Hey guys I just took in a guinea pig from my friend and she's just 3 to 4 months old shes super skinny and weighs 287 grams. I don't know what to feed her and how to take care of her. Any tips or solutions please?
Hi!
Having your piggy vet checked (as you should with all new piggies unless you adopt from a good rescue with mandatory quarantine and vet care that only rehomes healthy guinea pigs) and put her on a good normal hay based diet (at least 80% of the daily food intake). She is young enough to catch up on her own. Good long term health is more important than filling her up with junk calories.
You can add a handful of alfalfa hay daily for the first month if you want to feed something richer; it is only recommended for pregnant and nursing sows and very young babies in that quantity as it is too rich for a daily diet.
Please ask your friends what her diet has been and whether she has had veg before. If not, only introduce one new veg with her meals in small quantities at a time to not cause diarrhea or bloating.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Looks at all food groups, includes a balanced sample diet for starting out from and instructions as to what you can feed how often in which quantities. As our long term forum members (including me) that practise a similar diet with personal tweaks have noticed an increase in longevity and much less problems with urinary tract problems, it is not the worst place to start out from, I'd think.
You may also want to consider getting her a same sex friend or a neutered boar for company, ideally from one of our
recommended good standard rescues if you can get to one. Guinea pigs live in groups and are not wired to live on their own. Having a friend will hopefully perk her up and make it easier for her to learn to eat foods she may not have had - there is nothing like the 'I want what you have' reflex! Young guinea pigs learn from their elders what is safe to eat and what not. The rescues we recommend have a mandatory quarantine/vet care and pregnancy watch and most of them offer dating at the rescue under expert supervision for a companion, so you come home with a new friend only if acceptance has happened and the piggies get on. The rescues also provide life long back up if the bond runs into trouble or you cannot keep your guinea pigs anymore. That is a lot of service and assurance for a little extra effort!
Companionship
Please take the time to look at our new owners guide collection of which all the previous links are part of. We are specifically addressing all the areas new owners have the most questions and worries about, from settling in and making friends with piggy whispering tips to understanding behaviour, housing and enrichment, diet and care advice as well as learning what is normal and not and how to spot illness early or how soon to see vet. We have also included links to recommended good standard rescues and vets in several countries.
Companionship
Since we have members and enquiries from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can always tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to account details and then down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and saves everybody time. Thank you!
. She talks and Finn listens.
