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My guinea pig has diarrhea

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KatieBecker

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Hello,
I have a month old guinea pig that ate too much lettuce and carrots and got diarrhea, I took her to the vet today and she gave us some antibiotics and diarrhea medication. The thing is that she's not eating anything, no hay no pellets, I thought she had no appetite due to pains until i tried to give her a carrot again, I didn't feed her but she was so happy to see a carrot and wanted to eat it so badly but I can't feed her fresh veggies cause that's what got her a diarrhea in the first place.
I read some info in the internet that you can syringe feed your guinea pig by smashing the pellets in warm water to thick consistency, can I do that and force feed her? Or what can I do? I'm really nervous.
Thank you
 
I’m sorry to hear your piggy is unwell.

Yes you can syringe feed mushed pellets or get a recovery food. Have a read of the link below on syringe feeding and recovery food you can use. While you wait for it, do use mushed pellets for now. You can try offering in a syringe (tip cut off), spoon or bowl. I would also switch to weighing her once a day (morning) to make sure she isn’t losing weight.

Just to touch on the diet, carrots (and fruits) are high in sugar and shouldn’t be a regular part of their diet. You mention lettuce, how much did your piggy eat? Were they used to eating veg before you brought them home? And do they have a companion? If the companion is healthy you could also use poop soup to help rebalance the guts. Have a read of the links I’ve put in here. Hope (s)he is feeling better soon.

PS if you’re feeding fresh grass please also stop that for now.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
 
Sorry to hear you little piggy is ill.

As said above you can/will have to support feed and the guide above is a great way to get a hang of what you are looking to do. We call it support feeding instead of force feeding and you are looking to only put a little bit at a time and allow her to swallow in between.
Hope they feel better soon x
 
Thank you for your response, Siikibam
The previos owners were feeding her fresh grass (no hay tho) and the kind of pellets that involved wheat and sunflower seeds to that I later found out was not good for piggies but that's what she was used to eating, I got her high quality GP food from a pet store however she wouldn't eat any of those so she ate the entire pile of lettuce that I put in her cage, my fault didn't know it would get her sick and I thought if she wasn't eating dry food it was okay to feed her fresh ones and she did love eating those, she would popcorn when she saw me holding something fresh for her.
Anyways I'll do the syringe feeding right now and thanks for the weighing advice, will do.
And one more question, is giving her more water good in this condition?
 
And No she doesn't have a company, I'm mostly home and didn't think of the necessity of getting another one however I left her alone for one day and she was mad at me when I was back so I decided to adopt her sister as well from the previous owner, but now since she has diarrhea is it a good idea to bring her sister? Will it be contagious for her or something?
Sorry I'm very unexperienced, and I only had her for barely a week and I feel in love with her so much that I'm literally crying the entire day afraid she will die and it's my fault feeding her wrong
 
Everyone makes mistakes, I have owned piggies for years and still make mistakes.

I am not sure if diahorrea is contagious in guinea pigs, but I know your company unfortunately will not make up for that of a guinea pig.
You will find some of these guides helpful, have a look through and have a read of the ones you are not so sure about -
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection
 
I’m sorry to hear she is unwell.
Youve received the health advice regarding syringe feeding but once thing which doesn’t seem to have been mentioned is the importance of weight checks. You should weigh your guinea pigs once a week so you can monitor their hay intake and general health. When a piggy is unwell you switch to weighing them once a day so you can more closely monitor hay intake but also so you can be sure you are giving enough syringe feed each day to maintain her weight while she isn’t eating hay for herself.

She can be given water but do so very very carefully - offer it but you must never just squirt water into their mouths due to the risk of aspiration.

If the diarrhoea is caused by a gut imbalance (ie too much veg and not enough hay), then no it will not be contagious at all.
Piggies are highly social animals and no amount of human interaction is ever enough, so do go ahead and get another piggy.

It is very important to mention that you must go about introducing two piggies in the correct way. You cannot just put a new piggy into her cage - doing that can cause problems. Any bonding needs to be on neutral territory.
Ill add the bonding guide here for information but when the time comes to introduce her to a new friend, then please do come back and we can offer more specific advice at the time.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
Thank you, I'm adopting her sister, they grew up in a same cage so they are used to each other and most likely once I bring her home they will recognize each other
 
KatieBecker said:
Thank you, I'm adopting her sister, they grew up in a same cage so they are used to each other and most likely once I bring her home they will recognize each other
Click to expand...

They will likely recognise each other and will hopefully just accept each other back, but you must still go through the correct neutral territory reintroduction process.
 
I just fed her with mushed up pellets and she did a very good job, I'm calm that she's not hungry now, hopefully she'll start eating hay soon because she doesn't even want to give it a try as she has never eaten hay before
 
If she’s never eaten bag before then it’s understandable. She hasn’t got an older piggy to guide her on what is safe to eat. Do keep topping up and changing what’s in her cage. Hopefully the lack of hay won’t lead to issues with her teeth.

