Sick Piggie?

[Carol D]

Hi,
I am writing because my guinea pig Buttercup has been urinating a lot and has been lethargic. There are some articles on google that are about diabetes and I was wondering if maybe she may have it. Buttercup eats her hay and vegetables without any problems. Also, I was wondering if it might also, be depression. We had to separate Buttercup from my other guinea pig Peanut because of problems with them having dominant issues. Their cages are very close together so that they can see eachother still. They still growl at eachother at certain times of the month.

Buttercup just lays around all day except for when she eats. I do give her a lot of vegetables. What I have been feeding her is cucumbers, green peppers, baby carrots, green beans, parsley and mixed greens. They do not eat any fruit or treats. They are fed twice a day. I have noticed also, that she is not eating her pellets. Am I doing something wrong with her diet? I'm really worried about her and was hoping that someone could give me some insight about what may be going on.

 

[fdgd]

how much are you feeding them daily? a piggy is spouse have 50g veggie only a day.
and how long have u had them?
they could be inside there safe space all day because they feel unsafe.(if u haven't had them long)
she maybe not like pellets u can try changing them but long your giving them hay its okay

 

[Carol D]

Hello! I want to thank you all for the advice and help you have given me in this first year of having Peanut and Buttercup. It has been a learning experience in making sure my piggies have a very happy home life.

I am writing because there may be a problem with Buttercup. She has been drinking a lot of water and urinating quite frequently. Her appetite has seems to be ok though. Also, she seems to be more lethargic by just laying around and resting throughout the day. I Googled some things and was wondering if this could be a sign of her having diabetes?

We have also, had to separate Buttercup from Peanut because of dominant issues. Their cages are right next to eachother so that they can see one another through the bars. During their hormonal periods they have a tendency to growl at eachother. I was wondering if their separation may be causing Buttercup depression and this be a factor in the way she has been acting. I recently placed a corner house for Peanut along side the cage wall that was separating the two cages. Now there is only a half space of visual contact between the two of them. Could this be a causing these symptoms?

The other thought that came to my mind is whether Buttercup's diet be a problem. They get fed twice a day with a combination of cucumbers, green peppers, green beans and baby carrots. Both of them do not like fruit or any type of treats. Also, the major part of their diet is the vegetables and hay. I noticed that they have no been too big on eating their pellet food.

I would appreciate it SO much if you could reach out to me with some advice and input. I'm really worried about Buttercup. Can she be just a lazy girl? Help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily. This is the only way to ensure she really is eating enough hay - hay being the most important part of the diet but you cannot judge they are eating enough hay by eye and any reduction in hay intake will mean she loses weight.

It would also be a good idea to have a vet check to rule out any medical her over

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Ensure you don’t feed carrots often. They are considered a treat due to the high levels is sugar - they should only be fed one small amount of carrot once per week only.
Also ensure you don’t feed parsley often. It is too high in calcium and can lead to bladder issues. Please only give one or two sprigs of parsley only once a week

While living next door to another piggy can be enough interaction, for some it isn’t and living in the same cage with another piggy is best. However before you can assume she is lonely or depressed, you would need to check for any potential medical issues.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily. This is the only way to ensure she really is eating enough hay - hay being the most important part of the diet but you cannot judge they are eating enough hay by eye and any reduction in hay intake will mean she loses weight.

It would also be a good idea to have a vet check to rule out any medical her over

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Ensure you don’t feed carrots often. They are considered a treat due to the high levels is sugar - they should only be fed one small amount of carrot once per week only.
Also ensure you don’t feed parsley often. It is too high in calcium and can lead to bladder issues. Please only give one or two sprigs of parsley only once a week

While living next door to another piggy can be enough interaction, for some it isn’t and living in the same cage with another piggy is best. However before you can assume she is lonely or depressed, you would need to check for any potential medical issues

 

[Carol D]

I have had the two of them for a little bit over a year now. They are both very well adjusted to their living environment. Their cages are placed very, very close to eachother so that they can both see one another. But, recently I added a corner house to Peanuts cage on the cage wall that separates the two. Because of this there is now only half of a cage wall that they can see eachother through. It is something that was done about a month ago. Could this be causing Buttercup to be depressed?

As far as veggies, they are getting quite a bit more than 50g. I give them fresh veggies twice a day. They seem to like the food, I have never had a problem with that. Also, I have been giving them Orchard grass and not Timothy hay, is this OK?

 

[fdgd]

I have had the two of them for a little bit over a year now. They are both very well adjusted to their living environment. Their cages are placed very, very close to eachother so that they can both see one another. But, recently I added a corner house to Peanuts cage on the cage wall that separates the two. Because of this there is now only half of a cage wall that they can see eachother through. It is something that was done about a month ago. Could this be causing Buttercup to be depressed?

