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Pig Won't Eat And Is Hungry

Aleksiss

Aleksiss

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
25
Reaction score
5
Points
85
Location
Italy
Hello guys, I am facing a problem I have never ever had with any other pig before ... my pig doesn't show any problem he behaves completely normal but lately he hasn't been eating like half of his usual stuff....

He is being picky and whenever I open something he screams at me...he doesn't have any teeth issue because when I give him a treat he deletes it in 2 sec. He doesn't have any seed in his food barely only green bars and veg pieces (that doesn't like anymore) photo below

Plus he is having softer stool than usual...and his back is a bit dirty sometimes :S

I am pretty worried but as I said he doesn't behave differently ...

+++ he is in a room with AC is it possible that the cold is hurting him ?

image.webp
 
Hi how old is your piggy? And has a vet checked his teeth? How much veg does he get and aswell as his pellets does he always have access to hay? What brand of guinea pig food is it you use?

It could be that there is a dental issue here even if he is able to eat a hard treat. I wouldn't rule it out and perhaps get a vet to check his mouth. I would weigh him regularly if you don't already and if his food intake has dramatically decreased syringe feed him some pellets. If he's poos are runny I would decrease the amount of veg he is getting and give more hay.

Dirty back - meaning poo?
 
What do you feed him?

In the photo above is that his pellets?

Do you feed him veg also?

How is he eating his veg? Say if you give him a sprig of parsley or herb of some wort does he eat it straight way? No issues chewing?

What is his hay consumption like also?
 
About the teeth he does eat , the problem is that first he wanted pallets I gave him more and now he wants something else ...seems he gets bored but he eats and chews normally

He gets carrot and fennel regularly and every now and then a small bit of banana and fruits such as apple
He isn't losing weight but yes he had poop on his back sometimes
Last night I checked and he was dirty and the poop is sometimes smaller and softer
 
sport_billy said:
What do you feed him?

In the photo above is that his pellets?

Do you feed him veg also?

How is he eating his veg? Say if you give him a sprig of parsley or herb of some wort does he eat it straight way? No issues chewing?

What is his hay consumption like also?
Click to expand...


He eats veg regularly but since the soft poop I stopped giving him , this is the food

image.webp
 
Sounds like he has a gut issue, something possibly has upset him. Reintroduce veg slowly into his diet.

The recommended ratio of food groups daily:
- ca. 80% hay
- 10-15% veg and fresh herbs (ca. 1 cupful / 50g / nearly 2oz)
- 5-10% pellets (amount depending on the age)
- plenty of fresh water daily

Would you say this is the ratio you are feeding?
 
sport_billy said:
Sounds like he has a gut issue, something possibly has upset him. Reintroduce veg slowly into his diet.

The recommended ratio of food groups daily:
- ca. 80% hay
- 10-15% veg and fresh herbs (ca. 1 cupful / 50g / nearly 2oz)
- 5-10% pellets (amount depending on the age)
- plenty of fresh water daily

Would you say this is the ratio you are feeding?
Click to expand...

I didn't give him too much hay lately and Vegs due to the poop but yes

Is it possible that the air of the va bothers him? That it's the problem due to temperature change ? Here is very humid
 
The hay is vital, that will help firm up the poo. Hay should make up the main part of their diet.

What part of Italy are you from? We have another prominent Italian member on here who is lovely @rome_italy She may be able to suggest where you can get some good quality hay online in Italy from
 
sport_billy said:
The hay is vital, that will help firm up the poo. Hay should make up the main part of their diet.

What part of Italy are you from? We have another prominent Italian member on here who is lovely @rome_italy She may be able to suggest where you can get some good quality hay online in Italy from
Click to expand...

