Is It Okay To Skip Feeding For A Day?

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Ruby Inferno

Ruby Inferno

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I feel terrible about this, but I've had the flu recently and have had no energy whatsoever. My piggies live outdoors in a warm hutch with lots of hay to snuggle in. Anyway, I've been sleeping all day and getting up pretty late because I'm so exhausted from having the flu. This means I have to look after the piggies later on in the day when it is colder. Some nights it's windy, rainy, and cold. The other day my mum said it's okay to skip seeing the piggies for a day, as long as I do it the following morning/afternoon. So I did, then the following afternoon (which was yesterday) I fed them and gave them extra veggies and a little extra nuggets. I haven't seen them today (it was dark when I woke up), but I will definitely do it tomorrow and also feed extra veg and some extra nuggets too. I feel bad for listening to my mum and not doing it anyway. :(

Just to clarify, before I skip a day I always ensure they have plenty of water and hay and they never ever run out.

To be honest I feel terrible about my piggies overall. I have two boars, they live in separate floors in their hutch due to fighting, and there's no way I can let them live side by side due to space restrictions. There's no space indoors. This means they don't get company from eachother, and me skipping a day means they don't get attention for a whole day, which isn't ideal. One of them actually hates being cuddled, so that's not an issue, but the other loves it. I do have to rehome the piggies because they're too much maintenance in the long run, but I haven't done that yet and I feel bad for not being able to give them to a home that can actually look after them. The reason is because I'm not sure yet how I will go about rehoming them. Another reason why I feel bad about my piggies is because they don't get any exercise time, during the summer they had plenty of lawn time (or patio time) but it's too cold in the winter for them to exercise outdoors.

The only way I could keep them is rehome one of them and have one live alone in the utility room (there wouldn't be room for two separate boars), they would never be without cuddles etc. all day long, but the problem with that is they would not get any piggy interaction and I don't think piggies should live without a friend. :(

I feel awful about the whole thing, I feel like a terrible person. Thanks for listening to my rant.
 
Do you mean that for a whole day they aren't being checked on at all, or it is just evening feeding? Personaally I wouldn't skip at all.
 
Isn't there anyone who can check on them and feed them for you if you aren't able?
 
I feel for you. My OH has put his foot down about having my G.P.' s indoors. He's constantly telling me how many of his work colleagues tell him they'd be OK in a hutch outdoors but fortunately he has let me use a shed which I have been able to get insulated.
I'm constantly thinking how awful it would have been to have to trapse out in the cold and dark to tend to them.

It's not your fault you have got flu. I can tell by your post that you know yourself that it is not ideal to miss feeding them but I can also tell that you will try to do your best. Your priority is that they do not run out of hay or water and their bedding is clean enough that they don't get damp.

I don't think you'll be happy giving one guinea pig up and keeping a lone one. Have you looked at the rescue locator as many rescues will help with bonding as I think you will be much happier with a bonded pair.
 
P.s, hope you are feeling better soon! Nothing worse than flu!
 
so long as they have plenty of water and hay and munchies like that it should be fine for their health, however they will be more skittish around humans from the lack of interaction.
 
Thank you, I do feel a lot better than I did. :)

My mum refuses to feed them because she has had the flu too and does not want to go outside in the cold. Same with everyone else in my house. :(

I might rehome one (Caramel, he is very antisocial, hates cuddles and humans, always been like that even before he was separated from his brother) and get the other one (Doughnut, the one in my avatar, he's timid but lovely and really enjoys cuddles and chin rubs) another piggy from a rescue centre to bond with. Both piggies are 10 months old so would a young, maybe 2 month old boar work?
 
Ruby Inferno said:
Thank you, I do feel a lot better than I did. :)

My mum refuses to feed them because she has had the flu too and does not want to go outside in the cold. Same with everyone else in my house. :(

I might rehome one (Caramel, he is very antisocial, hates cuddles and humans, always been like that even before he was separated from his brother) and get the other one (Doughnut, the one in my avatar, he's timid but lovely and really enjoys cuddles and chin rubs) another piggy from a rescue centre to bond with. Both piggies are 10 months old so would a young, maybe 2 month old boar work?
Click to expand...

I hope all goes well with bonding - you'll be much happier with a bonded pair
 
They should be okay as long as they have a ton of water and food, but there is always the chance of something happening during that time that you could have prevented. Imagine how awful you would feel if you went out to find that the water bottle or bowl had spilled or leaked and your pigs had passed away from the damp. That being said, I had the flu in November and I went out and checked, fed, watered, and cleaned my pet rabbits' pen in -28 degree Celsius weather. I suppose that's the responsibility you acquire when taking up the task of owning a pet.
 
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