Need help

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H.b.reid

New Born Pup
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I have two Guinea pigs one recently gave birth but it was a still birth. Now every time she goes to eat the other female in the cage with her refuses to let her eat and gets aggressive with her. Before she delivered they were best friends, now they are fighting usually instigated by the other female. I could use some advice if anyone has some to give? Thanks everyone
 
It would be useful to have some more background information.

How old are they?
How long have they been together?
Did you separate them at all during the pregnancy/for the birth, and have since tried to reintroduce them? Or did they remain together during the whole time?
Who was the dominant pig in the relationship?

If they are actually fighting and one piggy is now being bullied then it’s probable their relationship has now broken down and they may need to be permanently separated.
Unfortunately if a bond breaks, then there is nothing you can do to repair it and they will have to live apart.

Bonds In Trouble
Guinea-pig-mother-and-baby-care-post-birth-nursing-and-weaning
 
The one who gave birth is 18 months old and the other is 9 months old.
They have been together for 5 moths.
They remained together, I tried to remove the the other one but the one giving birth just squealed until I put her back in.
The dominating one was the one who gave birth.
 
So if you tried to remove one, how long were they apart for? If two sows are getting on ok, the pregnant one does not need to be removed to give birth as separating them can mean they won’t go back together again. I’m just wondering whether the separation has now caused the problem and means their bond has now failed.
 
Ok, so they weren’t actually separated then.
If their bond is now definitely not functioning and they are fighting (and you’re sure it’s not normal dominance), then permanent separation may be needed. The bonds in trouble guide I added in above Can help you to ascertain whether they need to be separated
 
I’m so sorry your piggy’s baby didn’t survive. Maybe the other one is having a strong season bought on by the pregnancy?
 
H.b.reid said:
It's ok, I had just adopted her. Where I adopted her from didn't even know. It was a shock but I made sure the mother was ok. And I'm not sure.
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How long have you had them? And how long ago did she give birth?

Sorry things with your new piggies have taken a sad and unexpected turn.
 
i got the one that had the baby about 5 months ago and the other one about 7 1/2 - 8 months ago. and she delivered about 2 - 2 1/2 months ago
 
Unless you've had them near boys your other piggie shouldn't be pregnant from before you having them. 72 days (a little over 10 weeks) is usually maximum piggie gestation period.

Have you weighed them to know if she is losing weight? That would be a sign she's being bullied so much she can't eat and would need separating.

Having separate water bottles and hay piles/racks and scatter feeding veg and pellets could help. Harder to guard if there's multiple food and water sources.
 
H.b.reid said:
she has lost 1 pound in 2 weeks
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If you could quote weights in grams then it helps us greatly.
1 pound according to Google conversion is around 450 grams.
If that is how much weight she has lost, then that is an absolutely huge amount to lose and she will need urgent syringe feeding to stop the weight loss and vet care immediately.

Any weight loss over 50 grams requires you to step in with support feeding

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

If this weight loss is due solely to her companion not allowing her to eat, then this is bullying and they must be immediately separated. Things will not improve once two piggies have decided they no longer like each other.

Bonds In Trouble
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
 
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H.b.reid said:
thank you so much i will bring her to the vet immediately
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Hopefully there is nothing medically wrong, but she has lost such a lot of weight that she needs to be checked

Regaining lost weight takes a lot longer so ensure she has access to plenty of hay. You can give critical care to help boost her. If she will eat it independently, you may not need to syringe feed it to her, particularly if her weight loss is down to bullying. Being away from the bully should hopefully help her (assuming there is nothing medical going on)

Please do ensure you separate the piggies straight away. As I say, things will not improve if she is being bullied.
 
H.b.reid said:
What does it mean when your guinea pig looses a lot of fur?
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There are several reasons why this can occur - mites, fungal infections, ovarian cysts (in sows from around 2 years old), it could be connected to the extreme weight loss your piggy has experienced (assuming the hair loss is in the same piggy)

You will need a vet to diagnose the cause in your particular case and treat it appropriately.

Did you get to the vet about the weight loss your piggy had experienced?
Have you been weighing daily since and stepping in with syringe feeding?
 
I have an appointment in two days, where i live there are only two vets that look at guinea pigs. and i have started the suringe feeding, and i have been weighing her not much of a difference yet though
 
H.b.reid said:
I have an appointment in two days, where i live there are only two vets that look at guinea pigs. and i have started the suringe feeding, and i have been weighing her not much of a difference yet though
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The aim of syringe feeding is not to make them gain weight. Instead syringe feeding is done to stop further weight loss occurring.

Regaining lost weight takes a long time after the cause for the weight loss is addressed and treated.
To regain the loss of 450g will probably take many months.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Hopefully there is nothing medically wrong, but she has lost such a lot of weight that she needs to be checked

Regaining lost weight takes a lot longer so ensure she has access to plenty of hay. You can give critical care to help boost her. If she will eat it independently, you may not need to syringe feed it to her, particularly if her weight loss is down to bullying. Being away from the bully should hopefully help her (assuming there is nothing medical going on)

Please do ensure you separate the piggies straight away. As I say, things will not improve if she is being bullied.
Click to expand...

Hi

Please see a vet to make sure that there is no underlying medical issue that has triggered the bullying. That is a massive weight loss, so please step in with feeding support NOW to help keep her alive and going - she must have lost any weight she can afford to lose before dying by now.
Your first aim is stabilising the weight before you can think of building her up. If there is a medical problem, then that won't happen until she is getting the necessary medical care and medication.
You can use mushed up pellets if you do not have any recovery formula handy.

Here is our practical advice collection for Bridging and Emergency care: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Bullying: Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
 
Good luck. I hope you can get to the bottom of the problem.
 
H.b.reid said:
what does it mean when your guinea pig poop an unusually large amount?
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Piggies do poop a lot.
Poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake. If she hadn’t been eating enough a few days ago but is now eating more then that may explain why you are now seeing more poops. We can only guess though, I'm afraid.
Is this the piggy who was losing weight? If so, have you been weighing her daily?
 
No it's not, sadly that piggy passed last week on the way to the vet.
this is a baby piggy, I got her the next day so that my other one wouldn't get depressed.
 
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