I'm Italian but now I live in Malta so at the store there's every kind of product for pigs xD if you tell me some brands there is a huge chance I can find them
 
Oxbow hay is excellent. Both Timothy Hay Orchard Hay by them are great
 
I buy online normal boxes 1kg, but I am not always satisfied with the product, although I buy different brands. Gimbi had been good last time, but now in the new bag I have found branches! and not only one piece! Vitakraft from Germany sometimes has too much dust... There are better hays online, but some of them are expensive and not always are appreciated by the piggies. I pay 2€ a kg when I find a good price; most of the times the quality is good, other times it is not...
The online shop with the best price is "Drugstore.it" but I don't know if delivery is also abroad...
 
rome_italy said:
I buy online normal boxes 1kg, but I am not always satisfied with the product, although I buy different brands. Gimbi had been good last time, but now in the new bag I have found branches! and not only one piece! Vitakraft from Germany sometimes has too much dust... There are better hays online, but some of them are expensive and not always are appreciated by the piggies. I pay 2€ a kg when I find a good price; most of the times the quality is good, other times it is not...
The online shop with the best price is "Drugstore.it" but I don't know if delivery is also abroad...
Click to expand...


Well the food I used to buy in Italy made my 2 pigs sick and killed them so not a chance I'm buying those brands anymore... Atm I'm buying loose food plus a box that has only few stuff inside and it's really easy to check
Since u are Italian avoid using the brand that is Italian and has a green box and says food for pigs rabbit and degu... it's deadly
 
sorry Aleksiss, but that dry food I see in your bowl does not look a very good pellet... although in the box it is written "for guinea pigs". Pellets are compared to a meal at Mc Donalds, according to the vets I have known, I don't give pellets (just few pieces as a treat). But there are better pellets, grain free, cereal/gluten free... No pellet has a perfect label, but the one you are using has flakes... rich of amid which boost glicemia and insuline... no good. My former piggie was killed by similar pellet (he had serious damaged into liver, kidneys and gut)
There are better pellets and not expensive, too. I have seen some decent label...
About Air Conditioning: my piggies have their "own" unit just above their cage! :)) I mean, they are here in my living room and AC is on from 8 a.m. till midnight... I let it on even when nobody is at home...
A piggie, according to the NEW rules should eat 80% hay and fresh grass, not more than 80-100g of vegs and max 5 grams cereal-free pellets.
 
rome_italy said:
sorry Aleksiss, but that dry food I see in your bowl does not look a very good pellet... although in the box it is written "for guinea pigs". Pellets are compared to a meal at Mc Donalds, according to the vets I have known, I don't give pellets (just few pieces as a treat). But there are better pellets, grain free, cereal/gluten free... No pellet has a perfect label, but the one you are using has flakes... rich of amid which boost glicemia and insuline... no good. My former piggie was killed by similar pellet (he had serious damaged into liver, kidneys and gut)
There are better pellets and not expensive, too. I have seen some decent label...
About Air Conditioning: my piggies have their "own" unit just above their cage! :)) I mean, they are here in my living room and AC is on from 8 a.m. till midnight... I let it on even when nobody is at home...
A piggie, according to the NEW rules should eat 80% hay and fresh grass, not more than 80-100g of vegs and max 5 grams cereal-free pellets.
Click to expand...


And I was told to give him more pellets ;( I also bought extra gosh ...............
 
I give 4-5 pieces of Versele Laga Adult Complete.
Be careful with those lose products which are made for rabbits (=meat) and contain dangerous antibiotics. A stupid vet adviced me that lose product and in fact my piggie died.
My advice for you is studying carefully every single page of Guinea Lynx website and read the labels of the products, no matter the provenience of the food. Also Oxbow produces a wrong food...
 
rome_italy said:
put them into the freezer closed in plastic bags and you will have them available for years! :)
Click to expand...

