Piggie Not Eating Hay

[Leila]

Hello, guys.

I've posted a few months back about how my male piggie, Jaime, wasn't eating his hay. After several trips to the vet, I knew he didn't have any problems whatsoever, therefore, he was just being stubborn. After a few days, he started eating hay normally again.

So, a week or so ago, I noticed he wasn't eating his hay at all. He eats his pallets and veggies, begs for food, but he won't touch his hay. I tried switching hays, doing everything, but still he won't touch it.

So, yesterday I read on a forum a few people saying that picky piggies was something relatively normal, and that the usual thing to do in those cases would be removing veggies from their diet for a few days and they would imediatelly go back to eating hay, and then re-introducing veggies slowly. I decided to try that.

I usually give his veggies in the morning and pallets as his dinner. Today, I skipped his breakfast. The last time he ate was yesterday, at 8 p.m. I haven't seen he eating since, and it's 5 p.m where I live now. I've been in my room for most of these hours, and I know he didn't eat while I slept because he usually makes a mess with his hay when he eats it, and his cage is completelly clean.

I know piggies shouldn't spend so many hours without eating. I'm clueless on what to do.

 

[Betsy]

@Wiebke?

 

[sport_billy]

Hello, please give him some veggies as it has now been quite some time and it is important you keep his guts moving. Once you can tell he is eating veg okay then we can start to try and work out what to do with the hay.... When he eats his veg is he showing any signs of over chewing food or pawing at his mouth?

 

[Swissgreys]

How do you offer him hay?
I know a lot of piggies really love an old plastic box as a hay tray so they can lie in it, burrow etc.
Our Eddi likes to lay in his hay tray and munch away.

I also always offer a couple of different types of hay to tempt them, and refresh all hay at least every second day (mostly every day).
Maybe if he is on his own he is simply bored and unmotivated.
Possibly try stuffing a cardboard box or an old paper bag with hay, or just doing something different.

Has the weather changed dramatically lately?
I find in really humid weather (thankfully rare here) my piggies are less active.
All I can suggest is changing things as much as possible to try and get him more interested in hay.

How old is Jamie?
Sometimes older piggies struggle to move around due to things like arthritis, and he might just need some low level pain relief?

It sounds like you are a very committed owner, so hopefully you get tot he bottom of things soon.

 

[Leila]

Hello, please give him some veggies as it has now been quite some time and it is important you keep his guts moving. Once you can tell he is eating veg okay then we can start to try and work out what to do with the hay.... When he eats his veg is he showing any signs of over chewing food or pawing at his mouth?

Hello. I'll give him veggies right now. Yesterday he didn't seem to show any sort of trouble eating veggies, though. But after I feed him now, I'll update you on it.

How do you offer him hay?
I know a lot of piggies really love an old plastic box as a hay tray so they can lie in it, burrow etc.
Our Eddi likes to lay in his hay tray and munch away.

I also always offer a couple of different types of hay to tempt them, and refresh all hay at least every second day (mostly every day).
Maybe if he is on his own he is simply bored and unmotivated.
Possibly try stuffing a cardboard box or an old paper bag with hay, or just doing something different.

Has the weather changed dramatically lately?
I find in really humid weather (thankfully rare here) my piggies are less active.
All I can suggest is changing things as much as possible to try and get him more interested in hay.

How old is Jamie?
Sometimes older piggies struggle to move around due to things like arthritis, and he might just need some low level pain relief?

It sounds like you are a very committed owner, so hopefully you get tot he bottom of things soon.

I offer his hay on a usual hay dispenser that has been the same since he was first bought by his previous owner. I adopted him from an acquaintance in August who needed to give him away imediatelly, and he came with his usual cage and hay dispenser. But his old owner said he never had any issue eating hay and always enjoyed it. Maybe he just got bored of the same old hay dispenser? Luckily I have a cardbox he'll maybe enjoy eating hay out of. I'll get it ready right now.

The weather hasn't changed at all. I live in the northeast of Brazil and the weather changes are really subtle.

Jaime is probably close to two years now. I'm not sure, since he was adopted. So I'm guessing arthritis isnt't the issue..

Also thanks so much for the compliment, it really means a lot. I really hope everything turns out okay.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, guys.

I've posted a few months back about how my male piggie, Jaime, wasn't eating his hay. After several trips to the vet, I knew he didn't have any problems whatsoever, therefore, he was just being stubborn. After a few days, he started eating hay normally again.

So, a week or so ago, I noticed he wasn't eating his hay at all. He eats his pallets and veggies, begs for food, but he won't touch his hay. I tried switching hays, doing everything, but still he won't touch it.

