After you have done a feed try putting clean grass or fresh hay in front of him as a feed usually kick starts their appetite. Poke the grass or hay into his mouth if he won’t try for himself.
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My Guinea pig isn't eating.
- Thread starter jess496
- Start date
So if he takes 15ml first thing that then great. Then feed him less but more often from then on
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
Okay I'll try that thank you.
CTWC
Forum Donator 2025/26
Stay strong 
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
You're doing a super job, it's so hard and worrying! 
piggieminder
Forum Buddy
I've just caught up with your thread. What a difficult and worrying time you are having. One thing I have done when mine have been difficult to syringe feed is change the make of feed. Sometimes it's done the trick and it's turned out they didn't like the flavour! The most popular with my piggies has been Emeraid Sustaine but Burgess Duo Care and Science Selective Recovery Plus have been favourites with others.
You are ding really well, it's all very confusing and worrying the first time you have to syringe feed.
You are ding really well, it's all very confusing and worrying the first time you have to syringe feed.
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
I've tried that but his favourite seems to be Emeraid sustain mint flavour that I buy from hyperdrug online, it's actually alot cheaper on there than it is buying it from anywhere else if that also helps you. Most places even vets charge £18 for one packet and luckily I can get it for £7+. Before dental surgery he was eating alot of mint leaf so he seems to like mint. I do have another Emeraid flavour that is white powder but he doesn't seem keen on that one.
I've tried selective recovery but it didn't look or smell very nice and he wasn't keen on that one.
Thankyou. I've been doing some research about dental in Guinea pigs, I've read that people have kept their guinea pigs going for months on just critical care and surgery once month but I'm hoping I won't have to do that as it's not cheap. They say they do not need to be put to sleep if they are still very bright etc as they are not ill just that they cannot eat, they can live on critical care for the rest of their life apparently but I'm worried that I will have to do this as it's alot of work and don't get much free time to do anything else only like 2-3 hours in between. I'm willing to do it but it's very stressful repeating feed every 2-3 hours though, it's already affected what I used to do before as I had to put that on hold since he went for dental surgery because I was so knackered. I don't know how people with so many guinea pigs do it as one is bad enough.
While they could be kept alive by eating critical care, you have to consider if there is a point at which it becomes unfair to do so if there is no chance of issue being properly resolved - quality of life of not being able to eat another solid item, alongside time needed to do it, risks of repeated anaesthetic and cost for monthly dentals.
Did he lose weight again this morning?
Did he lose weight again this morning?
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
That's what I thought, it can't be a quality of life surely? But these owners tell others not to put guinea pigs to sleep if they are still bright etc and also there are guinea pigs who have got better after a few months all of sudden so there might be a chance he will get better.
I have just weigh him now while he is out, he's now 1088g & he was 1103g yesterday which isn't good but he might gain the weight back on again after I had a chat with you guys on here yesterday about spreading the feed more in smaller amounts so I'm not feeding him too much in one go so I've started that today so here's hoping. He's being abit difficult taking it though.
If he's not eating solid foods by wed-thurs I'm thinking of asking the vet for some advice but I was hoping not to take him in just yet because I've already spent alot of money so I might just carry on with critical food if the vet is happy with that. I need to get more metacam when it runs out.
Are you weighing him at the same time each day? The best thing is to always weigh first thing in the morning before the first feed of the day.
At this point you cannot hope for weight gain. Your aim at present is simply to stop weight loss and keep him stable. Weight gain takes a long time and won’t happen until he is sorted out and fully eating independently again.
See what happens at tomorrow’s weight check as a result of the change to your feeding routine today.
He certainly doesn’t need to be put to sleep if the dental issue can be corrected or managed but that means him being able to eat pretty much independently (top ups may be needed) between dentals should ongoing dental work be needed.
You will have to have him seen again if he isn’t eating by himself. A piggy who can eat will eat so if he isn’t then it can suggest something isn’t right somewhere.
As we have said before with any luck it is that the teeth were filed too short and once they grow out he will improve. However if the vet diagnoses that everything right now is absolutely fine then without getting to Simon and Kim I'm not sure where you can go from here
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
No I haven't been doing that because everything has been all over the place but I have been weighing him everyday just not at the same time but my plan was to start it all properly tomorrow because today I started feeding him bit by bit like I was told so I will weigh him first thing tomorrow and try to do the same time everyday.
