Help! Lethargic Guinea Pig

[Afton<3]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the sound of desperation but this morning when I was getting ready for work i noticed one of my piggys (Pumpkin) was not quite right. usually as soon as my alarm goes off my two piggies (who are housed separately) are up squeaking and running around their cage for their breakfast. Teddy was up and making the usual sounds etc but when i looked at Pumpkins cage he was still in bed. Pumpkin is the crazier of the two so this is highly unusual. I opened the door to his cage and he had been sleeping because when I opened it he got a fright and shot his head up. I just thought he must have slept through the alarm so i laid the cucumber down next to him and he sniffed it then looked away. Another warning sign because like most Pigs cucumber is his fav and he NEVER turns down food!.

i called into my work and said i would be late in today because i wanted to make sure he was Okay. I went to the supermarket down the road and bought him sliced greens, tomatoes which are his fav as well. When i got back my mum had let him out of his cage and he was in his Hay House eating the hay and i gave him some of his sliced green which he ate and them cuddled in on his side to sleep. I picked him up and put him back in his house and he went to sleep.

I have just came back from work at lunch to check on him and he had made a nest in his hay ( he has never ever done this). I tried to entice him with some tomato but again he stuck his nose up at it. Then when i let him out he did the same and went to his hay house and was eating the hay from there. After 15 mins he cuddled in to sleep so i put him back in his house and then he went and drank some of his water.

I know some of you may read this and think I am over reacting but My last guinea pig stopped eating completely and I was feeding him critical care etc for a week and everyday he was at the vets and they kept telling me he was okay and maybe just feeling off - but i knew he wasn't right and after the week he died. So now that Pumpkin is not his usual bright and cheery self I am really worried. Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

I know if i take him to the vet they will check him over and say he is fine just like last time......

Many Many Thanks

 

[Critter]

Hi there.
First of all please don't feel like anyone will tell you that you are over-reacting. We know our furry friends better than any one on here, better than any vet, and when you feel something is wrong then it's best to get things checked out. That doesn't mean there really is something bad going on, but it does mean that you have noticed a change and you are wise to start trying to find out what's going on.
Are there any other signs? What are his poos like? Are they normal? smaller than usual? softer than usual? We can tell a lot by theire poops, but can't diagnose by that alone.
Does he appear bloated around his belly? As in hard and full of gas? If so he needs immediate vet care.

Is he breathing normally? When he was out and about earlier was he alert and active?

Is he drinking?

Not eating as normal often does show that things are not right, and if you can book him into a vets sooner than later anything that he has will be dealt with more easily.
It could be many things - tummy upset (which must not be allowed to continue), teeth problems, infection.....

Until you can get your vets appointment (please try to get to see one today if possible) I suggest continuing to encourage him to eat. Try him with his pellets mushed in water and fed on the end of a spoon.

There's a vet locator on the top of the forum page with vets recommended as being piggy-savvy. If you can get to see one of them then hopefully you will not get a repeat of being fobbed off!
Please keep us updated x

@Wiebke @helen105281

 

[Teddybear22]

I would take him to the vet, and I would insist to the vet to check everything on him, and don't go anywhere until they do. Especially make sure they check his teeth/molars and his stomach/intestines for bloat.
You know your piggies better than anyone, and if you feel like something is not okay, you're probably right.

I'm sure others will give you good advice about what else to do to help your piggy in the meantime. I'll tag @Wiebke, just in case so she doesn't miss this post!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the sound of desperation but this morning when I was getting ready for work i noticed one of my piggys (Pumpkin) was not quite right. usually as soon as my alarm goes off my two piggies (who are housed separately) are up squeaking and running around their cage for their breakfast. Teddy was up and making the usual sounds etc but when i looked at Pumpkins cage he was still in bed. Pumpkin is the crazier of the two so this is highly unusual. I opened the door to his cage and he had been sleeping because when I opened it he got a fright and shot his head up. I just thought he must have slept through the alarm so i laid the cucumber down next to him and he sniffed it then looked away. Another warning sign because like most Pigs cucumber is his fav and he NEVER turns down food!.

i called into my work and said i would be late in today because i wanted to make sure he was Okay. I went to the supermarket down the road and bought him sliced greens, tomatoes which are his fav as well. When i got back my mum had let him out of his cage and he was in his Hay House eating the hay and i gave him some of his sliced green which he ate and them cuddled in on his side to sleep. I picked him up and put him back in his house and he went to sleep.

