Refusing To Eat

[Pets Palace TV]

I have a herd of guinea pigs who have just moved into a playhouse yesterday. I noticed straight away that one of my guinea pigs Mabel did not seem herself, I just assumed that she was scared of the new surroundings. It has been about 24 hours and she is still no better. She is not moving around very much which is not like her. My big concern is that she is not eating. Like I said, I just thought she was just nervous yesterday as they all moved into their new home, so I didn't think much of it. I have not seen her eat anything including vegetables, hay or pellets which is really concerning me. Her droppings are not well formed at all and I know there is something really wrong. I weighed her less than a week ago and she was 1150g but today she weighs about 980g. I have not noticed any other symptoms, but I know I need to get some food down her asap. Please help if you know what might be wrong with her. Thanks.

 

[Wiebke]

I have a herd of guinea pigs who have just moved into a playhouse yesterday. I noticed straight away that one of my guinea pigs Mabel did not seem herself, I just assumed that she was scared of the new surroundings. It has been about 24 hours and she is still no better. She is not moving around very much which is not like her. My big concern is that she is not eating. Like I said, I just thought she was just nervous yesterday as they all moved into their new home, so I didn't think much of it. I have not seen her eat anything including vegetables, hay or pellets which is really concerning me. Her droppings are not well formed at all and I know there is something really wrong. I weighed her less than a week ago and she was 1150g but today she weighs about 980g. I have not noticed any other symptoms, but I know I need to get some food down her asap. Please help if you know what might be wrong with her. Thanks.

Please have her seen by a vet as soon as possible; any weight loss over 100g in a short period needs to be seen promptly. Loss of appetite is very often caused by a pain issue, but a larger change in temperatures can also cause loss of appetite; nights are still pretty cold right now and it is generally too early yet to move guinea pigs outside.

Step in with syringe feeding and watering now in order to keep the guts from starting to close down; it is VERY important! You can find detailed information, including what you can do with what you have got at home in an emergency in our illustrated step-by-step syringe fedding guide. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Please have her seen by a vet as soon as possible; any weight loss over 100g in a short period needs to be seen promptly. Loss of appetite is very often caused by a pain issue, but a larger change in temperatures can also cause loss of appetite; nights are still pretty cold right now and it is generally too early yet to move guinea pigs outside.

Step in with syringe feeding and watering now in order to keep the guts from starting to close down; it is VERY important! You can find detailed information, including what you can do with what you have got at home in an emergency in our illustrated step-by-step syringe fedding guide. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Thanks for your reply. Sorry if I didn't make it very clear about where they have been living - all winter they have been in a shed, we just swapped them into a playhouse so the temperature should be relatively similar. I will get going with the syringe feeding and hope this helps.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for your reply. Sorry if I didn't make it very clear about where they have been living - all winter they have been in a shed, we just swapped them into a playhouse so the temperature should be relatively similar. I will get going with the syringe feeding and hope this helps.

If you don't think that a change in temperatures is the cause, then you need to have her seen for illness, the sooner the better.

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Just another question... If the poops appear to be like diarrhoea, do I still go ahead with the syringe feeding?

 

[Pets Palace TV]

We have come to the conclusion that the problem is with the hierarchy. She has always been one of the most submissive guinea pigs, and I think that as a herd they are having trouble establishing the pecking order. Our youngest guinea pig Hazel is starting to mature and is becoming very bossy and picking on Mabel as she is more submissive. I believe this behaviour started before they moved accommodation, but a new territory has caused more dominant issues. Space isn't a problem as they have a spacious playhouse joined onto an outside run. I have noticed a small tare on her ear, and at first I thought she may have caught in on something, but now I think it may have been due to a fight with one of the other guinea pigs. I am very reluctant to separate the guinea pigs or split them into two groups because they have lived together for so long, and if I separate her temporarily, I think this will only cause problems when I re-introduce her. I think she is just stressed out because of the others picking on her a bit. In the past they have had several problems with the hierarchy and it has always sorted itself out. Do you think it is the right decision to see how they get along, monitoring their behaviour closely?