As far as veggies, they are getting quite a bit more than 50g. I give them fresh veggies twice a day. They seem to like the food, I have never had a problem with that. Also, I have been giving them Orchard grass and not Timothy hay, is this OK?

Orchard grass is fine most owners give this if there allergic to tim hay

 

[Carol D]

Wow! I have been feeding them about 6 baby carrots a day and about a handful of parsley twice a day. Buttercup demolishes her carrots.. they have been getting about 4 cucumber slices, 5 green beans, 3-4 baby carrots and 4 slices of green pepper a day. Buttercup doesn't look like she is losing weight.. it seems she is more on the chubby side.

 

[fdgd]

Wow! I have been feeding them about 6 baby carrots a day and about a handful of parsley twice a day. Buttercup demolishes her carrots.. they have been getting about 4 cucumber slices, 5 green beans, 3-4 baby carrots and 4 slices of green pepper a day. Buttercup doesn't look like she is losing weight.. it seems she is more on the chubby side.

thats way to much ..

 

[fdgd]

example of daily diet
The plate contains: 1 slice of sweet pepper/capsicum, 1 sprig of coriander/cilantro, 1 slice of cucumber and 1 chunk of celery or more cucumber, 1 slice of spring greens (UK)/collard greens (USA), 1 green/snap bean (optional), one leaf of lettuce (please vary and avoid iceberg) - which can be replaced by another veg of your liking.

 

[Carol D]

They both love to play in it and it is much softer than the Timothy hay... I was a little concerned that it isn't coarse enough for their teeth.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Wow! I have been feeding them about 6 baby carrots a day and about a handful of parsley twice a day. Buttercup demolishes her carrots.. they have been getting about 4 cucumber slices, 5 green beans, 3-4 baby carrots and 4 slices of green pepper a day. Buttercup doesn't look like she is losing weight.. it seems she is more on the chubby side.

Definitely cut the carrots and parsley down. As I say, carrot is too high in sugar which obviously isn’t good for their health and weight.
Coriander/cilantro is a safe herb to feed daily.
This is our diet guide
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

The weekly weight checks on the scales are the only way to know they are getting enough hay. Are you doing routine weekly weight checks? If not, then do start. You then switch to daily if you notice anything concerning such as a change in behaviour, eating less, being lethargic etc

You say she is chubby - check her heft - this is basically piggy BMI and the way to know what is a healthy body size for the individual piggy. Place your hands around her ribs and see if you can feel them. If you cannot feel ribs at all then a piggy is likely overweight. A thin layer of fat but you can still feel the ribs means piggy is likely a good size. Feeling all the ribs with no fat, then piggy is likely underweight.

A vet check is a good idea though

 

[Carol D]

They have been getting MAJORLY more than that. I have been running out to the supermarket every 3/4 days to load up on veggies because of running out so quick. It's been draining my wallet keeping up the supply. Is it going to be hard on them cutting back to such a small amount?

 

[Carol D]

I haven't been doing weight checks and you really can't feel Buttercup's ribs at all. What is a healthy weight for them. Peanut seems to be ok with the weight issue so I am not worried about her. Could her diet be causing her to be lethargic? Is it normal for her to drink so much water? With Peanut I never see her drink water and her bottle is always quite full when I change the water.

 

[Piggies&buns]

They have been getting MAJORLY more than that. I have been running out to the supermarket every 3/4 days to load up on veggies because of running out so quick. It's been draining my wallet keeping up the supply. Is it going to be hard on them cutting back to such a small amount?

Hay is the most important part of the food intake at 80% and aa long as they are eating more hay than anything else, then that is good. As I say, as long as their weight checks aren’t showing any problems.

Cutting back on the carrot and parsley is the most important thing you can cut back on at this point diet and health wise. I would offer lots of leafy veggies instead. One green bean is enough but they can eat lettuce (not iceberg), other herbs particularly coriander daily. Mine also love mint, basil and dill (dill is kept more limited as it is slightly higher in calcium)
I do tend to feed a bit more than the one cup of veg per day but it is mostly the leafy veg they get, with a couple of slices of cucumber and a couple of slices of pepper.

Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

 

[fdgd]

They have been getting MAJORLY more than that. I have been running out to the supermarket every 3/4 days to load up on veggies because of running out so quick. It's been draining my wallet keeping up the supply. Is it going to be hard on them cutting back to such a small amount?

they will be fine they will eat hay as well in the mean time dw about if there going to starve i had this axienty too

 

[fdgd]

I haven't been doing weight checks and you really can't feel Buttercup's ribs at all. What is a healthy weight for them. Peanut seems to be ok with the weight issue so I am not worried about her. Could her diet be causing her to be lethargic? Is it normal for her to drink so much water? With Peanut I never see her drink water and her bottle is always quite full when I change the water.

i would invest in getting a bowl for there cage my gunieas dont really like drinking from bottle but they dont mind the bowl keep the bottle also tho and get a bowl to but change the water daily as u would with the bottle

 

[Piggies&buns]

I haven't been doing weight checks and you really can't feel Buttercup's ribs at all. What is a healthy weight for them. Peanut seems to be ok with the weight issue so I am not worried about her. Could her diet be causing her to be lethargic? Is it normal for her to drink so much water? With Peanut I never see her drink water and her bottle is always quite full when I change the water.

