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Help getting pigs to eat

S

Sydney11

New Born Pup
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I have never had GP, and now have 2. I'll try to keep it short.

2 pigs found in a box in a dumpster, taken to shelter, matted, covered in feces, bigger one a little underweight, smaller one very under weight. After a week at the shelter the little one wasn't looking so good. I work at a vet hosp, shelter asked us for x-rays. Little pig had a huge stone at the end of her urethra. This shelter isn't really set up for surgery on GP. I felt bad for her and didn't want to see her put down. So both came home with me. The little one had the stone removed 10 days ago. Did great, recovered no problems. But she was loosing weight. Neither of them will eat pellets. I've tried different brands. Both eat hay. Both love kale, spinach, and lettuce. They seem to not really like carrots, bell peppers, or apples. They start these but never finish them. Little pig is being force fed critical care and is gaining weight. Big pig is very slowly loosing weight. Both are active, super shy, seem scared of everything, but are slowly starting to approach me when I enter the room.

I have weaned down the veggies hoping they will eat pellets. I've tried scattering the pellets, putting them in a bowl, mixing some critical care with it. Nothing!

Little pig is on "no gas" meds, probiotics, and an anti-inflammatory. All from a veterinarian. Also little pig had blood work done again 2 days ago, all normal. There are small "chalky" white areas on the lining in their enclosure and I'm worried it's calcium in the urine. Most likely from the little one and on going urinary issues. Which I'm sure means a special diet for her. But I need them to eat enough to maintain weight!

Any advice to get them eating better?

Thank you!
 
Sydney11 said:
I have never had GP, and now have 2. I'll try to keep it short.

2 pigs found in a box in a dumpster, taken to shelter, matted, covered in feces, bigger one a little underweight, smaller one very under weight. After a week at the shelter the little one wasn't looking so good. I work at a vet hosp, shelter asked us for x-rays. Little pig had a huge stone at the end of her urethra. This shelter isn't really set up for surgery on GP. I felt bad for her and didn't want to see her put down. So both came home with me. The little one had the stone removed 10 days ago. Did great, recovered no problems. But she was loosing weight. Neither of them will eat pellets. I've tried different brands. Both eat hay. Both love kale, spinach, and lettuce. They seem to not really like carrots, bell peppers, or apples. They start these but never finish them. Little pig is being force fed critical care and is gaining weight. Big pig is very slowly loosing weight. Both are active, super shy, seem scared of everything, but are slowly starting to approach me when I enter the room.

I have weaned down the veggies hoping they will eat pellets. I've tried scattering the pellets, putting them in a bowl, mixing some critical care with it. Nothing!

Little pig is on "no gas" meds, probiotics, and an anti-inflammatory. All from a veterinarian. Also little pig had blood work done again 2 days ago, all normal. There are small "chalky" white areas on the lining in their enclosure and I'm worried it's calcium in the urine. Most likely from the little one and on going urinary issues. Which I'm sure means a special diet for her. But I need them to eat enough to maintain weight!

Any advice to get them eating better?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

It is great that you are taking on such a challenge and that you are trying your best to save them.

Over three quarters of what guinea pigs eat in a day should be hay, hay and more hay. As long as your piggies eat that, they are fine for the time being. Most rescues, even from a malnutrional background with unsuitable to food will eat hay unless they have dental problems (overgrowth) resulting from an unsuitable diet.
The whole digestive and dental system of guinea pigs is geared toward processing highly nutritous but tough grass fibre in two runs through the gut; the growth rate of the grinding molars is balanced against the silica in the grass/hay.

Have a look at the incisors of your piggies. If the edges are nice and even, then this means that the incisors self-sharpen against each other and the molars and premolars are fine. If the edges are slanted, jagged or pointing inwards (overgrown and no longer meeting), then this is pointing towards dental overgrowth and the inability to eat and/or swallow. This is something that unfortunately needs to be taken into immediate consideration with newly rescued intakes in a bad state before we can talk diet. The incisor test is not fail-safe but it is the best for a quick home assessment that I can give you.

Piggies learn from their elders what is safe to eat or not since rodents don't have a vomit reflex. They do however have got double the amount of taste buds compared to humans. It can take a while for piggies where that has not happened to work with foods they have not learned to recognise as edible.

Here is our comprehensive diet guide, which looks at diet as a whole but then at all food groups in detail. I hope that you find it helpful. We have tried to make it both as practical and easy to follow as possible.
Wiebke

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...
  • Like

Here is the link to our very practical New Owners information resource with all the tips, tricks and necessary how-to advice, which you may want to bookmark.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection


I hope that this helps you?
 
I have no advice which is fine because Wiebke is the pro around here.

Just want to say how great it is that you took these poor piggies from the shelter and are trying your best, despite never having had guineas before, right at the start of the holiday season too! :clap:😍
 
Good for you taking in these 2 and giving the a chance of a happy life.
No advice to add to what has already been said
Welcome to the forum
 
Welcome to the forum. Thank you for taking them on. The advice on here is always good and consistent. My boys send healing rumbles ❤️
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

It is great that you are taking on such a challenge and that you are trying your best to save them.

Over three quarters of what guinea pigs eat in a day should be hay, hay and more hay. As long as your piggies eat that, they are fine for the time being. Most rescue piggies, even from a malnutrional background will eat hay unless they have dental problems (overgrowth) resulting from an unsuitable diet.
The whole digestive and dental system of guinea pigs is geared toward processing highly nutritous but tough grass fibre in two runs through the gut; the growth rate of the grinding molars is balanced against the highly abrasive silica in the grass/hay.

Have a look at the incisors of your piggies. If the edges are nice and even, then this means that the incisors self-sharpen against each other and the molars and premolars are generally (not always) fine. If the edges are slanted, jagged or pointing inwards (overgrown and no longer meeting), then this is pointing towards dental overgrowth and the inability to eat and/or swallow. This is something that unfortunately needs to be taken into immediate consideration with newly rescued intakes in a bad state before we can talk diet. The incisor test is not fail-safe but it is the best check for a quick home assessment that I can give you.

Piggies learn from their elders what is safe to eat or not since rodents don't have a vomit reflex. They do however have got double the amount of taste buds compared to humans. It can take a while for piggies where that has not happened to work with foods they have not learned to recognise as edible.

Here is our comprehensive diet guide, which looks at diet as a whole but then at all food groups in detail. I hope that you find it helpful. We have tried to make it both as practical and easy to follow as possible.
Wiebke

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...
  • Like

Here is the link to our very practical New Owners information resource with all the tips, tricks and necessary how-to advice, which you may want to bookmark.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection


I hope that this helps you?
Click to expand...
Oh thank you so much! So much good info!

And thank you everyone for the well wishes!
 
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