So, yesterday I read on a forum a few people saying that picky piggies was something relatively normal, and that the usual thing to do in those cases would be removing veggies from their diet for a few days and they would imediatelly go back to eating hay, and then re-introducing veggies slowly. I decided to try that.

I usually give his veggies in the morning and pallets as his dinner. Today, I skipped his breakfast. The last time he ate was yesterday, at 8 p.m. I haven't seen he eating since, and it's 5 p.m where I live now. I've been in my room for most of these hours, and I know he didn't eat while I slept because he usually makes a mess with his hay when he eats it, and his cage is completelly clean.

I know piggies shouldn't spend so many hours without eating. I'm clueless on what to do.

Please offer him vegetables and start topping him up with syringe feed. In an emergency, you can use mushed pellets and a needle-less 1 ml syringe from a pharmacy. Please prep the tip as shown in our guide. Switch to weighing daily at the same time instead of the regular weekly weigh-in.
All the necessary illustrated information is in our guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

See a vet promptly if your guinea pig is off food as it is ill; generally as soon as it has lost over 50g or more within a day or just a few days or 100g gradually over the course of several weeks.

 

[sport_billy]

What does the dispenser look like, can he get the hay out okay? What is his name?

 

[Leila]

Please offer him vegetables and start topping him up with syringe feed. In an emergency, you can use mushed pellets and a needle-less 1 ml syringe from a pharmacy. Please prep the tip as shown in our guide. Switch to weighing daily at the same time instead of the regular weekly weigh-in.
All the necessary illustrated information is in our guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

See a vet promptly if your guinea pig is off food as it is ill; generally as soon as it has lost over 50g or more within a day or just a few days or 100g gradually over the course of several weeks.

I fed him his veggies. He's eating all of it right now, so his lack of appetite for hay doesn't seem to be illness related. And since he can eat on his own, should I still syringe feed him?

What does the dispenser look like, can he get the hay out okay? What is his name?

Hello. The image that most resembles his ray rack is this one: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33516&d=1346707848
As I said previously, he has used this hay rack since he was first bought, so he never had issues with it. So I don't think he's having issues eating from it. I also tried to hand-feed him hay and he refused it.
I'm sorry, my guinea pig's name or the dispenser's model name or something? My guinea pig is named Jaime. I have no idea of how the dispenser is called, though!

 

[sport_billy]

Sounds like he is being fussy with the hay. Can you get oxbow timothy hay in Brazil? Never met a piggy that refuse this?

Your piggys name. I am glad Jaime is eating his veggies

 

[Wiebke]

I fed him his veggies. He's eating all of it right now, so his lack of appetite for hay doesn't seem to be illness related. And since he can eat on his own, should I still syringe feed him?



Hello. The image that most resembles his ray rack is this one: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33516&d=1346707848
As I said previously, he has used this hay rack since he was first bought, so he never had issues with it. So I don't think he's having issues eating from it. I also tried to hand-feed him hay and he refused it.
I'm sorry, my guinea pig's name or the dispenser's model name or something? My guinea pig is named Jaime. I have no idea of how the dispenser is called, though!

I would still try to get grass/hay fibre, which should make the bulk of his diet, into him and I would certainly keep a very close eye on his weight - hay is often the first food group that is dropped if a piggy is in pain or discomfort. If it is just a matter of Jaime being very picky again, fine; but gbefore you come to that conclusion you always need to exclude the health angle.

 

[Leila]

Sounds like he is being fussy with the hay. Can you get oxbow timothy hay in Brazil? Never met a piggy that refuse this?

Your piggys name. I am glad Jaime is eating his veggies

We can't get oxbow timothy hay here, unfortunatelly. I've never met a piggie in Brazil that would refuse hay. In fact, I gave some of my hay to a friend who also owns piggies and her piggie is eating that hay fine, which came from the same hay Jaime is eating. So, the problem definitely isn't his hay.

I would still try to get grass/hay fibre, which should make the bulk of his diet, into him and I would certainly keep a very close eye on his weight - hay is often the first food group that is dropped if a piggy is in pain or discomfort. If it is just a matter of Jaime being very picky again, fine; but gbefore you come to that conclusion you always need to exclude the health angle.

I'm so sorry, when you said syringe feeding I thought you meant I should offer him the mushed pallets with the syringe. I now see that you meant feeding him with the recovery mixes, right? Unfortunatelly there is no critical care or any mixed up foods for piggies in Brazil. So how could I get his hay fibre?