You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Rodents, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits are popular pets which are relatively easy to look after. Occasionally apparently healthy individuals are found dead - why ?

Like many wild animals rodents, guinea pigs and rabbits can  instinctively hide the fact that they are ill, because to show external signs of disease would make them easy prey for predators in the wild. So, sometimes pet rodents, guinea pigs and rabbits appear to die suddenly when in fact they have been ill for some time.  On the other hand there are acute diseases in which an individual may show no signs at all other than sudden death. Here is a list of the most frequent reported causes of sudden death :

 

Species	Reported Causes of Sudden Death	Comments
Gerbils	Exposure to cold  Exposure to excess heat Dehydration Neoplasia (cancer) Septicaemia Starvation Administration of streptomycin Exposure to various toxins Trauma
Guinea Pigs	Antibiotic administration Dehydration Dystocia (difficulty giving birth) Exposure to cold Exposure to heat Gastrointestinal disease - inflammation or twisting of the caecum or intestines Pneumonia Pregnancy toxaemia Salmonellosis Septicaemia Toxaemia
Hamsters	Amyloidosis * Antibiotic administration Atrial thrombosis *  Dehydration Exposure to cold Exposure to heat Gastrointestinal disease - eg "wet tail" (proliferative ileitis) Myocardial degeneration * Neoplasia (cancer)* Pregnancy toxaemia (rare) Renal failure * Salmonellosis (rare) Sendai virus infection (rare) Streptococcal infection (rare) Trauma Tularaemia (rare) Warfarin poisoning	* These conditions are mainly seen in old hamsters
Mice	Administration of antibiotics Administration of chloroform Ectromelia Exposure to cold Exposure to heat Dehydration Infectious diseases eg Candidiasis Mouse hepatitis virus Organophosphate toxicity** Pseudomoniasis Salmonellosis Sendai virus Toxaemia Trauma	** Pet mice should not be exposed to common organophosphate products such as flea control sprays.
Rabbits	Bacterial infections (eg Pasteurellosis**) Enterotoxaemia Mucoid enteropathy Myocardial disease Myxomatosis  Neoplasia (cancer) Rabbit pox Retained placenta in does Salmonellosis (rare) Septicaemia (due to colibacillosis) Toxaemia (eg clostridium following pregnancy) Toxoplasmosis Tularaemia Urolithiasis Viral haemorrhagic disease ***	**Snuffles can appear to be very innocuous with mild signs such as slight ocular discharge, but it may lead to rapid death due to overwhelming infection   *** Often external haemorrhages present
Rats	Inappropriate bedding eg cedar wood shavings Degenerative diseases * Dehydration Exposure to cold Exposure to heat Gastrointestinal disease eg megaloileitis, twisting of the caecum Malnutrition - starvation Pneumonia Stress Suffocation - during transportation Trauma	* In older rats

Updated October 2013