Not Eating Much

[AutumnThePig]

Hi,

So recently I just got a new buddy for Autumn. I got her from a friend & we have done a lot of cage bonding with the two of them before having them live together. Today is day three they have been living in the same cage. I’ve notice that Autumn has been only eating half of things she used to love. She has been eating hay & pellets, so I know she hasn’t stopped eating completely. I give her Oxbow Vitamin C tablets she would eat completely, but today she only ate half and turned her nose away from it (I know they are not needed, but I give it to her to be safe). I tried giving her watermelon, her favorite, she ate a bite then turned away from it - but, she could have also been full since she had already eaten that said cucumber and fennel.

Additional info: Autumn is 10m and the new piggie is 4yrs old, so there’s quite an age gap. They also have been getting along - they’ve been popcorning and making purring noises...

Is this normal behavior when adding a new piggie? What can I do to make sure that she’s eating all of her food? I was thinking about putting a divider in the middle of my C&C cage for a few days, to observe how she eats...

Thank you ahead of time

 

[AutumnThePig]

@Wiebke @sport_billy

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

So recently I just got a new buddy for Autumn. I got her from a friend & we have done a lot of cage bonding with the two of them before having them live together. Today is day three they have been living in the same cage. I’ve notice that Autumn has been only eating half of things she used to love. She has been eating hay & pellets, so I know she hasn’t stopped eating completely. I give her Oxbow Vitamin C tablets she would eat completely, but today she only ate half and turned her nose away from it (I know they are not needed, but I give it to her to be safe). I tried giving her watermelon, her favorite, she ate a bite then turned away from it - but, she could have also been full since she had already eaten that said cucumber and fennel.

Additional info: Autumn is 10m and the new piggie is 4yrs old, so there’s quite an age gap. They also have been getting along - they’ve been popcorning and making purring noises...

Is this normal behavior when adding a new piggie? What can I do to make sure that she’s eating all of her food? I was thinking about putting a divider in the middle of my C&C cage for a few days, to observe how she eats...

Thank you ahead of time

Please do not separate for dinner time; guinea pigs are wired to eat together. It is part and parcel of the dominance phase that the leader has first access to food and housing. With the newbie taking over the cage, this may be stronger to enforce her leadership but it is going to settle down once the new arrival is feeling secure in her position and in the new bond.

Feed the two either by sprinkling veg and pellets across the cage or by serving food and veg in portions that can be eaten in one go and then you remove the bowls in between meals. Please be aware that over 80% of the daily food intake is and remains hay.

Monitor her weight, so you can monitor her food intake. A new piggy taking over her patch is a rather frightening experience; food dominance is part of the bonding process. We speak about weight loss only after 50g/2 oz of loss.

Please take the time to read these two guides here. You may find them helpful.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics (also covers the post-boonding dominance phase)
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

 

[AutumnThePig]

Please do not separate for dinner time; guinea pigs are wired to eat together. It is part and parcel of the dominance phase that the leader has first access to food and housing. With the newbie taking over the cage, this may be stronger to enforce her leadership but it is going to settle down once the new arrival is feeling secure in her position and in the new bond.

Feed the two either by sprinkling veg and pellets across the cage or by serving food and veg in portions that can be eaten in one go and then you remove the bowls in between meals. Please be aware that over 80% of the daily food intake is and remains hay.

Monitor her weight, so you can monitor her food intake. A new piggy taking over her patch is a rather frightening experience; food dominance is part of the bonding process. We speak about weight loss only after 50g/2 oz of loss.

Please take the time to read these two guides here. You may find them helpful.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics (also covers the post-boonding dominance phase)
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Are you a miracle worker!? I took your advice and sprinkled the veggies around the cage for a few days. She's taking her Vitamin C tablets and eating normally again. Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Are you a miracle worker!? I took your advice and sprinkled the veggies around the cage for a few days. She's taking her Vitamin C tablets and eating normally again. Thank you!

Glad that it has worked!