I will see what the vet says next week as he's only there twice a week. Thankyou
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
Also, I forgot to mention that I have noticed if I watch him closely I can see his nerves moving on his left side of face, does that mean anything? This has been going on for a few days and I forgot to mention it to the vet last Friday. I thought it would settle by now if he's had meds but it's moving by itself but it's not hugely visible unless you watch him for a while.
Definitely start doing that. While weighing first thing in the morning is best, you can weigh at any time of day but being consistent on the time is important as it means you weighing at the same point in the feeding cycle and will pick up less fluctuations which can lead to a bit of inaccuracy .
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi thankyou for asking and I'm thinking of phoning the vet for advice but I'm not sure what to do.
I stopped his antibiotics a couple days ago to see if that will help him to eat and yesterday he improved really well, he was taking the critical care 10ml at every feed so I managed to get about 50ml in him which was more than before but this morning he's back to how he is by refusing the critical care, spitting it out so I only managed 4ml today which isn't good. He was fighting it so much and he even tried to jump off which is not like him at all as he is usually very calm so I had to put him back in as I didn't want to stress him out. It has been a week now, he still isn't eating any hard foods at all even though yesterday he seemed interested in hay but he just couldn't eat it, I tried to help him by putting it in his mouth gently before I fed him first thing but it came out with alot of saliva. He's losing weight everyday so he can't really carry on like this otherwise he won't survive. I really thought he was improving
I'm really sorry to read that. I know you'll be going through a rollercoaster of emotions looking for signs that he's getting better or getting worse. I don't want to give you any advice because not only am I recently bereaved myself with a similar issue, I don't have the experience or knowhow on GP behaviour like many on the forum. All I'd say is you clearly care for your boy, just make sure he's comfortable and not in any pain.
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
It's okay I understand. I think the best thing to do is email the vets to explain the situation and go from there. See what they say. I appreciate you asking how he is. I'm sorry that you lost your guinea pig, it's awful isn't it. Guinea pigs are very difficult, I think they must be the most complicated animal to treat. I really hope he gets better as I can't imagine him not being here anymore. I will do my best for him.
When you say you stopped his antibiotics, was it because the course was completed?
You will need to speak to the vet and he needs to be seen again. If he could eat then he would
Be, so there is still something wrong with him which needs addressing
You will need to speak to the vet and he needs to be seen again. If he could eat then he would
Be, so there is still something wrong with him which needs addressing
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
No it wasn't completed I had a suspicion that it was causing him to lose appetite and then he improved alot the next day with eating. He seems more better now than he was on antibiotics even if he's not taking all the feed but it's better than nothing. He was on Baytril years ago, it caused him to wee blood and it stopped soon as I took him off the antibiotics, he went back to normal. He did have an scan to make sure there was no stones but it turned out it was the Baytril.
I'm not against medications but the vets do prescribe antibiotics without a diagnosis though, I do understand why they do it for precaution but they shouldn't give out antibiotics unless they are diagnosed with an infection or something. Iam still giving him the painkiller metacam.
I'm waiting for response to my email at the moment, the exotic vet isn't there today so I don't think I'll get an answer today I'm not sure.
I assumed he was put on and antibiotics due to the cut in his mouth?
Please never just stop a course of antibiotics without prior vet approval as doing so can cause more problems than it solves
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
I've told the vets on email what I've done so see what they say.
I feel I know my Guinea pig better so I felt this was necessary to help him to eat and I was right. If I carried on with antibiotics and he wouldn't eat at all I mean nothing then I feel I did the right thing. It's only been a couple days that he's been off it so I'll see what the vet says. I'm feeding him now, I've managed to get nearly 7ml in him trying to get to 10ml now if I can.
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
Update-
He stayed in vets all day today so they can find out what's wrong with him. The vet had a look in his mouth, he went by a feel and decided that an x-ray was the next step for him.
It discovered that he had teeth right at the back growing into his cheeks and it showed that he had very sore ulcers inside both sides of his jaw so that's why he couldn't eat, he was in pain. Recently he was taking alot of water from syringe, kept looking for water every time I fed him critical care and he was pulling the syringe when it was finished, it was because he was trying to cool his mouth down as it was very sore according to the vet.
He had another dental surgery to correct it, the vet hopes this has worked. He has done what he can. He said that if he carries on not eating properly then he would need to discuss with me about putting him to sleep but it's now up to me to encourage him to eat hard foods the next few weeks.
Where he had the dental surgery for the first time at different vets, the vet should have taken an x-ray before doing surgery when I asked but they didn't do it. I will tell them on Monday so that hopefully they do not do this to another guinea pig but I doubt they'll take any notice.