Had you been feeding her fresh grass since you got her? How much has she been getting compared to how much she was fed before she came to you?

When are you getting her companion? As she’s so young you will have to bond them straight away. Hopefully all goes well.
 
So I had the previous thread posted about my piggie having diarrhea and not eating, her poop got better, however it comes out sausage-like thing separated and attached to one another covered in mucus, some of them are small thick poos and some are just air bubbles. Is it bad? I called my vet about it and she was like yeaa thats good her poop got thick but didn't pay much attention to the mucus like thingie that's coming out as well and she said it was okay.
Any ideas?
 

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KatieBecker said:
So I had the previous thread posted about my piggie having diarrhea and not eating, her poop got better, however it comes out sausage-like thing separated and attached to one another covered in mucus, some of them are small thick poos and some are just air bubbles. Is it bad? I called my vet about it and she was like yeaa thats good her poop got thick but didn't pay much attention to the mucus like thingie that's coming out as well and she said it was okay.
Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Your guinea pig is very dehydrated and has not eaten or drunk anything for at least 24 hours, likely more when you see poop like that. The poos are running at least 24 hours behind the intake, so the reflect what has happened at a day or two ago.

Please make sure that you give syringe feeding support ever 2-3 hours during the day and ideally once in the night (aim for 60-90 ml in 24 hours but make sure that you get at least 40 ml of fibrous feed in) and also offer her as much water as she is willing to drink with every feed to make sure that she is hydrated. You can get electrolyte powder for human drinks from a pharmacy and mix that with the water you offer. Follow the instructions on the package. Your feeding and watering care at home is crucial in giving your girl a chance to make it through the crisis.

Please follow our advice in this guide here. It contains all the practical how-to tips and advice and also a chapter on how you can improvise with the feed if you can't get hold or until you can get hold of recovery formula powder.
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

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

All the best!

PS: I have merged your two threads on the same ongoing case so we can support you better and can get an idea of what has
already been said and done. We are all doing this for free in our own free time so none of can be around all the time. Being able to catch up allows us to give you exactly the advice you need and avoids us repeating our standard advice.
Please bookmark this thread so you can pick it up easily again for as long as needed. We are not part of social media can offer personalised longer term support but we rely on your cooperation for best effect.
Thank you.
 
Good morning everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that my girl has recovered, poop looks good, she started to eat her pallets, no need of syringe feeding anymore, I filled her hutch with hay and I caught her eating it once, however I still think she's not a fan of it, hopefully will get used to it. I've also noticed that she started to chew on things a lot, probably trying to keep her teeth short, I'll get her a wooden toy or something to play with it or even a dandelion root, I heard it was good for rodents.
And finally I wanted to thank you all for all pieces of advice you gave me. Really helped, if I hadn't found this forum I would do a lot more things wrong, now I'm informed about a lot of things and hopefully I will take a better care of my piggie in the future, I'm very grateful.
 
KatieBecker said:
Good morning everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that my girl has recovered, poop looks good, she started to eat her pallets, no need of syringe feeding anymore, I filled her hutch with hay and I caught her eating it once, however I still think she's not a fan of it, hopefully will get used to it. I've also noticed that she started to chew on things a lot, probably trying to keep her teeth short, I'll get her a wooden toy or something to play with it or even a dandelion root, I heard it was good for rodents.
And finally I wanted to thank you all for all pieces of advice you gave me. Really helped, if I hadn't found this forum I would do a lot more things wrong, now I'm informed about a lot of things and hopefully I will take a better care of my piggie in the future, I'm very grateful.
Click to expand...

I'm glad to hear her poops are better.

As mentioned above, pellets are not the main part of the diet. Eating them does not count as anywhere near enough as they are only 5% of what she needs to eat in a day (just one tablespoon per day only) (pellets are the one thing that piggies actually do not actually need to eat). I know she isn’t used to hay but it makes 80% of what she needs to eat to keep her healthy, and it is hay intake which keeps their weight stable. If her weight at each daily weight check isn’t stable through hay intake then she does still need to be syringe fed.

Hay and fresh grass (which needs to be introduced slowly) are the only things which will keep her teeth wearing properly. Chewing on wood toys and dandelion root will not do anything to wear her molars. Pellets will also not do anything for her teeth as they simply go soggy in the mouth.

Have you been able to make plans for her having a friend?
 
I've being weighing her for 3 days and she remained the same weight 224 grams, I fed her small amount of pellets this morning and left her alone with hay everywhere, she's in her hiding place right now and I hear her eating, I'll give her treats when I notice her eating hay that's one way I'm thinking of changing her eating habits.
I'm still giving her diarrhea medication as our vet said so for 5 days, can I give her fresh grass, small amounts, or should I wait for couple more days, I'm also getting worried that she's not taking any vitamin C, can't give her veggies, and all the pet stores in town are out of vitamins.

