If your guinea pig is not eating then this is a sign that something is not right. The problem when a guinea pig stops eating is that they cannot tell us what is wrong with them, so it is usually a case of trial and error to discover what the problem is. The first thing to do is figure out what time the guinea pig last ate and drank. This is important, as the longer they go without food passing through the digestive system, the quicker they can deteriorate. Luckily, they can do quite well if they have not eaten for twenty four hours, but you should have intervened well before then.
If a guinea pig has eating problems for three days, and has hardly consumed anything, then their guts will likely shut down, and the outlook then is very poor. So as soon as you notice a guinea pig is not eating as normal, it is essential to find the problem as quickly as possible. It is always a good idea to hand feed and giving it something to drink.
When a guinea pig is not eating it could be down to its teeth, infection, something wrong in the guts, or it is impacted (males only). As the potential problems are many, it is important to take the animal to an exotic pet vet. Local vets are not usually the best option, although if you feel it is an emergency, then use them as the first point of call. You can always get a second opinion afterwards from a specialist.
Now if you know that the animal has not eaten for a good few hours, it is important to get some food into it. Offer it some treats to see if it will eat some. If not, try and get some fluids into it. In some cases you may need to syringe feed your guinea pig. If they take some food and water, then they will likely feel better after an hour. Do not overfeed them before visiting a vet though, just in case it has a physical blockage, or needs an operation.
When you get to a vet they should check the front and back teeth, the throat area, feel its stomach and guts for lumps and gas, and if it is a male, check if it is impacted. If the animal has been neutered in the last 6 months, then it could be something related to that, such as a guinea pig hernia. It is also a good idea to ask the vet for an x-ray. Just a top-down one is good enough, for side-on they need to make the animal drowsy. Always ask for a copy of the x-ray so that you can get a second opinion.
If the animal’s teeth are fine, and it is not impacted, then the problem is either somewhere in the middle, the animal is in pain for some reason, or it has an infection. You will find that not all vets can diagnose a problem, but if nothing physical can be found, such a as a blockage, then make sure you get the following meds before leaving: antibiotics to treat an infection, probiotics to help put good bacteria in the gut that the antibiotics kill, painkiller injection, critical care mix and a 5ml and a 1ml syringe for giving meds, food and drink. If the animal has not been pooping, then emeprid can help to get the guts moving.
If the vet you see is not an exotic pet specialist, and they have not discovered the problem, then get a second opinion from another vet that is a specialist.
Guinea pigs can go off food for a number of medical reasons, but they may also stop eating due to other causes. If a new guinea pig has been introduced, it can upset another guinea pig and the result is it will stop eating. This can happen when the new guinea pig is taking on the dominant one. They can also go off food after the death of another pig. Make sure that you give the vet as much information as possible.
Intervening quickly with syringe feeding can save a guinea pig life. Each feed should be a minimum of 10ml, every 2-4 hours, if you can get 20ml in then every 4-5 hours. If you need to feed in the middle of the night, then do so, missing a feed may see your pet go into decline. An ill guinea pig is serious, especially if it is not eating, so take it to a vet as soon as possible. If the local vet is closed for whatever reason, such as it is late at night, find one that is open, do not leave the animal suffering overnight. If it has something like bloat, it is unlikely to make it till the morning.
The quicker a guinea pig receives treatment, the better its long term outlook.
Help My Guinea Pig Is Not Eating
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