I have just came back from work at lunch to check on him and he had made a nest in his hay ( he has never ever done this). I tried to entice him with some tomato but again he stuck his nose up at it. Then when i let him out he did the same and went to his hay house and was eating the hay from there. After 15 mins he cuddled in to sleep so i put him back in his house and then he went and drank some of his water.

I know some of you may read this and think I am over reacting but My last guinea pig stopped eating completely and I was feeding him critical care etc for a week and everyday he was at the vets and they kept telling me he was okay and maybe just feeling off - but i knew he wasn't right and after the week he died. So now that Pumpkin is not his usual bright and cheery self I am really worried. Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

I know if i take him to the vet they will check him over and say he is fine just like last time......

Many Many Thanks

Hi! Can you contact one of our recommended vets? it is important that he is being seen by a knowledgeable vet as soon as possible.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator

Sudden lethargy/loss of appetite is always very worrying and it is a symptom of a life-threatening/potentially life-threatening condition, which needs ideally to be seen within a day.
Without a thorough check-up, all you can do is just guess and without anything being done, there is little chance of him pulling through. Please check whether your piggy is exhibiting one of the issues listed below. Of course it is much more difficult when the cause is not quite obvious and can be due to an internal lump or an organ going wrong etc. One of my piggies was found with a gas filled stomach, but no bloating in the guts after a second emergency trip and only after a scan to see what was going on internally to cause her loss of appetite. Sometimes, a scan or x-ray under only very light sedation may help if there are not external signs.
Should my piggie see a vet? - a quick guide

Please step in with syringe feeding asap and weigh daily at the same time to monitor the food intake; just watching a piggy nibble on a little bit of hay or tomato is NOT enough! Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Afton<3]

Hi there.
First of all please don't feel like anyone will tell you that you are over-reacting. We know our furry friends better than any one on here, better than any vet, and when you feel something is wrong then it's best to get things checked out. That doesn't mean there really is something bad going on, but it does mean that you have noticed a change and you are wise to start trying to find out what's going on.
Are there any other signs? What are his poos like? Are they normal? smaller than usual? softer than usual? We can tell a lot by theire poops, but can't diagnose by that alone.
Does he appear bloated around his belly? As in hard and full of gas? If so he needs immediate vet care.

Is he breathing normally? When he was out and about earlier was he alert and active?

Is he drinking?

Not eating as normal often does show that things are not right, and if you can book him into a vets sooner than later anything that he has will be dealt with more easily.
It could be many things - tummy upset (which must not be allowed to continue), teeth problems, infection.....

Until you can get your vets appointment (please try to get to see one today if possible) I suggest continuing to encourage him to eat. Try him with his pellets mushed in water and fed on the end of a spoon.

There's a vet locator on the top of the forum page with vets recommended as being piggy-savvy. If you can get to see one of them then hopefully you will not get a repeat of being fobbed off!
Please keep us updated x

@Wiebke @helen105281

Thank You for your quick response - yes he is drinking normally. I felt his stomach area and it does not feel any bigger and is just squishy as usual nothing hard or abnormal. the only thing that is the problem is that he is being 'picky' with food which is not usual for him. However he is still eating his hay and drinking his water.

I think his poops are okay but I cannot be sure as he has hay all over his cage at the moment.

I will call and have an emergency appointment with a vet for him so they can have a good look over and hopefully make him all better.