 

[Adelle]

We have come to the conclusion that the problem is with the hierarchy. She has always been one of the most submissive guinea pigs, and I think that as a herd they are having trouble establishing the pecking order. Our youngest guinea pig Hazel is starting to mature and is becoming very bossy and picking on Mabel as she is more submissive. I believe this behaviour started before they moved accommodation, but a new territory has caused more dominant issues. Space isn't a problem as they have a spacious playhouse joined onto an outside run. I have noticed a small tare on her ear, and at first I thought she may have caught in on something, but now I think it may have been due to a fight with one of the other guinea pigs. I am very reluctant to separate the guinea pigs or split them into two groups because they have lived together for so long, and if I separate her temporarily, I think this will only cause problems when I re-introduce her. I think she is just stressed out because of the others picking on her a bit. In the past they have had several problems with the hierarchy and it has always sorted itself out. Do you think it is the right decision to see how they get along, monitoring their behaviour closely?

Personally i would still have her seen by a vet as she cant continue to not eat.. Have you been monitering her weight to see if she is eating when you arent around? With regards to the hierarchy question i will tag @Wiebke as she would be better to advise on this than me. However, i would still recommend a vet visit if your piggy isnt eating and has diarrohea.

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Personally i would still have her seen by a vet as she cant continue to not eat.. Have you been monitering her weight to see if she is eating when you arent around? With regards to the hierarchy question i will tag @Wiebke as she would be better to advise on this than me. However, i would still recommend a vet visit if your piggy isnt eating and has diarrohea.

She is keen on her vegetables and has been nibbling more on the hay - we are still syringe feeding her pellets. I have been weighing her daily, the good news is that she has not lost any weight since last time. I will weigh her again today to see if she has gained any. Her poops are better than they were previously and she doesn't have diarrhoea anymore. My concern is just that the other guinea pigs are being dominant towards her.

 

[Wiebke]

We have come to the conclusion that the problem is with the hierarchy. She has always been one of the most submissive guinea pigs, and I think that as a herd they are having trouble establishing the pecking order. Our youngest guinea pig Hazel is starting to mature and is becoming very bossy and picking on Mabel as she is more submissive. I believe this behaviour started before they moved accommodation, but a new territory has caused more dominant issues. Space isn't a problem as they have a spacious playhouse joined onto an outside run. I have noticed a small tare on her ear, and at first I thought she may have caught in on something, but now I think it may have been due to a fight with one of the other guinea pigs. I am very reluctant to separate the guinea pigs or split them into two groups because they have lived together for so long, and if I separate her temporarily, I think this will only cause problems when I re-introduce her. I think she is just stressed out because of the others picking on her a bit. In the past they have had several problems with the hierarchy and it has always sorted itself out. Do you think it is the right decision to see how they get along, monitoring their behaviour closely?

Weight loss can be caused by bullying, but you still have to make sure that your guinea pig does not have an underlying medical issue and you also have to find a social solution that gives her the frame and space to flourish away from the group, if necessary with just a companion of her own. Not all hierarchy issues do sort themselves out, unfortunately.

I have been confronted by such a case myself a few years ago, which happened after a takeover of the leadership. After a thorough check-up and talk with a good vet I made the heart-breaking decision to remove Caron from the Tribe and find her new place that would suit her special personality quirks. Sadly, none of my own other two groups (one for cataract piggies and the other for frail elderlies) was right for her.
With keeping the rescue updated and the new home passing their citeria, Caron went to live with a close relative of hers and an experienced friend of mine with a similar set-up as a permanent foster piggy for me, so I stayed being involved in her life and any major decisions. In her case, this did work out for Caron, who had a very happy time with a laid-back group that could tolerate her even though it was tough for me and I went through the equivalent of a grieving process. Caron started to put on weight again as soon as she was away from the Tribe and in her new home, so we knew straightaway that we were on the right track.
At the same time, I had to split my two teddies, Nerys and Nesta from the Tribe for different reasons (Nerys was being bullied by the husboar and Nesta was at odds with the rest of the sows, including a running feud with Caron) since the herd dynamics continued to deteriorate.

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Weight loss can be caused by bullying, but you still have to make sure that your guinea pig does not have an underlying medical issue and you also have to find a social solution that gives her the frame and space to flourish away from the group, if necessary with just a companion of her own. Not all hierarchy issues do sort themselves out, unfortunately.