Weight checks every week are so important as part of routine care. They can be the early warning alert of an illness before any other symptoms start to show - their hay consumption can drop when they start to feel unwell so you see it on the scales and you can step in with syringe feeding, daily weight checks so you can adjust syringe feeding and vet care early which can make all the difference.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

There is no set healthy weight, the number on the scales isn’t really reflective of what is healthy for the individual piggy. The weight range for adult piggy weight is quite wide - anything from around 800g-1500g would be considered ok so this is why heft is the guide for what is considered a good body condition for an individual piggy. A piggy can be heavier on the scales but be well in proportion and be perfectly healthy.

One of my boys weighs 1500g the other 1200g - both are healthy for themselves. If my 1500g boy dropped to 1200g, although his weight would be within ‘normal’ range, he would be drastically underweight for himself and I’d be rushing off to the vet. The same with my lighter boy if he suddenly became heavier on the scales, he would be overweight for his body shape.

If you cannot feel Buttercup’s ribs at all, then it is possible she is overweight. If she is overweight, then that could be what is causing her lethargy. Too many sugary items such as carrots will cause unhealthy weight gain and potentially health issues so you do need to have a vet check her out

What enrichment do they have in their cage?
Floor/playpen time etc?
Cage sizes?

I note they aren’t really eating their pellets, but pellets should be kept limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day (they provide a balance in nutrition but arent essential in the diet if they get a good balance elsewhere). Too many pellets will also contribute to unhealthy weight gain but also an excess of calcium which is a major factor in bladder stone formation (along with the high calcium veggies mentioned previously)

The amount piggies drink varies widely - sometimes large amounts are normal, others smaller amounts are normal. However an excessive amount of drinking or suddenly drinking more or less can point to a health issue. Again, a vet check would be needed
Piggies who eat a lot of veg tend to drink less water from a bowl or bottle as they will get lots of fluid through their veg.

All About Drinking And Bottles

Please do read the green links I have added in as they provide further information

 

[sport_billy]

Topics merged

 

[Free Ranger]

I've got a boy who is 1.4 kilo and my 2 girls are 1.3 ish: one girl is heavier but she is definitely keener on her food! This is pretty chunky but mine are a bit older (3 1/2 to 5) so are not so active and as they live indoors there is a lot of lying around snoozing - this is despite them having a vast space to roam if they want to. It is almost impossible to put piggies on a diet - and it is also a bit mean because they are built to eat all the time - but by increasing the proportion of hay in their diet it helps them balance things out.

Try having a regular routine of veggies. Mine get a portion in the morning and another in the evening - this is when I am in the kitchen for a while anyway so they get very excited. If they pester in the day they get a handful of fresh hay which they are always pleased with - even though there is already hay in the cage! I've noticed that when they get a piece of veggie each pig runs to hide somewhere separate while they eat it, but when I put in a handful of hay they all come out to eat together for some social time. So perhaps you can encourage interaction by putting a handful in each cage but near to the adjoining wall so your neighbour piggies can eat together? And rather than blocking this area with a plastic house try a 'carrot cottage' or something that they can stand on top of to get closer to each other? Or just a paper bag of hay that doesn't take up much room? This can be switched out when it gets too dirty!


That's a lot of carrot... mine get carrot more than once a week but they get like a slice maybe 1/2 inch thick (if its a giant one they get 1/2 a slice!) Carrot will definitely make them tubby and the high sugar might make them drink more water but I don't know about that. Mine definitely drink more when they are eating pellets so that is the next thing to watch out for. Many years ago people found that pellets were very useful when people bred rabbits to eat because they fattened up really well (no I don't eat my pets!) and they form a useful part of a varied piggy diet but they should be used very sparingly. The forum recommends 1 tablespoon per piggy per day so if you are used to seeing a loaded bowl it is a big shift but you can cut down gradually. It should at least be easier to monitor this with neighbour-piggies than with 3 hefty chompers living together! Pellets are high in calcium - much higher than any veg - so this reduction will also protect against bladder sludge and the formation of bladder stones in the future.

Finally if you have any dog-pee free grass in your garden they love a handful of this most of all. If you don't, don't worry because they don't know what they're missing but if you can find some (or grow some?) you will find even the most lethargic pig brightens up straight away. Good luck @Carol D

PS If you want to carry on using the soft hay but source some of the stalkier timothy hay as a 'treat' handful they would probably like the variation. It's a bit to spiky for bedding though!