I've done all I can for him and now I got the answers to why he wasn't eating so hopefully he will get better from now.
He stayed in vets all day today so they can find out what's wrong with him. The vet had a look in his mouth, he went by a feel and decided that an x-ray was the next step for him.
It discovered that he had teeth right at the back growing into his cheeks and it showed that he had very sore ulcers inside both sides of his jaw so that's why he couldn't eat, he was in pain. Recently he was taking alot of water from syringe, kept looking for water every time I fed him critical care and he was pulling the syringe when it was finished, it was because he was trying to cool his mouth down as it was very sore according to the vet.
He had another dental surgery to correct it, the vet hopes this has worked. He has done what he can. He said that if he carries on not eating properly then he would need to discuss with me about putting him to sleep but it's now up to me to encourage him to eat hard foods the next few weeks.
Where he had the dental surgery for the first time at different vets, the vet should have taken an x-ray before doing surgery when I asked but they didn't do it. I will tell them on Monday so that hopefully they do not do this to another guinea pig but I doubt they'll take any notice.
I've done all I can for him and now I got the answers to why he wasn't eating so hopefully he will get better from now.
piggieminder
Forum Buddy
Sending your piggy healing vibes. I have my fingers crossed this vet has managed to sort his teeth out for him.
I’m glad you’ve been able to find out what was wrong with him.
Hopefully with time and painkillers he will feel better
Hopefully with time and painkillers he will feel better
jess496
Junior Guinea Pig
Update- I have just got home from the vets. Artimus had to be put to sleep. He was very poorly, I tried my best to help him. The vet said it was the kindest thing for him because he wouldn't eat for himself at all and he had bad dental roots so it wasn't fair to keep putting him through surgeries. He looked quite flat, had no energy. He suffered with bad diarrhea yesterday and over night, it was because the critical care went straight through him that built up inside his stomach the last few days which I didn't even know so even then syringe feeding wasn't helping him at all. I'm really devastated. I do feel like I have let him down but it was for the best. The vet said they hide pain very well & he thinks he had dental issues for about a year which it wasn't noticeable until he stopped eating.
Thankyou to everyone on here that tried to help with their advice.
Thankyou to everyone on here that tried to help with their advice.
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
Sorry to hear you've lost your piggy. RIP little one 
BIG HUGS
I am so very sorry. You have truly done your best and you have given him the kindest, most loving but also most heartgreaking gift we can give a pet. You have not failed Artimus in any way. You were just up against something that cannot be cured and that is very, very difficult to control even for the best of the few vets experienced with piggy dentals.
Teeth growing into the cheeks is comparatively rare and not something that is easily found because spurs normally arch inwards and trap the tongue, which makes the problem more noticeable more quickly.
Because piggies are such big personalities, we tend to forget that when the chips are down they are just small animals with a much faster metabolism. You have spared Artimus a slow death in pain and the hard end of suffering as his body was starting to break down; never forget that and never take away from that.
Strong feelings of guilt and failure are characteristic for the onset of the grieving process. We all experience them to some degree. They are not an expression of you having done wrong but of how deeply you love. You would have them if you didn't didn't care in the first place. This is even stronger when you lose such a hard-fought battle that creates a very close bond.
Artimus will have known at all times just how much loved and cherished he was and he made his last journey carried by the wings of your love. Guinea pigs have a much finer sense for that than we humans. Take pride in your care. Artimus was lucky to find such a loving and dedicated owners. He would have lived not as long as and mostly likely would have died in much more agony without you.
Please be kind with yourself in the coming days. Feel immensely sad, but please try not to feel bad. You have not failed your beloved one in any way where you could make a positive change.
Guinea pig dentals are not something that is featuring on a vet's curriculum. Artimus has sadly fallen right into a big one of the medical black holes that the long term lack of research and the classification of guinea pigs as an exotic still struggle to catch up with. They have too long been overlooked as a species because of their stigma of being a short-lived children's pet.
If you find you struggle or are stuck in one or other of the pernicious mind loops that can come with the grieving process please contact the free Blue Cross (UK animal charity) pet bereavement services. Talking is the best thing. Try not to let the and take away from the all happiness and joy you have shared with Artimus when you come out on the other side.
Pet bereavement and pet loss
Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
Cait_lin
Junior Guinea Pig
I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how heartbroken you must be. You did not let him down, you did what was right for him and that must have taken so much strength. Rest in peace Artimus, popcorn high over the Rainbow Bridge