About a week ago my male Guinea pig died and his bonded brother has been grieving ever since then. He has stayed inside his hut for the past week and hasn't come out even to get food or water. I'm afraid his time is coming to an end because he is practically starving himself to death. I would really appreciate it if you could give me suggestions on what to do. Thank you, Makena.
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Please Help! My Guinea Pig Is Starving Himself To Death!
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Hi! I am very sorry for your loss. Acute pining is very upsetting.
Please start syringe feeding and watering your bereaved boy ASAP! You may want to have him seen by a vet for a gut stimulant to help get the guts working again if he has not eaten for that long. Weigh him daily to check on his food intake.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
You can also look at a companion or two, if necessary as next door neighbours for stimulation.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
I am keeping my fingers very firmly crossed - but please be aware that guinea pig guts start slowing down and eventually stop working altogether rather quickly.
Dindypig
Adult Guinea Pig
Whenever we have lost a bonded piggy, we give the bereaved one lots of cuddles and extra attention with hand fed treats of veggies.
Blobfish
Junior Guinea Pig
I had a guinea pig that was starving and seriously underweight - not from pining but because he had a previously undiagnosed middle ear infection, which was probably making eating painful. Either way, whether starving because of a health condition or through pining, it is vitally important that he has food going in constantly. I think it would be good for him to see a vet, and they can also discuss options with you, and can provide you with liquid feed and a food syringe, and show you how to hand feed. In the mean time, you can soak some of his normal food pellets in warm water, and then either give it a whizz in the food processor or mash with a fork and feed to him with a syringe (you can wrap your GP in a teatowel, with just it's nose and mouth sticking out to make it easier). If he doesn't have food going through him constantly, his digestive system could shut down, as piggies digestive systems are quite different to many animals - they need constant food. I think you can probably save him and have a good outlook if you can hand feed him regularly, and hopefully also if you can talk to a vet. Does he have any real favourite foods that you can tempt him with? Maybe some grass or herbs? My old pigs couldn't resist a bit of mint or parsley, even when they were feeling under the weather. It would definitely be good if you can weigh your guinea pig regularly using kitchen scales, and record his weights so as to keep an eye on any change. Wishing you the best of luck x
Blobfish
Junior Guinea Pig
P.S. it's best if you can hand feed every few hours, I used to try to get about 5mls of liquid feed into my pig every few hours. It can wait longer, sometimes I've had to go out to work - I fed 8mls and he had to wait 7 hours until I returned. But the more often, the better. Also, with both vet supplied liquid feed, and with home made pellet porridge, if keeping out of the fridge it's best to throw away the food after 12 hours and make some fresh. I used to keep it in the fridge and throw away after about 20- 24 hours, but I know some people don't agree with feeding cold feed from the fridge....I'm not sure what the consensus is but the feed can start going rancid quite quickly, especially in warm weather.
Hi everyone, my friend has Guinea pigs too, so yesterday I brought him over and he seemed so much happier. We put lettuce in the cage and it took some time, but we slowly got him to eat! Since lettuce has so much water in it I didn't feel like I needed to give water to him with a syringe (but I will today). I am going to weigh him starting today until he gets back to his normal weight. Also, I am looking for another friend for him. Thank you for all your suggestions! @Blobfish @Dindypig @Wiebke
Please make sure that he gets plenty of hay; that should make up to 80% of the daily food intake and is vital for his health. Just lettuce can lead to diarrhea.
I am really glad however that he is perking up in the company of other guinea pigs! That must be such a relief for you!
Can you get to one of these rescues? Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
Blobfish
Junior Guinea Pig
Really glad he seems to have perked up. Definitely make sure he is getting enough food and water. I don't think it would do him any harm syringing him a couple of mls of water twice a day if you haven't seen him drink himself (even though he's eating watery veg). I have had quite a lot of experience of a horrible condition called bloat with my piggies (past and present), and bloat/ gut stasis can easily set in if a pig isn't getting enough food and water (particularly fibrous food like hay and pellets or special recovery liquid feed). It's not fun to have to deal with bloat or gut stasis, and it's easy to loose a piggy to it. Sounds like you are doing well with him, but I definitely still recommend ensuring he gets enough water and either hay/ pellets or if he wont eat that - syringe feeding the pellet porridge or syringe food. Great he is eating something though. Even if it is just lettuce (Romaine lettuce (in moderation) is probably one of the best lettuces in terms of vitamin and mineral content, I think).
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