My piggy doesn't take food from my hand anymore

M

Megamon

Junior Guinea Pig
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Oradea, Romania
Kind of. She still comes up to my hand when I feed them veggies but she's hesitant about biting into the food. Besides that, my other piggy who always squeaked and got excited when I called them out now doesn't respond when I call their names to feed them and stopped squeaking as much. I don't know what's going on with them
 
It could be any number of things.
If you have any concern a vet check doesn’t go amiss.
It may be they’ve decided you are now properly trained so they don’t need to wheek at you so much.
Has anything changed in their environment?
Is this a sudden change in behaviour?
Are they eating, weeing and pooping normally?

Sorry- lots of questions here rather than answers.
Don’t panic.
 
Merab's Slave said:
It could be any number of things.
If you have any concern a vet check doesn’t go amiss.
It may be they’ve decided you are now properly trained so they don’t need to wheek at you so much.
Has anything changed in their environment?
Is this a sudden change in behaviour?
Are they eating, weeing and pooping normally?

Sorry- lots of questions here rather than answers.
Don’t panic.
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About the environment, I have just adopted a new guinea pig a week ago.
I kept him(or her, still don't know yet) separated from the herd for a couple days until I took them all to the vet in the carrier, so I don't know if that counts as introducing them in neutral territory or not. The vet said that they should accept the new one either way since they're so little, so I just put him in the cage when I got him (they're not fighting or anything and seem to be getting along). I have been paying a bit more attention to the new piggy since I got him, so maybe it could be that? This doesn't seem very sudden either. And yes, they are eating and pooping normally from what I can tell.
 
Megamon said:
Kind of. She still comes up to my hand when I feed them veggies but she's hesitant about biting into the food. Besides that, my other piggy who always squeaked and got excited when I called them out now doesn't respond when I call their names to feed them and stopped squeaking as much. I don't know what's going on with them
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Hi! How long have you had your piggies and how old are they? Has anything changed recently?

Teenagers are usually pushing the boundaries, and that includes picking up food, cuddling etc. The teenage months are around 4-14 months with the peak at 6-10 months of age. Sows go through them as well.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! How long have you had your piggies and how old are they? Has anything changed recently?

Teenagers are usually pushing the boundaries, and that includes picking up food, cuddling etc. The teenage months are around 4-14 months with the peak at 6-10 months of age. Sows go through them as well.
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Hi, I've had my first two piggies for 5 weeks now and they are about 4-5 months old now. What has changed is that I just adopted a new piggy and I've been paying a bit more attention to him/her lately, so maybe it could be that.
 
I may have misread this but you refer to your new piggy as ‘he’ but also say you’re not sure if he’s really a he.
Have you put all 3 together?
If you have an intact boar with sows you are running a very high risk of pregnancy.
Sorry if I’be misunderstood
 
Merab's Slave said:
I may have misread this but you refer to your new piggy as ‘he’ but also say you’re not sure if he’s really a he.
Have you put all 3 together?
If you have an intact boar with sows you are running a very high risk of pregnancy.
Sorry if I’be misunderstood
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My other two guinea pigs are females and the new one I'm not exactly sure of the gender. However it's still very little and the vet couldn't determine whether it's male or female but said that even if it's male, it's still too young to reproduce. Is that true? And yes, they are all together now.
 
Megamon said:
My other two guinea pigs are females and the new one I'm not exactly sure of the gender. However it's still very little and the vet couldn't determine whether it's male or female but said that even if it's male, it's still too young to reproduce. Is that true? And yes, they are all together now.
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No that’s not true. Males can get females pregnant from 3 weeks old. sex must be determined now. Try posting a picture on here to see if we can help
 
A male can reproduce st 3 weeks old.
If he is male with your sows there is a good chance they are pregnant already.
Guinea pigs don’t hang about.

I suggest that you read the pregnancy information threads and start a pregnancy watch just in case
 
Megamon said:
My other two guinea pigs are females and the new one I'm not exactly sure of the gender. However it's still very little and the vet couldn't determine whether it's male or female but said that even if it's male, it's still too young to reproduce. Is that true? And yes, they are all together now.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there is a crucial difference in guinea pigs between procreational maturity (i.e. when piggies start making babies) and sexual maturity (when the testicles descend). Boars can make babies from 3-5 weeks onwards while their testicles won't descend until they are 4 months old. Unfortunately, textbooks for general vets seem to mention only sexual maturity but not procreational maturity. You are not the first one that is failed by a non-piggy savvy vet. :(

Please sex your baby ASAP and if necessary separate. And yes, your girls would have to go on a 10 week pregnancy watch. You would have have to open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section and read our pregnancy advice.

