what breed the mother and father were? Sometimes purebred-to-purebred causes "wonky" babies. It is also possible that the sow killed her babies due to the stress of having so many in quick succession, but this does not explain her own death.

If you have any babies left who are motherless and under the age of three weeks, you will need to either hand-rear them or find an adoptive sow who has recently had her own small litter. Please let me know if you need advice as to how to do this.

Why did your sow have three litters in such close succession? Was this accidental? It is important to take any baby boars to a separate cage when they are between 3 and 4 weeks old, as they will reach sexual maturity soon after this and will be able to impregnate their sisters and mother.

How many guinea pigs do you have left? If you need advice about their general welfare, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Jenny.