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What Could Be Wrong Please Help

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Jane0101

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I have an 9 month old male guinea pig.
He's usually fine, and active but since like 6am this morning, I found him hunched with his fur spiked up. He did react to food though and ate all of the fresh grass and some veggies ( he did leave more than usual) and a little bit of pellets which I fed him.
He is pooping and peeing fine.
What could be wrong?
I called the vet and they suggested I watch him until tomorrow and then if I'm still worried to bring him in.
His stomach seems nice and soft.

I did let him out on the bed and he was exploring and eating some hay. But every time he's in his cage he just seems very unrelaxed today and very spiky.
His fur is still nice and shiny though.

I'm really not sure.
What do you guys think?
Thank you
 
It sounds like he could be in pain somewhere in his body but only a vet can diagnose and prescribe pain relief.

If he doesn't improve soon, I advise that you see a vet sooner rather than later as guinea pigs can go downhill very fast
 
I would go to the vet today, if he is sitting hunched up something is not right and as Claire has said he could be in pain.
 
I agree - please have him seen promptly and start offering extra syringe feeding/watering to make sure that the guts keep working. Up to 80% of the daily food intake is hay, which you cannot control, but which is often the first food group that is dropped when a piggy is not well.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (contains tips for emergencies)
 
He seems to be eating hay the most with grass and cucumbers but nothing else
 
Jane0101 said:
He seems to be eating hay the most with grass and cucumbers but nothing else
Click to expand...

Sounds like a pain/discomfort issue. Please top him up with syringe feed. You can use mushed up pellets and a spoon, but generally 1 ml syringes from the pharmacy or your vet are better. Cut the tip off, like illustrated in the guide to make feeding easier. Also offer as much water as he will take. If he is still eating fresh food (which makes about 10-15% of the daily food intake), he won't dehydrate. Weigh him daily at the same time in the feeding cycle instead of the normal weekly weigh-in.

Please see a vet today if possible! A guinea pig that is not eating properly is a very sick piggy!
 
Sending healing vibes. I agree it does sound like he needs to see a vet sooner rather than later.
 
Hello,
I was unable to take him to today. However, he had started eating a small amount of veggies and he seems much much more relaxed.
Someone suggested that it could be some tummy issues as I was giving him cucumber slices every single day, which I will stop now
I am hoping he gets better but I'm so glad that he seems to be improving.
Thank you all
 
Was is your opinion? Do you think possibly he could have an upset stomach from cucumbers? As he had like 2-3 slices everyday.
Obviously I will stop that and he won't be getting any for a while.
Can cucumber cause this?
 
I would expect his poos to be affected if that's the case. Hunching and being fluffed up is a big indicator of pain so I would go to the vets as I don't believe it's the cucumber at all
 
My piggies eat cucumber daily and never caused a problem. Hunching and fluffed up are indicators of pain and a sick piggy. Please get him to the vets as soon as you can get an appointment
 
Thank you for your replies !
He's actually not hunching today, he's just slow, but he's eating a bit of everything which I'm happy about.
I have called the vet and they said that it's really good he's eating something and that if it doesn't improve to book an appointment.
I hope it's just a temporary tummy upset, I will be watching over him.
 
What is his weight like? You should be aiming to weigh at around the same time everyday as weight changes are the biggest indicator of health problems for guinea pigs. If you noticed a large weight drop then I would go straight to the vets
 
Being hunched and fluffed up can be a sign of bloat too. Bloat can easily become life threatening, so if there is any sign of deterioration then you must go to the vet.

We're not vets so we can't advise, but I will say that if one of my pigs was affecting like yours then I would definitely be going to a good guinea pig vet today.
 
UPDATE.
It most likely is to do with his stomach, maybe someone on here may know?
the reason I think so more now is that I just noticed that he has a bit of mucous on his poop, which from research is something to do with upset stomach?
 
It could be. Are you still not going to take him to the vet? If not, what actions are you taking to help his stomach issues? It sounds like at the moment you're not doing anything different to normal, i.e. feeding him his usualy diet.
 
I think the best option is to make an appointment for tomorrow. I have been taking care of him all day, massaging him, feeding him forage which he loves. I have also mushed up some pellets which ate and he loved.
With the possible stomach issue, would you recommend to take away veggies for now or keep them there for him? He seems to still love his celery and some carrot at the moment and fresh grass in addition to hay obviously. But I'm not sure if I should be taking away the veggies? As some people do when piggies get these issues
 
I wouldn't give him veggies until he's seen a vet. Best to ring & get him in tomorrow, in case he deteriorates over the weekend.
 
Been to the vets! His chest and tummy was okay. They tried checking his molars but he wouldn't let them ! :D but I got given Recovery to give him over the weekend and see if we can get his normal routine on track. If not, they'll have to put him under a bit of anesthetic to look at his molars.
I'm very happy that nothing was wrong with him, got told that it was most likely the upset stomach so we'll see how it goes!
 
May i just ask? Does anyone here have experience with the Recovery food?
the vet said it would be brilliant if i managed to feed the whole sachet per day, which is 20g.
I was only really able to give half, even less than that.
He is still eating hay though and grass.
Should I aim to feed more of the Recovery food?
 
You need to judge it by:

a) monitoring how much he is eating himself. If he's eating then he needs less handfeeding. If he's not eating at all then he needs more

b) MOST IMPORTANTLY: weighing him at the same time every day. If he's losing weight then he's not eating enough and you need to increase the feeding. You should weigh ill pigs daily, so is he losing weight?

c) monitor his poop and pee output. If there's very little coming out then there's not enough going in. However, you need to remember that there can take up to 36 hours for food to get through his system. If there is nothing coming out then it's an emergency and you need gut stimulant medication from the vet to keep restatt his digestive system.
 
Thank you.
He has been losing a bit of weight when I weighed him last night but I'm making sure he's always eating. He is eating by himself, he started eating more of his veggies along with grass and hay, so I will hand feed him a couple times a day.
This morning I always started seeing more healthy poops and more of them, so I think that's a good sign :)
 
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