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Just Not Eating

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Beckit

Beckit

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
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Location
Essex, UK
Hiya

It's been a while since I've posted on the forum as I've been really busy lately but when something's wrong with my Jed this is always my first line of advice.

Jedward isn't eating her kibbles and is eating less veg each day. I've been monitoring her weight daily and the changes are so minute that there's really no actual difference in her weight. So she's not losing weight, she's just not eating.

She's still drinking and she still seems to be eating her hay, she's also eating things like cucumber and lettuce and leaving drier foods like carrot and such so I've been giving her extra cucumber. I just don't understand why she's not eating.

There's no bloating, no sign of a urine infection, no sign of mites, she's not behaving any differently so I don't really know what to do with her.

The vet I registered with when I moved out does deal with exotics, they even have a lizard on their logo, and I asked my old vet about them and they said they were pretty good but I don't have a lot of money and I don't want to stress her out if I don't need to so I'm not sure whether I should book an appointment or not when nothing else seems to be wrong.

I was wondering if it was just the heat that might be making her less hungry? I'm going to be making an ice pack thing for her to snuggle on over the weekend but a damp towel over the cage didn't really make a difference at all when I tried that. The flat IS very warm though and we can only open one window, it doesn't even open very far.

I'm just really at a loss for what to do. Please help. :(
 
Where are you exactly? Obviously not in Britain! Could you please add your country to your details, as that will make giving you appropriate advice straight away a lot easier for all our members. Click on your name on the top bar, then go to personal details/location.

Here are tips for dealing with hot conditions: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/hot-weather-management-and-heat-strokes.105317/

The heat wave can contribute to her not being well. Please weigh her daily instead of weekly. If she is losing weight, you will have to have her seen by a vet to get to the bottom of it. You may also consider topping her up with hand feed; pellets mushed up in boiled, cooled water will do.
 
Actually I am in Britain. I'm in Essex. But where we have pretty good insulation but are unable to open the windows and my boyfriend is basically a walking radiator, the flat is pretty warm. We're also on the middle floor so we get some heat from the flat below and some from the flat above.

She's not losing any weight but I am monitoring daily. I'll try your mushed pellets trick now and see if I can get her to nom a few like that, she's a very fussy pig though so I won't be holding my breath over it.
 
Warm temperatures can make pigs very lethargic, especially if they have heart issues, though am not saying that is what is wrong here. Hope the mushed pellets help. I agree to get her checked out if it continues.
 
I'm going to phone the vet tomorrow and get some tips, if they ask to see her I'll book an appointment for the evening after work.
 
Waiting for the vets to call me back now, I start work in nine minutes. :|
 
You could invest in a fan also. We used to find it a godsend in warm weather in our old house. I would ask the vet just to check her teeth over also.
 
I have checked her front teeth and they seem fine but it occurred to me this morning it might be her back teeth, the vet got back to me and then suggested it might be her chompers because it's the SOLID foods she's refusing so I've booked her in to see them at 6.20pm this evening and I've cut my lunch hour to 20mins so I can run home and take her in cos OH is still scared of picking her up.
 
Update on the Beany Boo; she's been to the vets who also couldn't find a single thing wrong with her but gave me some critical care to syringe feed her so that at least she's getting something.
 
sport_billy said:
You could invest in a fan also. We used to find it a godsend in warm weather in our old house. I would ask the vet just to check her teeth over also.
Click to expand...
I am getting ready for the warm weather and the OH is buying a dehumidifyer to combat the humidity we get in this house... but can I use a fan as long as it is not pointing directly on them? I am always worried about causing them a URI from drafts...we do have a air con unit but I am worried that will make the room far too cold
 
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She wasn't very cooperative...
10428463_730130887050332_404434121425881563_n.jpg
 
Little update, after the critical care ran out I started mushing Burgess and syringe feeding that to her as she still doesn't really have an apetite. She nibbled some cucumber last night but not a lot and now she's not pooping as much as normal so I've book her in to see the vet again on Monday evening and will continue to syringe feed her at regular intervals just so I can make sure she's getting something into her system.

Starting to get really worried about my piggle pop. :(
 
Fingers crossed that you can get to the bottom of what is wrong! It is always very frustrating when you are up against something you know is not right but doesn't really show up.

Please weigh her daily to monitor the food intake and write down the weights, as well as an estimate of how much extra food you syringed her to take with your to the vets.
 
Poor Jed, am sorry she is so poorly. Is she mouthing at all when she eats? Does she seem bloated at all? If you sniff her mouth can you smell anything stale like damp dishcloths? Does her breathing seem laboured at all? Just going through a few possibilities.
 
Wiebke, I have been weighing her daily but any time her weight fluctuates it's only a few grams at most, there's not really much change at all, I'm currently getting roughly three syringe fulls into her each feed and I'm doing it twice a day at the moment, she is more willing to have it now though and I've noticed some more cucumber gone since I got home from work which I'm hoping is a good sign. OH says he sees her eating hay during the day sometimes too.

helen, there is no sign of bloating, no real mouthing when she eats except when she doesn't like the angle of the syringe and her breath doesn't smell funky at all. She's actually super perky during cuddles too, no laboured breathing or anything.

My little piglet does like to be difficult.
 
That's all good then but like you say makes things more tricky. Glad she is eating hay though.
 
I've just weighed her and she has actually lost weight today, it seems like quite a bit to me but I haven't done her evening feed and wondered if that would make a difference. Do I feed her and wait until tomorrow or try and get an emergency vets help?
 
Around 70g I think. I was so pooped last night I can't remember what she weighed exactly yesterday. That seems like such a lot though.
 
That does seem a lot in a short space of time. It would be an idea to try to get more food into her if you can and to maybe speak to the vet to see what they think. I think as her poos are smaller aswell she is not getting enough going through her.
 
I'll phone them and see what they say but I've just checked where the emergency clinic is and I literally can't get to them because I don't drive and it's really worrying me. It would take me an hour to walk there with her and I don't want to put her through that when she's not well.
 
I understand, I would not want to do that either, see what they say but in the meantime try to increase the amount of syringe food you are giving her and give her plenty of fluids too. Ask the vet about pain relief too as a pig that is in pain won't eat.
 
I've just called them and not only would it be an hour's walk but it would cost me nearly £100 just to get her seen and I really cannot afford that. I don't know what to do. I've just called my mum crying, I'm trying to figure out if the Pets At Home vet would even see her if she's registered with someone else cos at least then I could take her to see SOMEONE first thing in the morning. I'm really, really freaking out right now. :(
 
I think they would, it's money for them at the end of the day. I know someone who went to them with her cat when she usually uses another vet.

What is her exact weight?
 
At the moment she's 1020g according to my scales, mum's pig is currently 1017g and she's perfectly healthy so she's still within healthy guinea pig weight but it's just really unusual for her. I'm going to try and get her to eat some apple cos she loves apple but as soon as her towel's out of the tumbler I'm going to mash some burgess and a banana and see how much I can get into her.
 
She ate the TEENIEST nibble of apple I have ever seen and then just refused to have anymore. It looks like I am probably going to be pulling an all nighter and trying to syringe feed her throughout the night.
 
Towel is now out of the tumbler so I've boiled the kettle and made a gloriously disgusting Burgess and banana smoothie. By hand since I don't have a blender. I'm just letter it cool and then I'll start the feeding.
 
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