guinea pigs not eating enough hay!

[szo]

my 2 piggies are eating less and less hay by the day, but they’re okay with any veggies I hand feed them. they eat all their pellets, just not their hay! my younger piggie has gotten very skinny; skinny to the point where I can feel his back bones! I’m not sure what to do bc they don’t seem to like any hay flavor (I’ve bought them timothy hay, orchard grass, and a mix of those). They used to be fairly okay with orchard grass hay, but now that I’ve bought a giant box of it, they stopped liking it! I can’t tell if they’re just super picky or if they’re sick. Please help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please could you answer some background questions to help us :

How old are they?
How long have you had them?
Are you weighing them weekly as routine but switching to daily now you have concerns about them?
If they are losing weight, how much have they lost and over what period of time?
Have you checked their heft?

Are you feeding just one cup of veg each per day?
Are you feeding just one tablespoon of pellets each per day?
Piggies will not deliberately starve themselves (ie stop eating hay without reason) but if there is any chance you are over feeding in other areas then they are like toddlers - they will choose the tasty things first.

Otherwise, if they are losing weight then we will advise you to step in with syringe feeding them and see a vet. A medical issue must always be looked into first, you’d need to rule out a transmissible illness affecting them both.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Wiebke]

my 2 piggies are eating less and less hay by the day, but they’re okay with any veggies I hand feed them. they eat all their pellets, just not their hay! my younger piggie has gotten very skinny; skinny to the point where I can feel his back bones! I’m not sure what to do bc they don’t seem to like any hay flavor (I’ve bought them timothy hay, orchard grass, and a mix of those). They used to be fairly okay with orchard grass hay, but now that I’ve bought a giant box of it, they stopped liking it! I can’t tell if they’re just super picky or if they’re sick. Please help!

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry.

In addition to the other questions: How hot is it/has it recently been where you are around the time and since your piggies have lost their appetite? Do you have a working gas alarm? With both piggies experiencing the same symptoms, there could likely be an environmental factor in play.

Please step in with feeding support asap since hay fibre is making over three quarters of the daily food intake.
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike