Heat making pig less energetic?

[SallyM79]

Do piggies tend to be less energetic when it is hot?

One of our girls seems quieter than usual today and isn't getting excited at meal times. She is still eating but not rushing to eat and not caring when our other girl takes something she is munching on.

I'm not sure whether to be concerned or not as she is actually eating and the number of poos in the cage seems the same.

 

[Wiebke]

Do piggies tend to be less energetic when it is hot?

One of our girls seems quieter than usual today and isn't getting excited at meal times. She is still eating but not rushing to eat and not caring when our other girl takes something she is munching on.

I'm not sure whether to be concerned or not as she is actually eating and the number of poos in the cage seems the same.

Hi! Please have her vet checked as soon as possible. She can suffer from overheating, which is affecting her appetite.
A full heatstroke can cause partial or total GI stasis (the guts stopping to work) and can damage the heart; this means that an affected piggy is apathetic and off her food. She may profit from subcutaneous fluids for recovery and ideally gut stimulants.
It doesn't sound like she has had a full heat stroke, but her guts and body have been affected enough. Please accept that the poo output runs 1-2 days behind the intake.

Step in with additional syringe feeding and watering support, but be very careful as guinea pigs with heat stroke can struggle with swallowing (hence the fluid injection for rehydration) so you have to make sure not squirt a lot of food and water into her mouth, but only a very little and then wait until it has gone down. Weigh daily to monitor the actual food intake and supplement as needed.

Please read the advice on the symptoms and care of overheating and heat stroke as well as lots of tips on how to keep your piggies as cool and stable as possible. You may think you know some tricks, but there are a lot more, and they can make all the difference!

Here are the links:
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Bloat, GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management