CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
Are you still weighing her daily?
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Guinea pig refusing solids
- Thread starter ughabbie
- Start date
Sorry! I’ve been so busy at work i didn’t get a chance to respond to you yesterday. She likes fresh grass and she’s showing some interest in food but not eating much if at all. I weighed her again this morning and she’s 899g today. With how much bloat and faecal retention she had it’s hard to gauge if it’s lost weight or just returning to her pre stasis weight.
Here are her daily weigh ins since the 12th of October:
12/10: 823g
13/10: 818g
14/10: 820g
15/10: 837g
16/10: 820g
17/10: 829g
18/10: 848g
19/10: 867g
20/10: 870g
21/10: 903g
22/10: 914g
23/10: 909g
24/10: 920g
25/10: 914g
26/10: 899g
CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
So she is pretty much gaining weight then isn't she 
Merab
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Just catching up with this thread.
Sorry that you have had such a hard time with Moose.
She sounds as if she’s in excellent hands with you.
Have you tried a dish of Critical Care with a small piece of banana mashed in ?
Mine used to love that and it helped the sick piggy eat for themselves.
A small dish of grated carrot or sweet potato mixed with raw oats was also popular.
Sorry that you have had such a hard time with Moose.
She sounds as if she’s in excellent hands with you.
Have you tried a dish of Critical Care with a small piece of banana mashed in ?
Mine used to love that and it helped the sick piggy eat for themselves.
A small dish of grated carrot or sweet potato mixed with raw oats was also popular.
Hi
When weighing frequently you have to think in a 30g band because the more often you weigh the more the weight is jumping around, 30g is the normal daily weight swing band. Recovery is rarely straight forward; it is lots of little ups and downs.
You need to worry only if the gradual weight loss persists in the coming days. Hopefully the weight is going to stay just over 900g with about 15-20g to either side. Can you up the feeding amount just a little - about 1 syringeful more in each session?
I can definitely try! it’s getting slightly harder to syringe feed her now as her spunk is coming back but i’m still worried about her not eating on her own.
Is it normal for their appetite to be like this for so long? Has anyone else had them not show any interest in food for this long?
Everything i can find online is either that that started eating pretty quickly or they had to be put to sleep and i’ve been really worried that that could be where it’ll head
I’ll definitely give that a try tonight thank you!
Let’s hope she starts wanting to gain it on her own!So she is pretty much gaining weight then isn't she
I can definitely try! it’s getting slightly harder to syringe feed her now as her spunk is coming back but i’m still worried about her not eating on her own.
Is it normal for their appetite to be like this for so long? Has anyone else had them not show any interest in food for this long?
Everything i can find online is either that that started eating pretty quickly or they had to be put to sleep and i’ve been really worried that that could be where it’ll head
Prolonged battles are sadly not unusual. You have already come a good way. More spunk is a good sign.
Moose was back at the vet today, she’s still not eating. I had the vet trim her lower front teeth as they’d grown a bit from not being used. She said her teeth are perfectly fine and there’s no reason she shouldn’t be eating. I’m watching her right now as she picks up bits of food and throws them around. I’m really at a loss. If there’s no improvement the next step is a CT scan 3 counties away to see if there’s anything else wrong.
She was eating happily before all this happened.
She was eating happily before all this happened.
CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
My heart goes out to you, how is her weight doing? 
She’s down to 837g this morning again but that was her weight initially before she got sick. I’ve run out of emeraid so it’s been tough getting food into her but i’m doubling up feeds now to make sure she’s getting enough calories until i can get some more. I really don’t know what’s wrong with her and my vet is stumped tooMy heart goes out to you, how is her weight doing?
CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
I wish I had a magic wand to make all our poorly guineas well, it's draining too isn't it emotionally and physically
She’s obsessed with the emeraid being syringe fed to the point where, when I leave an empty syringe on the table she’ll go and chew on it but she won’t eat it from a bowl or spoon? I’m so so confused guys 
She’s obsessed with the emeraid being syringe fed to the point where, when I leave an empty syringe on the table she’ll go and chew on it but she won’t eat it from a bowl or spoon? I’m so so confused guys
Some piggies are like that. She obviously associates the syringe strongly and positively with feed because the smell of emeraid still hangs around the syinge tip - piggies have a much stronger sense of smell than us. As an exhausted owner, it can really drive you mad.
