About Jenny Atkins Expertise If your guinea pig has stopped eating, is having fits, looks puffed up or listless, is bleeding, has lost weight suddenly or is squeaking in pain then please, do not delay in taking him/her to a vet. Preferably a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet, but don't worry if you can't find one.
If you suspect your guinea pig is pregnant, has mites, is losing hair or you have a question about diet, cages, toys, exercise etc then look at my past answers before you ask your question, as it may save you time.
Otherwise, go ahead and ask me a question! My areas of expertise are in how to choose your guinea pigs, where to get them from and what you need before you bring your new pets home. I can also help with general care and dietary questions, with treating common illnesses (especially skin complaints), pregnancy and baby guinea pigs (though I do not approve of purposeful 'at home' breeding), and how to introduce two males.
I'd recommend The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide by Myra Mahoney and Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney to all guinea pig owners - these books will tell you everything you need to know to ensure your guinea pigs have happy and healthy lives. I practically memorised these before I was allowed my first guinea pigs as a teenager!
Experience I absolutely love guinea pigs, and I think they make brilliant pets for the right owners. They are incredibly sociable animals and should always be kept in pairs, or a larger group (females only). If you spend lots of time with your guinea pigs, they will become very tame and friendly little creatures. I am very much a pet owner, and provide answers based on my personal experiences with my pet piggies, and what I've learned from books along the way. I'm not a breeder or a vet, so I can't answer questions about breeding, breeds or complicated illnesses. I have kept both boars and sows, and have had my share of unexpected newborns in the early days. I've had a total of 11 guinea pigs over the years - all adorable in their own way - including my current two boars (Almeida and Simba) whose cage has pride of place in my living room. When you have guinea pigs you learn something new about them every day!
Education/Credentials 2:1 Honours Degree in Creative Arts with English
Question We had a male guinea pig that was approx. 1 1/2 years old, never acted strange prior to his death. When we found him that night, he had a slight amount of blood coming out of his mouth and had little whites bugs all over his head that we had never seen before. Up until that event, he ate and drank fine everyday and nothing was changed as far as food/water or bedding. I wasn't sure what the bugs were from or the blood. Any idea what could have happened?
Answer Hi Sarah,
I’m really sorry for your loss.
Unfortunately, guinea pigs do often die suddenly. They are exotic animals, so need to be kept in quite precise and constant conditions, and have fast metabolisms so go downhill very quickly once poorly.
I’m afraid I can’t tell you why your piggy died – the only way you will know for sure is if you seek a post mortem from a vet. It sounds as though he suffered some sort of internal trauma – either bleeding, or severe shock. The bugs are likely to be an after-effect; was he kept outside? It could of course be that he had a mange infestation but it would have happened very gradually, you would have noticed the bugs early on, and there would have been plenty of time for a successful intervention.
Please don’t blame yourselves, and I hope you feel better about this soon.