I have been confronted by such a case myself a few years ago, which happened after a takeover of the leadership. After a thorough check-up and talk with a good vet I made the heart-breaking decision to remove Caron from the Tribe and find her new place that would suit her special personality quirks. Sadly, none of my own other two groups (one for cataract piggies and the other for frail elderlies) was right for her.
With keeping the rescue updated and the new home passing their citeria, Caron went to live with a close relative of hers and an experienced friend of mine with a similar set-up as a permanent foster piggy for me, so I stayed being involved in her life and any major decisions. In her case, this did work out for Caron, who had a very happy time with a laid-back group that could tolerate her even though it was tough for me and I went through the equivalent of a grieving process. Caron started to put on weight again as soon as she was away from the Tribe and in her new home, so we knew straightaway that we were on the right track.
At the same time, I had to split my two teddies, Nerys and Nesta from the Tribe for different reasons (Nerys was being bullied by the husboar and Nesta was at odds with the rest of the sows, including a running feud with Caron) since the herd dynamics continued to deteriorate.

This was very helpful to know that you have experienced a similar situation yourself. Mabel and another guinea pig called Multy were given to me by someone who could no longer look after their guinea pigs due to allergies in the family. I have a youtube channel for my pets and that is where she knows me from, and she contacted me asking if I could take on her guinea pigs because she can now always watch them on my videos. I would be devastated to re-home Mabel because of these reasons. My concern is that if I leave her in the group she will only get worse, but on the other hand there is a possibility things will sort themselves out, but of corse I don't know if it is worth the risk. She gets along very well with the neutered boar, it is just some of the sows who are being very bossy towards her. I guess there is the option to have her living in a pair with another guinea pig but I worry that I do not have space anywhere else for them.

 

[Squeaky Dreams]

oh dear i hope your piggie is fine xx but please get her seen by a vet xx
We will all support you in this xx
Hope your piggie gets better soon x
xhugs to you and your piggiesx

 

[Wiebke]

This was very helpful to know that you have experienced a similar situation yourself. Mabel and another guinea pig called Multy were given to me by someone who could no longer look after their guinea pigs due to allergies in the family. I have a youtube channel for my pets and that is where she knows me from, and she contacted me asking if I could take on her guinea pigs because she can now always watch them on my videos. I would be devastated to re-home Mabel because of these reasons. My concern is that if I leave her in the group she will only get worse, but on the other hand there is a possibility things will sort themselves out, but of corse I don't know if it is worth the risk. She gets along very well with the neutered boar, it is just some of the sows who are being very bossy towards her. I guess there is the option to have her living in a pair with another guinea pig but I worry that I do not have space anywhere else for them.

You can try to see whether a short separation of 2-4 days with a friend will give you the answer. During that time, the bond will not be broken. This is what I do when I am not sure whether a piggy would be happier in a new group or not. I let them bond and then give them the chance to walk back in with their old group. If they show no more than casual interest in their old mates, then I know that the spearation was right; if they can't wait to be back with their old friends, then I let them in the knowledge that any apparent issues have to be tolerated.

Is there a possibility to place a table with a cage on top inside your group pen?
Here is my solution to the problem - lino underlay also allows to me refigure any ground floor pens to adapt to any changes in group sizes and dynamics.

But PLEASE make sure that you do not overlook a medical problem for the sake of a social one - bullying can happen both for social and for medical reasons. You also need to continue to top Molly up with syringe feed until have her checked out! Any weight loss over 50g needs to be closely monitored and checked out by a vet as soon as you can; loss of appetite is often down to pain. There is no excuse for not seeing a vet; you really need to close out this angle or you fail your piggy.

Group dynamics are a constant process and not a static system; they evolve and change over time as several members with larger groups over several years have found out to their cost. If you want to have a large group for a longer time, you have to be prepared that group dynamics can turn negative as piggies age, become frail or more crotchety and new piggies join in and change the dynamics each time. You also have to be aware that not all sows are suited to a group environment. I have a couple of them, one of them is my Nesta. You need to think about sustainable alternative options for those piggies.