What Should You Do When Your Guinea Pigs Start To Grieve? Invest in a de-shedding tool. He was a constant for seven years. One of the next things that you should do after one of your guinea pigs has passed away is regularly check on and look after the remaining ones that you have. They won the hearts of Europeans in the sixteenth century and are widely domesticated since then due to their relatively cheap cost and easy maintenance. Things come up at the wrong time. That way moving on can be a little easier for you and your guinea pig after this unfortunate loss. So because this can help your remaining guinea pigs you should try your best to assist them through their grieving process. Why is my guinea pig losing her hair? Since then he has slowly started losing weight and losing balance. I threw myself into my work instead. Veterinarians are very familiar with handling this type of unfortunate situation and will have more information on where to get the cremation done and they may be able to easily walk you through the process as well. What they’re trying to do here is interact with them in different ways in an attempt to wake them up and get them moving around again. This is a really unfortunate situation but giving your remaining guinea pigs and yourself some time to grieve is what you’ll have to do when one of your guinea pigs dies. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ive had one, amazing, wonderful little guinea pig named Max. Identify abscesses in your guinea pig’s mouth and jaw. If the hair around the neck and head are intact, you can assume that the guinea pig may have bitten his own hair. There’s no ‘good time’ for death. Female guinea pigs can also suffer from hair loss due to ovarian cysts. My guinea pig is nearly a year old and he had a castration month and a half ago. link to Why Do Guinea Pigs Wheek So Much? Whether or not the death has come unexpectedly, let them see the pet and address his passing against the context of your own afterlife beliefs. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our … Abscesses can also form in the mouth or jaw of a guinea pig. Causes of weight loss include dental problems, liver or kidney diseases, intestinal disease, endocrine disease, infection and toxins — just to name a few. Regular brushing (at least 1-2x per week) will help reduce the amount of hair your... 2. The most common reason for hair loss in guinea pigs is usually mites. Clean their cage regularly. Mites are the most severe external parasite on Guinea Pigs and one of the most potential reasons for why Guinea Pig losing hair. ‘What do you want to do?’ she asked, but I knew it was Chocolate’s time. By knowing what is most commonly seen, you can be better prepared to monitor for signs and symptoms that your guinea pig may be getting sick. Eating habit changes.. Acting lethargic.. Not being interested in their … Even though it can be hard, one of the first things that you should do for your guinea pig that’s deceased is to try to figure out how you’re going to put them to rest.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'pocketsizedpets_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_12',107,'0','0'])); The two main ways that pet guinea pig owners will usually do this is by either getting them cremated or burying them in a nice place. I take pictures with them and choose their favourite foods. Scared guinea pigs can leap out of your hands if held loosely, resulting in injury (e.g. I’d bathe him or I’d put him in my lap, feed him bits of strawberry and slices of cucumber. But there are certainly things that we can do as pet owners to help them live longer, happier lives. Brush your guinea pig regularly. The feet have hairless soles and short sharp claws. MORE : Nothing prepares you for losing someone, but I felt completely in the dark about the reality of grief, MORE : Jo Whiley splashes out £160 each on felt replicas of dog Django and late cat GinGin to immortalise pets, MORE : Autism is not a mental health issue, yet I was sectioned. When you do this you might see your guinea pigs try to nip, push, and even lick the deceased guinea pig’s body. So it’s up to you to decide on what you want to do next when you and your guinea pig are trying to move on. I felt helpless knowing I couldn’t get back in time. Guinea pig, (Cavia porcellus), a domesticated species of South American rodent belonging to the cavy family (Caviidae). Guinea pigs remain a popular choice of a pet in many household across the world. I kept thinking, ‘Why now?’. Your guinea pig may "barber" himself as a result of pain or stress. But somehow, when we get older, we lose permission to grieve our pets – we learn to have a stiff upper lip and get on with it. I still keep a polaroid picture of Chocolate on my bedside table to remind me of the love we shared – I’ll never forget him. I wasn’t a kid anymore, I was teaching martial arts as well as volunteering, and I’d have felt too awful if I wasn’t able to spend enough time with another pet. I did have a group of friends, but students aren’t always nice to the new kid. Some pregnant piggies also develop the same hair loss pattern in the late stages of pregnancy. Guinea pigs are known to make a lot of different sounds to tell you how they’re feeling or what they may want at the time. Although this can be an extremely sad time, it is inevitable that your guinea pig … Fourthly, hair loss can be caused by hair biting, either by the guinea pig affected or by one of his/her companions. While they are usually healthy animals, there are a number of diseases that are considered the most common ailments pet guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are very social animals so if you only had two of them and one of them has died leaving the remaining guinea pig alone, then you basically have two options. Eventually, though, emotions catch up with you. Animals are different to humans – their loyalty is to you. I know that losing a pet is not the same as losing … So when moving on, one of the things that you’ll have to think about is if your remaining guinea pig will be okay after the other has died. Guinea pig life span is influenced by factors like genetics, diet, and environment. Cavy Savvy is a guinea pig blog written from the perspective of three guinea pigs: Lola, Buffy and Broccoli. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. We are passionate about having them as friends and pets. On the other hand, while getting your remaining guinea pig another friend can really help make them feel whole again, it can also create a situation where you’re constantly getting more guinea pigs as they individually start to pass away. It was the summer of 2016, my final year, when my mum gave me the call I’d been dreading. There are four toes on the forefeet and three on the hind feet. This should be dry, sweet smelling and not contain any mold, mildew or fungus. falling off a table top). After him, I never got another guinea pig. However, since guinea pigs are herd animals, this is not true. These days in lockdown, when I can’t hang out with actual people, my dogs are with me. Helping Your Guinea Pigs Through The Grief Of Losing Their Cage Mate A change in their behavior.. Older pigs may barber themselves as a reaction to pain from arthritis or tooth problems. The day after the call, Chocolate was put down at the vet. It’s a good idea to always treat with ivermectin first, unless you … Soak and wash all the guinea pig’s accessories and its cage in a fungicide or diluted bleach solution. Perform guinea pig sexing or any guinea pig examination on the … If your guinea pig is eating normally and losing weight, you should call your vet and make an appointment for a check up. When your guinea pig dies you may have to decide on a burial or cremation, deal with any emotions this may involve for you and your family, particularly children, look out for signs of depression in the guinea pigs who have lost their friend plus find ways in which you can remember your beloved guinea pig.. He was 900g and now is 650g. to other Guinea Pigs. This is sometimes called barbering. You should be able to tell if a … I didn’t take any time off work, maybe I could have if people understood it more. Guinea pigs can be very smart so it won’t take them long to realize that one of their friends is either not moving or not there anymore. On Losing a Guinea Pig. For your guinea pig to be happy and healthy, they need plenty of the following basic components in their diets: Ensure that your guinea pigs have a constant supply of grass and/or grass hay (such as Timothy, Oaten, Barley, or grassy hay). Losing any pet is hard especially when they are as cute and loving as guinea pigs can be.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'pocketsizedpets_com-box-3','ezslot_11',106,'0','0'])); After years of fun with your pet guinea pig, suddenly losing them can feel like there’s an emptiness that they leave behind. Some guinea pigs require such frequent teeth filing that extraction of … It leads to hair loss on the sides of the guinea pig’s body, crusty nipples, and swelling of the abdomen. I was often the new kid at school. I really love animals, especially small ones. If your pet dies suddenly, tell the children in your family right away. You can either give your remaining guinea pig affection and attention a lot more than you usually would or think about getting them another cage mate. Managing the Hair Loss 1. Helping Your Guinea Pigs Through The Grief Of Losing Their Cage Mate, Recovering From The Grief Of Losing A Pet Guinea Pig, Moving On After The Loss Of A Pet Guinea Pig. That way when it’s time to start moving on it’ll be easier to decide on how you’re going to do it in a way that works best for you and your remaining guinea pigs. Guinea pigs have 4 toes on the front feet and 3 toes on the back feet. Some owners think that their guinea pig needs to be kept on their own because they don't enjoy the company of other guinea pigs. Answer (1 of 2): Alright, weight loss in Guinea pigs indicate some serious problem or disease. link to Best Nail Clippers For Guinea Pigs. In my martial arts class, I mentioned the death of another of my guinea pigs, and my instructor didn’t get it. After grieving over the loss of a pet guinea pig, moving on can definitely be hard to go through as well. Chocolate was a companion. And while anorexia is mostly due to various forms of infections, inappetence is a common manifestation of several diseases and disorders, including lack of fresh water, an inability to chew properly, or exposure to extreme temperatures. I remember his little legs used to fall beneath him, so I’d have to put him on his side when he sat with me. Visit your veterinarian as soon as possible. The daily lifestyle email from Metro.co.uk. Last year I went to see Les Misérables with my then-partner, and I cried. I'm force feeding him with emeraid intensive care and he is … Check the bald areas for lumps, swelling, or signs of tenderness below.