Stressed Out Because Of The New Piggie?

[anyar.dris]

I have posted about adopting and introducing a new neutered male piggie named Timmy in the Behaviour and Bonding section (http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...-a-new-piggie-to-my-2-current-piggies.114967/). Now I've learned about what's happening in regards to interaction is just normal, I'm wondering if that's also the cause of my 2yr-old female piggie named Deedee losing her appetite.

She started losing her appetite 5 days ago. Her weight went down about 70 grams on Thursday and that made us worry. On Friday, we took her to the vet and the she didn't find anything wrong with Deedee; normal weight, no internal problems i.e. intestines or guts, normal temperature, teeth and gums okay, no signs of mites or what. What she found was a lump on her right side. I'm not sure if it's above or below the ribs and stomach, but vet said it doesn't seem to be affecting any of the two parts, although Deedee didn't like it when she was touching and examining it. The vet told us to monitor it in case it's getting bigger. She gave Deedee a shot of B12. Since then her weight went up an is now 1.275kg from 1.205kg on Thursday. I'm weighing her everyday and the vet said at least her weight is still normal.

What Deedee only eats is just the hay, readi grass, fresh grass, dandelions, a few biscuits and lettuce. She stopped eating cucumber, apple, carrots, pear and melon. Last night before I went to sleep, I managed to make her eat 2 slices of cucumber, a slice of carrot, and 3 slices of apple. We thought she would start eating by now. But this morning, she didn't.

We are regularly syringe feeding her since Friday. We are blending the food that she stopped eating and she liked it when we feed it by syringe. We are also giving her about 5-10 ml of recovery food every few hours just so she can have the nutrients she needs.

Do you think what caused this is being stressed of having a new male piggie? The other female piggie we have, Meemee, doesn't have any changes on her appetite whatsoever. If she's stressed out, I'm just wondering why it just happened 5 days ago when we already have Timmy for 2 weeks now? Or it may be the lump that we have discovered? I hope anyone can enlighten me with this. Even hubby doesn't know what to do now.

Thank you very much.

 

[Wiebke]

Deedee could have a touch of a tummy upset or the lump could cause her pain. Losing 70g in a day means that she wasnt't eating much on that day, but there is a range of things that can cause loss of appetite. Her weight is still very good and no cause of concern. Because of that, I wouldn't hand feed as long as her weight is stable.

Hay should make up 80% of the daily food intake, fresh herbs and veg about 10-15% and pellets about 5-10%, so by eating mainly dry food, DeeDee is eating what is good for getting her tummy settled.

Please be aware that readigrass is fattening and higher in calcium than normal grass, and should therefore only be fed in small quantities as a treat. Do feed any fruit and tomato only twice a week; too much is not good. Veg should be about 50g per piggy per day.

Generally, the stress of a new piggy will only trigger an already existing underlying problem, it is not causing loss of appetite itself, especially not when things are perfectly normal.

 

[anyar.dris]

Thank you for the info and advice Wiebke.

I didn't know about the readi grass. Although the piggies don't eat a lot of it anyways and they eat it in moderation. The piggies do have cucumber and carrots during the day and we add a few slices of fruits only at night.

Deedee just ate 2 small pieces of carrots just now and then went back to sleep inside her house. Nothing's changed though with regards to eating hay, grass and biscuits, so it's good as what you told me. We will continue monitoring her appetite, and until she settles and goes back to normal, hubby want's to keep her away from Timmy for now so she won't get too upset. Fingers crossed everything will get better.

 

[Wiebke]

Please do not feed fruit daily! A friend of mine has got into major trouble with a very stubborn cheilitis over it. Rather switch to feeding a sprig of coriander instead. You also may want to downscale the amount of carrot; they are very high in vitamin A which can build up in the liver. Could you vary with French beans and raw beetroot instead? You could also introduce sweetheart cabbage or spring greens slowly as part of the veg mix.

 

[anyar.dris]

The piggies diet already involves spring greens at night (although Timmy has chosen not to eat it on a regular basis). I would stop feeding them fruits everyday as what you say. We are just feeding them like what my hubby used to feed his past guinea pigs, so we didn't really think it'll be that bad, since they didn't had any problems with liver or cheilitis (the last one he had before we adopted the 2 girls had to be put down because of teeth problems and his legs then became weak because he can't eat properly). Although these 2 girls we have are really picky when it comes to food and we tried a lot of food and they don't want to eat it other than the ones they're currently eating. I will take your advice when it comes to my piggies diet and hopefully prevent the problems you said. Thank you very much.