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Is my piggy poorly?

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Emma85

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi there
I have a male 3 year old piggy.
Over the last three to four days he has virtually stopped eating. He'll have a tiny nibble every now and again but this is very out of character. At the usual feeding times he would normally be wheaking and popcorning and as soon as food is down he would grab it and scurry under his shelter to eat. His vegetables are still there from this morning (even tried tempting with fave veggies and apple) and his nuggets have not been touched either. He also seems quieter than usual, staying under his shelter mostly and not coming out when spoken to (very unlike him). His hay would normally be gone by now but that is also still there. I'm unsure about water, I've just given fresh water and marked it on the bottle to keep my eye on it.

I haven't noticed any unusual poos or strong smelling urine, no different from usual anyway.

I'm going to try to get him to the vets today if I can. I'm worried.

Can anyone she'd light on what it could be?

Thanks
 
Good idea to get him to the vets; not eating or drinking is very dangerous after a few hours. Can you try syringe feeding him? There’s a really helpful guide on the forum if you search ‘syringe feeding guide’. I can’t guess what it could be as piggies are excellent at hiding their symptoms, but I wish him the best and hope he’s feeling better in no time :)
 
Emma85 said:
Hi there
I have a male 3 year old piggy.
Over the last three to four days he has virtually stopped eating. He'll have a tiny nibble every now and again but this is very out of character. At the usual feeding times he would normally be wheaking and popcorning and as soon as food is down he would grab it and scurry under his shelter to eat. His vegetables are still there from this morning (even tried tempting with fave veggies and apple) and his nuggets have not been touched either. He also seems quieter than usual, staying under his shelter mostly and not coming out when spoken to (very unlike him). His hay would normally be gone by now but that is also still there. I'm unsure about water, I've just given fresh water and marked it on the bottle to keep my eye on it.

I haven't noticed any unusual poos or strong smelling urine, no different from usual anyway.

I'm going to try to get him to the vets today if I can. I'm worried.

Can anyone she'd light on what it could be?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Any guinea pig that is not eating and and losing over 50g of weight in a very short time needs to see a vet promptly! Be aware that hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake, so your piggy is eating much less than you think and can quickly be at risk of the gut slowing and then closing down. Unlike predators like cats and dogs who are wired to cope with fasting periods, guinea pig rely on a regular intake of food and can't wait. :(

Step in with syringe feeding mushed up pellets in an emergency (cut off the tip as shown in the syringe feeding guide to allow fibre to come through) and as much water as your piggy will take asap. You can get needle-free 1 ml syringes in any pharmacy.
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs

All the best!
 
Thank you for your reply.

I did take him to the vets and they found he had diarrhoea and an inflamed bottom, including a small lesion (sore).

Vet gave him painkiller and anti-inflammatory medicine and sent us home with a recovery liquid diet. The following day i attempted to feed him the paste using a syringe as he hadn't touched it. He made a very loud squeak and almost a growl and was deperately scurrying to get away and biting my top (this is very unlike him). We returned to the vets the following day and the redness on his bottom has cleared up and she said to feed him as normal, including extra vitamin c in his diet so I have fed him and he has eaten some of the fresh veggies offered, but not all.
Vet also did a skin scratch and will be looking at it under microscope as he has little bits on his fur, but she said she didn't think it is lice because they were falling off his fur and not sticking but she wanted to make sure as he has been biting and itching.

Again today I have seen him have bits of hay, and he has only nibbled on his fresh food and from what I can see he hasn't touched his nuggets. He does seem to be drinking well though. He's more sociable than he was but not his usual sociable self by any means. Spending a lot of time sleeping under his shelter. Still a bit worried about him ☹

Any ideas what this could be? He's only 3.
 
I think you have to be guided by you vet. You may know something when the results of the skin scratch. If you are stil worried give the practice nurse or the vet a ring. Is he dribbling.
 
I haven't noticed him dribbling, no. His mouth is constantly chewing, but he has no food in his mouth, he bites food, like his veggies but it is dropping out. We've tried offering him food but he isn't showing his teeth at all and normally we see his teeth.

I'm going to take him back to the vet on Monday and ask them to check his teeth.
 
I think you might be right with the teeth. I had a rabbit that had that same problem. I hope all goes well at the vets and that you find the cause :)
 
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