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Feeding Joanna

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Kira

Kira

Adult Guinea Pig
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Not too sure if this should go in medical...

I'm really worried as to what to feed Joanna, my new rescue...I know a change in food can really upset piggys stomachs and with her being so underweight I'm not really sure she's had much to eat before....

She has all her teeth - just thought I'd mention that

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Kira & Joanna x
 
Give her a small amount of whatever you're already feeding your other pigs. It's impossible for you to know what her previous owners were giving her, although I'd stab a guess that she was being fed the cheapest, crappest pellets available since she's clearly disposable to her previous owner.

Giving her a small amount of pellets, with a dominance on feeding her hay (if you mix hays, this should encourage her to gobble more hay) should balance out any sudden jerks to her stomach.

A note: Hold off on giving her veggies for a short while, at least until she's settled and then introduce her slowly to each veg. For a few days give her just lettuce, the next day lettuce with, say, a different type of lettuce (perhaps round and cos) then slowly introduce her to other types of veggies during her 3 week quarantine period until, just before she can be introduced to your girls (if you have girlies?) she is eating what they're eating.

I'm sorry you found her how you did; but I'm glad it was you who found her.


Also: nothing is medically wrong until she becomes ill or shows signs of something which needs treatment. This is more diet-based than medical.
 
Me too. I can't wait to hear about her progress Kira. I bet she's thriving in no time with your care.
 
I keep looking at her and crying - poor thing must be sick of hearing me wail!

It is other girlies I have teadragon :) I'm looking forward to being able to introduce them - perhaps being able to talk to my other other girls will help her settle - they can tell her how wrapped around their paws I am and that a fork wont go anywhere near her here!

thanks a lot for the advice about feeding her, I was really worried in case I caused her to have an upset tummy :( and it means an awful lot to me to hear people say they are glad she found me xxxxxxxxxx
 
Maybe tempt her with some fresh grass if you have access to any. Sweetcorn would be a good nutritous snack for her as well.
 
Take it slowly over the first few days.

Settling in new surroundings is stressful enough for her. Try her with small portions of this and that in a day or two and see what she takes to. A little bit of grass or dandelion (guaranteed dog pee free) are not a bad place to start.

Make sure that you talk to her gently all the time. If you can find it in, let that feeling of how precious she is to well up in you (without tears) and project it on her. I found that this helps calm down freaky piggies.

Perhaps Laura (CCC4) can give you some reiki tips to help counter the her torture and to help soothing her down?
 
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daleksarah said:
what about a bit of cucumber?my piggies love it and it will help get fluids in her
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, cucumber can trigger the runs in a piggy that has never had it before.
 
Is tomato tho same, my guinea pigs are MENTAL for that too... altho I think it makes Leos nose sore... is she doing better then? Hopefully she'll be able to be mothered by the older females =D
 
mine will literally kill for fresh spinach leaves - full of iron! The key with any veggies though is little by little - a good lactose free probiotic (GP's are lactose intollerant!) will also help - if shes been on rubbish/no food for a while it could have reduced her intestinal flora level.

a good multivit drop in her drinking water will help to counter any nutritional deficiencies from a previous poor diet as well.

Other then that just lots and lots of love, and I'm sure she'll turn into a very special piggy.
 
Start off with lots of hay. If she eats anything herself, it needs to be the most important thing in the diet. If you can, try some different types of hay to pique her interest. I can send a small bag of Oxbow Timothy and Orchard Grass if you like?

Plain pellets would be good, keep her bowl filled up to entice her to try some.

A Vitamin C supplement would need to be given for at least a week or two, until she is eating okay on her own and until she is well on the road to recovery. The veggie I would introduce first is probably parsley, purely because most piggies love it, and it's high in Vit C and calcium - both of which she will be needing! I would avoid fruits for now, aim for small amounts of really high quality and nutritious veggies.
 
It sounds as though you've had lots of sensible advice already, and I would agree that hay in bulk to keep her digestive system going would be best with small amounts of suitable greens.

Having read your other post as well I can understand why you keep crying, but hang on to the positive side too. Joanna has landed on her paws with you, and guinea pigs for their size are amazingly robust and resilient beasties. They are also much more 'in the moment' than us and can bounce back emotionally incredibly well. I'm hoping that once Joanna realises she is safe and secure with you she will be able to relax and eventually become a happy piggy.
 
What you need to remember is that you don't know what she's been fed in the past and feeding her something that could be unusual for a pig in the care of ignorant owners could trigger a stomach upset that would mean a lot of intensive care. Diarrhoea in guinea pigs can be extremely crippling and difficult to treat especially if the owner doesn't have probiotic on hand to give to their unwell pig.

Please remember that while you will want to spoil a new pig who has been dumped to "make them feel better" giving a new pig lots of random treats isn't very good for their digestive tract and could cause more harm than good. Many owners here feed fruits sparingly for this reason and focus mainly on vegetables that have a lot of good in them.

There's no need to rush into giving the new pig everything that other pigs like; she will have years to learn from the other girls in the herd -- after she's introduced after her quarantine -- what's good to eat and what isn't. All in due time.

How is she getting on, Rawr.
 
Just to let eveyone know today I saw Joanna use her water bottle for the first time =D
 
Great - that is one very big hurdle out of the way!
 
This is only a thought and please correct me if I am wrong - but wouldn't a few fresh poos from your other piggie help to rebalance her gut flora and fauna? it should also help her gain nutrients she may yet be having trouble getting out of her food on her own if she hasn't been fed properly.

I think you are fabulous for taking Joanna on and I think she will do wonderfully well with you. I am following information on her with avid attention, as I bet a lot of others are too. So thankyou for telling us how she is. And woohoo for drinking from the bottle!
 
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