My guinea pigs are 2.5 months old. This morning they all of a sudden stopped eating hay. They had lettuce and pellets. But now, they're not eating hay or any other vegetables I kept for them. They're not even letting me touch them as if they're scared of me. They ran around a bit but are very silent now except for the occasional fighting. I'm scared. Please help me. If something happens to them I'll literally die. Please help. I don't have any exotic vets in my area. They don't deserve to suffer.
-
Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement
Guinea pigs suddenly stopped eating
- Thread starter Wrii
- Start date
Please see a vet as soon as you can if your piggies suddenly look ill and/or lethargic.
If they are outdoors, please bring them inside in case something has frightened them badly (a mouse in a hutch can do that, for instance). If they all stop at the same time, then you are dealing with likely an environmental factor or a food factor where something is not right. Replace all the hay and start a new batch.
Switch to weighing daily at the same time and step in with syringe feeding when needed.
You can find the necessary information in these guides here. Please take the time to read them:
Temporary Housing Solutions?
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide
Thank you
All the best! It is always a very worrying time!
They have started eating now but still no hay. They're eating plums and had some coriander. Eating their pellets. The funny thing is that before this they hated pellets.
Since hay should make over 80% of the daily food intake, that is worrying. Please continue weighing daily at the same time as a guinea pig can lose a lot of weight very quickly without you noticing if it is off hay.
I would recommend to have them vet checked and I would also recommend to consider trying a different sort of hay/another brand. Guinea pigs have at least double the amount of taste buds to us humans.
Please note that stone fruit are not recommended for guinea pigs and that fruit should at the best of times be more an occasional treat than part of the regular diet.
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets