My Guinea Pig Recently Stopped Eating Hay...

[ALK2015]

Hello,
I had 2 Guinea pigs for about 4 years. Recently (about a month ago) one has sadly passed away. My healthy Guinea pig is still eating her veggies & pellets and drinking her water. But she has began only nibbling now and then on her hay. I have tried hand feeding it to her & that seems to work ( which I don't mind doing daily if needed) but when I put it in her cage she doesn't do much but pick at it. Again this is very recent since my other female ( her cage mate) she has always loved her hay. Any advice or opinions on why this is happening? She is at a healthy weight & seems completely fine otherwise. Thanks in advance for any help & replies

 

[Veggies Galore]

It sounds like your guinea pig is mourning the loss of her cage mate

this thread may help

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[Lexipiggie]

Sounds like she is grieving. There are a few threads already on the forum about this.

 

[ALK2015]

Okay, thank you both so much this helped a lot! I'm very new to this site so I don't know too much about the forums & how the site works.

 

[Lexipiggie]

No problem , happy to help

 

[Veggies Galore]

Okay, thank you both so much this helped a lot! I'm very new to this site so I don't know too much about the forums & how the site works.

to the forum

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,
I had 2 Guinea pigs for about 4 years. Recently (about a month ago) one has sadly passed away. My healthy Guinea pig is still eating her veggies & pellets and drinking her water. But she has began only nibbling now and then on her hay. I have tried hand feeding it to her & that seems to work ( which I don't mind doing daily if needed) but when I put it in her cage she doesn't do much but pick at it. Again this is very recent since my other female ( her cage mate) she has always loved her hay. Any advice or opinions on why this is happening? She is at a healthy weight & seems completely fine otherwise. Thanks in advance for any help & replies

Hi and welcome!

I am very sorry for your loss.

Please have your guinea pig vet checked. Loss of a companion can bring underlying problems to the fore. You always need to close out the medical angle first and foremost when dealing with a bereaved guinea pig before you plump for depression. Dropping one food group can be indicative of a pain issue somewhere (including dental).
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

Switch from the usual weekl weigh-in to a daily one at the same time in the feeding cycle (like always before or after dinner). Be aware that hay is making around 80% of the daily food intake, which you cannot control just by watching your guinea pig chew. Veg is making only about 10% of the daily food intake and pellets should be 5%.
Step in with offering syringe feed as soon as your guinea pig has lost 50g or more in a short period of time.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[VickiA]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry for your loss. It does sound like your piggy is missing their companion but it’s worth getting a vet to check that there isn’t some other problem (like teeth issues) that may explain the stopping eating hay.