I think I'll stick with the previous hay and veg diet I was giving him ... maybe that's the problem :S
 
if you have access to a lawn, also a private lawn, pick up fresh grass. You will see the differences... poo and wee are perfect with a diet based on hay and grass.
Vit C? are you giving any supplement or the right amount with the food? it is important even for immunitary system and for absorbing iron and some nutrient and help the gut... (I use Cebion drops, maybe you know it... 2-3 drops diluited in 3 drops water into piggies' mouth using a syringe...)
These are my piggies eating fresh grass, their favourite food (I look like a mad witch, walking with bag and knife)
100_6730.webp
 
rome_italy said:
if you have access to a lawn, also a private lawn, pick up fresh grass. You will see the differences... poo and wee are perfect with a diet based on hay and grass.
Vit C? are you giving any supplement or the right amount with the food? it is important even for immunitary system and for absorbing iron and some nutrient and help the gut... (I use Cebion drops, maybe you know it... 2-3 drops diluited in 3 drops water into piggies' mouth using a syringe...)
These are my piggies eating fresh grass, their favourite food (I look like a mad witch, walking with bag and knife)
View attachment 67282
Click to expand...

my yard is all made by plasters :( in malta is hard to find a yard that has real grass.... for the vitamin I was giving him lots of carrots and fresh veg , i think I'm gonna give him some extra vitamines now , i didn't think about that ugh >___< better late than never ....
 
I may be being stupid but Is the Pettex bag one of the things which you put in his food bowl? It is labelled as litter (bedding) not food. While guinea pigs like to chew on wooden things to keep their teeth wearing down, I don't think they would like to eat these pellets as a source of nutrition..
 
rome_italy said:
if you have access to a lawn, also a private lawn, pick up fresh grass. You will see the differences... poo and wee are perfect with a diet based on hay and grass.
Vit C? are you giving any supplement or the right amount with the food? it is important even for immunitary system and for absorbing iron and some nutrient and help the gut... (I use Cebion drops, maybe you know it... 2-3 drops diluited in 3 drops water into piggies' mouth using a syringe...)
These are my piggies eating fresh grass, their favourite food (I look like a mad witch, walking with bag and knife)
View attachment 67282
Click to expand...



Listen just a extra thing ... I always wondered is his back normal ? Is it supposed to be anatomically with this fur less spot ?

image.webp
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I may be being stupid but Is the Pettex bag one of the things which you put in his food bowl? It is labelled as litter (bedding) not food. While guinea pigs like to chew on wooden things to keep their teeth wearing down, I don't think they would like to eat these pellets as a source of nutrition..
Click to expand...

no it is not food xD but Idk maybe it was a bad brand for them or something I put it there just in case
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I think that is his grease gland, it is perhaps more noticeable in white guinea pigs ( I don't know for sure, my pigs are all black)
Click to expand...
He has a strange fur and i noticed this spot but I had no idea xD the others i had had slightly longer fur so i never noticed it :o
well good to know
 
Aleksiss said:
no it is not food xD but Idk maybe it was a bad brand for them or something I put it there just in case
Click to expand...
Oh good - you put it in the photo with his food, that 's why I was confused. It's probably fine as litter, I've not used it myself so can't comment on how well it works etc.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Oh good - you put it in the photo with his food, that 's why I was confused. It's probably fine as litter, I've not used it myself so can't comment on how well it works etc.
Click to expand...

sometimes he eats parts of it though , as litter it doesn't a big mess when he jumps etc but personally i don't like it ...!
 
I really don't know anything about the normal "shape" of their body, greasy glands and other stuff... There are here some moderators which know a lot about medical subjects. but now I don't remember all their names... @Wiebke and @Freela are two of them; I don't remember other names... I recommend you also @furryfriends (TEAS), she is a lady working in a rescue and she is in contact with the best vet in UK, a sort of a God (also my vet knows his great experience). Furryfriend has a lot of piggies but none of them developed the usual illnesses (bladder infections and so on) typical of guinea pigs. She feeds the herd of piggies with hay, fresh grass, some pellets and some veg. I am following this method, approved by all the best exotic vets, and I see huge differences in quality of wee and poo.
You can learn A LOT and even more than a lot of stupid vets if you spend some hours surfing on the pages of Guinea Lynx. It is a really updated website, rich of useful information which hardly ever a vet gives.
But please, don't feed your piggie with a food appropriated ALSO for rabbits, because it can contain those antibiotics which are safe for rabbits and not for the gut of the piggies... I paid a huge "bill" in 2001 for this mistake...
 
His back is fine. The spot is the grease gland. You just need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too dirty.
 
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