What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Sexing Guide
 
That looks to be a boy
With the picture being on a third party site rather than directly on here it makes it tricky to see without accepting all sorts of things from the third party site. I was able to look before privacy boxes popped up but it would be easier if the pic was on this site.
If you press attach files which is just below the box where you type, choose the picture and press done, it should come directly onto this thread rather than us having to go to another site first.
 
Megamon said:
best one I could take
Click to expand...

Please check the inside of the slit (sows have a fleshy arrangement that seals the opening when they are not in season) while boars go straight down. Boars have a tiny penis ridge just under skin above their penis button whereas sows are flat.
Compare with the pictures in our sexing guide (link in my previous post). If those two areas come back with the same answer you can be 100% you have the right gender.
 
Piggies&buns said:
That looks to be a boy
With the picture being on a third party site rather than directly on here it makes it tricky to see without accepting all sorts of things from the third party site. I was able to look before privacy boxes popped up but it would be easier if the pic was on this site.
If you press attach files which is just below the box where you type, choose the picture and press done, it should come directly onto this thread rather than us having to go to another site first.
Click to expand...
 

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It does look to be a boy.
You need to read the information on the pregnancy section and begin the watch now just in case.
Do check again following the guides though to be sure
 

Sorry, I don't quite agree with @Piggies&buns. You have a bit of an in-betweenie there. Please conduct the secondary checks I have asked you to do. We can only guess, but we cannot examine your piggy hands-on for the subtle other signs that would give us the crucial clues.

Lesson 2: Please never just believe just one forum poster and always make sure yourself that you really have the correct gender. After all, you know none of us and can't know how well we are qualified. ;)
 
Wiebke said:
Sorry, I don't quite agree with @Piggies&buns. You have a bit of an in-betweenie there. Please conduct the secondary checks I have asked you to do. We can only guess, but we cannot examine your piggy hands-on for the subtle other signs that would give us the crucial clues.

Lesson 2: Please never just believe just one forum poster and always make sure yourself that you really have the correct gender. After all, you know none of us and can't know how well we are qualified. ;)
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Quick question: if one of my piggies is actually pregnant, what do I do with the babies? Can't they get an abortion or something? :(
 
Megamon said:
Quick question: if one of my piggies is actually pregnant, what do I do with the babies? Can't they get an abortion or something? :(
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No, guinea pigs can't have an abortion. Your options depend on where you are located, but we will talk you through it all and work out the best and safest way forward with you if that becomes necessary.

Firstly, you need to double-check the secondary areas (presence/absence of a fleshy seal in the slit just below the surface and presence/absence of a penis ridge). We'll take it from there. I hope that you are lucky and have a girl.
 
Wiebke said:
No, guinea pigs can't have an abortion. Your options depend on where you are located, but we will talk you through it all and work out the best and safest way forward with you if that becomes necessary.

Firstly, you need to double-check the secondary areas (presence/absence of a fleshy seal in the slit just below the surface and presence/absence of a penis ridge). We'll take it from there. I hope that you are lucky and have a girl.
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perhaps this picture is better? I honestly cannot tell whether those things you said can be seen here
 

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Megamon said:
perhaps this picture is better? I honestly cannot tell whether those things you said can be seen here
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Yes, thank you! You have most definitely got a girl as there is a nice flesh seal and not a hole that goes down. You can compare the picture yourself with those in our sexing guide. ;)
Sexing Guide

Panic over! :tu:

PS: Sorry, I never guess when it comes to the gender and will persist until there is total clarity as to what we are dealing with. The consequences are too serious to play guessing games.
 
Wiebke said:
Yes, thank you! You have most definitely got a girl as there is a nice flesh seal and not a hole that goes down. You can compare the picture yourself with those in our sexing guide. ;)
Sexing Guide

Panic over! :tu:

PS: Sorry, I never guess when it comes to the gender and will persist until there is total clarity as to what we are dealing with. The consequences are too serious to play guessing games.
Click to expand...
you literally just made me the happiest man alive
 
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