Is there any way to start helping her transition to eating? Even eating the emeraid from a bowl?
Could you make the emeraid a bit firmer so you can load it onto the syringe and have her eating off the syringe and then gradually transfer it to a pellet, a stalk of hay or a small piece of veg.
I tried with a small bit of vet but not hay, that might be a good idea as she’s at least a little bit interested in the hay (chewing a little and dropping it). Thank you!
She ate half a cherry tomato and some banana on her own today but really struggled to get it down. She was chewing for like 5 mins, I’m going to really push the narrative that it’s dental with my vet on wednesday again.
Are you keeping an eye on her incisors to check for a potential dental overgrowth?
I have been wondering whether overgrowing teeth could be an issue - the picking up food and dropping it is a bit of a pointer.
Her incisors were trimmed on wednesday as vet said they were slightly overgrown but she said her molars were fine, which I find kind of hard to believe if her incisors were overgrown. She’s a very small guinea pig as it is and i feel like even the slightest bit of overgrowth that wouldn’t be a problem in a bigger piggy is causing her issues. She’s got loads of energy and is sitting up beside me right now talking away, so i don’t think it could be neurological.
I’ve just been thinking maybe her mouth and jaw have caused all of this; both her URI and the eye problems. Currently trying to pack on some extra weight in case she has to go under anaesthesia again for a full dental.
I think at this stage a CT scan will tell us nothing, and i’ll be out another €200. I just need to convince my vet that there’s something wrong.
Moose had a full dental done today. She’s now eating some softer veggies and fruits out of my hands and trying her hardest to chew which is great! It’s taking a while but she’s not quitting anymore which has to be a good sign. I’m almost €1500 out with all of the vet costs and emeraid and medication but i’d do it again in a heartbeat for her.
I'm going to slowly transition her to grittier more chewable food now since she’s able for it and loads of other veggies in between syringes. Here’s a pic of how her teeth looked
I'm going to slowly transition her to grittier more chewable food now since she’s able for it and loads of other veggies in between syringes. Here’s a pic of how her teeth looked
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CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
Hi I'm so pleased she is eating that's a good sign fingers crossed
Moose had a full dental done today. She’s now eating some softer veggies and fruits out of my hands and trying her hardest to chew which is great! It’s taking a while but she’s not quitting anymore which has to be a good sign. I’m almost €1500 out with all of the vet costs and emeraid and medication but i’d do it again in a heartbeat for her.
I'm going to slowly transition her to grittier more chewable food now since she’s able for it and loads of other veggies in between syringes. Here’s a pic of how her teeth looked
I am so pleased that she is willing to eat, which is usually the biggest hurdle after a dental. Please make sure that she gets plenty of grass (provided she is used to it as otherwise it can cause diarrhea or a potentially killing bloat; fresh grass is easier to chew after a dental) or hay because it is the very abrasive silica in the grass fibre against which guinea pig teeth have evolved. Silica is also added to every human tooth paste... Pellets soften quickly in contact with saliva in the mouth.
Hi guys, still no improvement from moose. She’ll only eat soft foods like banana and the inside of tomatoes but will gladly take really thick recovery food and chew with no issues. She’s down to 691g again and i’m trying to feed her as much as possible to put some weight on. I’m really at my wits end here and i cannot coax her to eat anything on her own besides a few bits of banana or the slimey parts of tomato. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m €1700 out in vets bills and not a step closer to her being better.
I’m so sorry to hear this
Is she still on any medications?
Is she still on any medications?
Just metacam. I might try and book her in with another vet clinic 4 hours from me to get a second opinion on what might be the issue.
Hi guys, still no improvement from moose. She’ll only eat soft foods like banana and the inside of tomatoes but will gladly take really thick recovery food and chew with no issues. She’s down to 691g again and i’m trying to feed her as much as possible to put some weight on. I’m really at my wits end here and i cannot coax her to eat anything on her own besides a few bits of banana or the slimey parts of tomato. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m €1700 out in vets bills and not a step closer to her being better.
CTWC
Teenage Guinea Pig
How much recovery food is she having a day?
She’s having a full sachet of science selective recovery Plus which are 20g dry they’re to be mixed with 90ml of water. So around 90ml plus some pure oats in water for a little more weight. All in all about 100ml a day.