Guinea pig on the side

[TTrixty3]

I had just gotten two GPs as a givet for my birthday but then suddenly one of them died. One moment Bree was all fine and running about with her friend Coco but when I checked in fifteen minutes later, she was all floppy and it was like she didn't have any strength to hold her little piggy body up and I didn't know what was happening so I tool her to the only 24/7 open vet clinic in town but she started having seizures halfway there and then they seizures started getting less and less violent and the doc(not a guinea pig expert) checked her temp. And gave her two injections for hydration and strength and said to monitor her and keep her warm, like put her on a heating pad. At this point she was barely breathing and died in a few hours even after the blanket and heating pad. My other GP, Coco was fine she didn't even mourn much but I started taking extra care of her I showered her with attention and care all day yesterday and she was completely fine and seemingly happy when I went to sleep but she was lying on her side when I woke up and checked and she was already dead she outlived Bree but only by I day. I don't understand why. What could've gone wrong I took the best care possible. I know hay is their priority food and I didn't have it and I doubt the person who sold them to my boyfriend provided them with hay either so I would just give them greens and fresh veggies and they'd drink water and poop and pee normally.

Sorry for your losses. It sounds to me like your boyfriend was sold a couple of neglected and unwanted pigs. They may have been sick when you got them (guinea pigs hide illness very well). You are absolutely right that they need hay as a huge part of their daily diet, they also need good quality nuggets, fresh veg and water daily.

Sorry to sound harsh but it sounds like they were sprung on you as a surprise gift and no research had been done into their needs and how to care for them properly. No-one should ever get a pet on a whim without first looking into the realities of ownership and responsible care.

I think the telling thing in your post was you said you didn't have hay for the guineas. Sorry to say I think only feeding them veggies caused Bloat. Bloat can cause death in just a few hours and one of the symptoms is weakness.

Feel very sad for you and your poor guineas, op, but I have to agree with the others.

'What could've gone wrong I took the best care possible. I know hay is their priority food and I didn't have it.'

• there's a contradiction right there. If you knew hay was their priority why didn't you buy some? It's not hard to find, even if you can't get to a pet store or garden centre easily, most of the supermarkets sell basic bags of hay.

To be fair, guineas can go downhill very quickly and it's not always possible to save them, you'll never know exactly what was wrong with your two but for future reference (and for anyone else reading the thread for info) the food split for guinea pigs should generally be a minimum 80% hay, with the remaining 20% made up of specialist guinea pig nuggets and fresh food. Feeding greens and veggies only is not a good idea.

Totally agree. Hay is easily available at most supermarkets (mine prefer Tescos hay to any fancy variety) and is not hugely expensive. People should not get pets if they can't (or won't) meet their even their basic requirements.