Thank You again for your quick response xx

 

[Critter]

Thanks for getting him seen quickly. Hopefully it's nothing bad. Please keep us updated and we'll keep our fingers crossed for you x

 

[Afton<3]

I have an emergency appointment for tonight at 5.30pm so fingers crossed all goes okay - Thanks for everyone's help I will keep you posted x

 

[Afton<3]

Hi everyone just a little up date to say that when I got in from work Pumpkin was eating the veggies that I had tried to get him to eat earlier! Spoke with the vet and she said just to keep an eye on him but his belly felt fine and he didn't have a temperature. She said just to bring him in If he takes a turn for the worse.

Later on I let him out for his run and play and he did just that back to his usual self - speeding up and down like Stirling Moss! Back to his gorgeous cheeky chappy self! Also he is pooping and peeing as normal especially on me!
I have just put him back in his cage with a nice juicy tomatoe and cucumber cut into cubes and as I am writing this all I can hear is him and teddy munching away on their supper! Ah that beautiful sound will never get old

Thanks again for all your help x

 

[Wiebke]

That is great news! Please keep an eye on him for the next few days and keep monitoring his weight daily instead of weekly until the end of this week to make sure.

 

[Afton<3]

That is great news! Please keep an eye on him for the next few days and keep monitoring his weight daily instead of weekly until the end of this week to make sure.

Yes I most definitely will you can never be too careful with piggys they are fragile little things - I hope that today was just me over reacting and he was just having a bad day !

 

[Wiebke]

Yes I most definitely will you can never be too careful with piggys they are fragile little things - I hope that today was just me over reacting and he was just having a bad day !

Whenever members are using some "red alarm" words like lethargy etc., which can mean that a guinea pig is potentially dying, then - without having the option of seeing the piggy in question - we have to urge the owner to please make sure that the piggy is seen by a vet asap. Especially with new members where we don't know anything about them and their piggies. We see sadly often enough owners coming on here for help when it is too late.

It is a big relief for us, too, when that is not the case!

 

[Afton<3]

Whenever members are using some "red alarm" words like lethargy etc., which can mean that a guinea pig is potentially dying, then - without having the option of seeing the piggy in question - we have to urge the owner to please make sure that the piggy is seen by a vet asap. Especially with new members where we don't know anything about them and their piggies. We see sadly often enough owners coming on here for help when it is too late.

It is a big relief for us, too, when that is not the case!

Oh yes I can imagine well I actually found this forum last year shortly after my last piggy (gannicus) passed away after he just completely stopped eating and I wish I found you guys before then it would have been so helpful. I did take gannicus him to the vets as soon as I knew he wasn't right but they told me he was okay and I ended up taking him to 2 different vets everyday for a week and both told me that he had a small bladder infection but that they gave him jags so he would be fine and as I am sure you know he was not and after a horrible week he sadly passed away :/ so as soon as I noticed pumpkin today being a little under the weather and picky with food I instantly knew you guys were the ones to contact since you have so much experience and knowledge. I am just so relieved that he is back to eating everything that I give him again and back to being a cheeky chappy. I cannot thank you all enough for your quick replies today

 

[Critter]

Really pleased to read that Pumpkin (lovely name by the way) is back to his usual cheeky self. It's really sad about what happened to Gannicus. Unfortunately, as you probably know from experience and reading the forum, piggies have a tendency to hide their illnesses as best as they can, and they can develop things that we don't always spot straight away, and things that can be hard to diagnose due to not always giving obvious symptoms as such. You knew that Gannicus was poorly, but sometimes the root cause can be hard for vets to track down. Some vets are much better at spotting the subtleties than others in guinea pigs and finding a vet who has that area of knowledge isn't always easy.
You certainly did the right thing with both piggies, as you tried to get the right help for Gannicus as soon as you could, and you kept trying, and as soon as Pumpkin showed signs you got help.
It's a relief to come on here this morning and see your post
Glad you're watching him closely to be sure. It sounds good xx