Guinea pigs not eating-grieving?

[Florin]

We had 3 guinea pigs all girls and they were litter mates all of which were really close. They all live in luxury indoors in our sons room but regularly come out for a wander around/cuddles. Unexpectedly one of the Guineas died on the 1st July and now the other 2 are not eating hardly anything and mainly staying in their sleeping quarters. They are so quiet too, they use to squeak like mad when they heard us go upstairs but now it’s rare although a few more squeaks this morning. They aren’t really eating their nuggets and have a range of fruit and veg given to them A lot gets left but they can be tempted by a little bit of cucumber and have eaten a bit of hay but still so little compared to normal. The vet says they could be grieving. Anybody have any ideas on how to help them. All the advice on the internet is from people going from 2 to 1 guinea however we have gone from 3 to 2 so a little different. Desperate to find a way to perk them up. Our ds absolutely adores them and has been devastated to lose one. We have told him to leave them to be quiet for now and keeping a close eye on them. Any thoughts appreciated!

Long term guinea pig owner here and I don't really have an answer. I've always had pairs so have only gone from 2 to 1 and they've coped generally well.
How old are they and do you know why the piggy died? Was there any sign of ill health?
They're likely grieving but my only concern would be if the death was caused by mites then the other two would likely have them too and go downhill pretty quickly. It's very common and easily treated but can be fatal if not dealt with.
Keep an eye on the eating as guinea pigs shut down quickly if they're not eating regularly, but they won't deliberately starve themselves.
Try a handful of fresh grass, never known a piggy resist that.

Do you know what the dead one died of? Just wondering if there's a possibility that it was something contagious that could be affecting the others? If there's a chance of this then it wouldn't hurt to get them checked at the vets.

I had similar with going from 2 to 1. I think it took a couple of weeks for her to get used to it. I gave lots of attention, new toys, and tried to tempt her with favourite foods. But as you say, it's a bit different when you still have two.

Oh thanks I hadn’t thought of mites, I am off to check now. What do mites in guinea pigs look like?
They all seemed perfectly happy, just 2 hours before they were snuggled up on the sofa with Fruit and veg snacks with my son. Then we put them back in their cage and my husband checked on them before putting our son to bed and she was just curled up dead in her cage. We gave her a thorough look over and there was no signs on her, she looked perfect. I am off to pick some fresh grass now to tempt them. This has been going on for 13 days now and it’s both of them, surely if it was their systems were shutting quite honestly they would be dead by now? We talked to the vet and chatted it through who said not to bring them in yet. If they are still poorly tomorrow going to insist they go in for a check up.

You won't see mites, they can only be seen through a microscope. All guinea pigs have them but their immune system keeps them under control. If the pig becomes run down or poorly then the mites can start to take over their system and eventually it becomes fatal. Mites can also come in on the hay. Symptoms are usually lethargy and off their food, then scratching or biting at themselves, followed eventually by twitching and then seizures. I nearly lost one to mites a couple of years ago but he pulled through.
Let me know how the grass goes, it usually tempts them!
I would recommend a vet check if there's no improvement in a day or so, sometimes they can give them an appetite stimulant if there's no physical reason for them to be off their food.

Thanks for the tip, they ate the bit of grass I gave them which I am guessing is good and caught one eating a bit out of the food bowl. It still looks very full though.

Glad they've eaten something, maybe they just need time. I would keep giving them the grass, they can't have too much as it's what they would eat unlimited amounts of in the wild (as long as it's hand picked and not from a mower.)
If you can tempt them with it to get their appetites going they might start getting back to themselves. Hopefully they will be fine bless them

How are they now OP did they perk up?

When my boar died his mate grieved for a couple of weeks and was very quiet. It was such a happy day when I heard him squeak again when I was going upstairs. He was immediately brought to live inside with us when GP1 died ten months ago and he has been okay. Until today. We are keeping an eye in him. Have just given him grass (thank you) and if he doesn't work up we will ring the vet tomorrow.

My Guinea pig of 4 years died suddenly, and my other Guinea pig is doing bad. He is barely drinking, barely eating, and the vet said to leave him alone. Yet when I have him on my lap he can be convinced to eat a little and loved to snuggle. What can I do to help him?

How is he now? Guinea pigs are said to get depressed very quickly if they are on their own. However, ours was the happiest ever on his own!