And YES, I'm taking a drive tonight to bring her sister home and keeping in mind the advice on proper reintroduction.

Thank you
 
I'm not sure if positive reinforcement works on piggies, i think if anything treats may make her not want to eat hay as she may find them tastier.

Glad to hear she’s doing better and wishing you all the best for the introduction x
 
KatieBecker said:
I've being weighing her for 3 days and she remained the same weight 224 grams, I fed her small amount of pellets this morning and left her alone with hay everywhere, she's in her hiding place right now and I hear her eating, I'll give her treats when I notice her eating hay that's one way I'm thinking of changing her eating habits.
I'm still giving her diarrhea medication as our vet said so for 5 days, can I give her fresh grass, small amounts, or should I wait for couple more days, I'm also getting worried that she's not taking any vitamin C, can't give her veggies, and all the pet stores in town are out of vitamins.

And YES, I'm taking a drive tonight to bring her sister home and keeping in mind the advice on proper reintroduction.

Thank you
Click to expand...

She can have veg and grass reintroduced when her poops are normal and her gut has been settled for a few days. The reintroduction of those items needs to be done slowly.

As she is eating pellets and some hay then she will be getting vit c as pellets are fortified with them.

That’s great news about her friend - keep us posted on how it goes
 
So, an update...
I brought the other piggie home and they made their first interaction, while the new piggie was frozen and scared of me I guess, I think they still recognized each other, my piggie was squeaking and she was grooming her sister, trying to get her moving but she wasn't, lasted for about 5 minutes, then I separated them. Hopefully in a couple of days the new one will adjust the new environment and they can play together.
 
What you can do is to cover part of the bonding area (make sure it’s neutral) so the newbie can feel safer.

Your girl is too young to be living alone so you have to bond them as soon as possible. Could you put them back together now and then just re clean and rearrange the cage they’ll be living in? I wouldn’t give the newbie a couple of days to settle in. Your girl needs company, she’s too young to be living alone.

Next time you decide to bond, please do not then put them in separate cages, unless it has failed. You have to leave them together for several hours and, if all well, move them to their freshly and thoroughly cleaned housing together. Each time you put together and separate, they have to restart the bonding and this can be stressful.
 
I agree with Siikibam.
Once you start bonding you need to see it through to conclusion - you shouldn’t put them together and then separate then unless the bonding actually fails.
 
I didn't put them in separate cages, they are in the same area, I just divided the cage and put the border, they can still interact with eachother, however the new one is hiding behind a small pillow in the corner, should I remove the border?
 
I’ve never bonded before but i would keep the border there. Can they see eachother through the border? Maybe put their food by the border to encourage them being closer together ?
 
KatieBecker said:
I didn't put them in separate cages, they are in the same area, I just divided the cage and put the border, they can still interact with eachother, however the new one is hiding behind a small pillow in the corner, should I remove the border?
Click to expand...

They are divided so it is the same as being in a separate cage now which means they are not properly bonding. They are getting to know each other but they aren’t forming a hierarchy while they are not sharing the same cage.

When you put piggies together for bonding, they need to go in neutral territory. You leave them for several hours in neutral territory and then move to them together to a thoroughly cleaned out cage once they have got to through the initial stages. You must not separate them once you have put them together. It then takes two weeks to fully form their relationship.
Now you have separated them their forming of a hierarchy has stopped. They will still be interacting but it’s not the same thing as bonding.
You will need to start all over again by putting them in neutral territory for several hours. While they are in a bonding pen, you need to remove the divider in the cage and thoroughly clean it out.
If they are both under four months of age, then you need to get them together and bonded properly.

You cannot just remove a divider now though once they start seeing each side as their own territory. If you just remove a barrier then they can see that as a territory invasion which can cause problems between them. You need to go back to neutral territory.
 
Haven't posted in a while,

My piggies bonded properly as I took your advice, they are sleeping together even tho they have two places to sleep in, they eat together, the one that was sick earlier, started to eat hay and gained 30grams already, I'm so happy.

However, the thing is that even tho I give my piggies a lot of attention and usually take them out of their cage during the day, the one I just got, her name is Luna, she's making me feel so frustrated.
I work 3 days a week in a night shift and when I come home in the morning Luna is always under the couch as the cage doesn't have a roof and she somehow manages to jump out, and I'm having hard time getting her out every morning. And she only does that when I'm at work.

What can I do about it? I don't want to put a lid on the cage, and I don't want to spend all my morning after tiring shift lying on the floor begging Luna to get out.
 
KatieBecker said:
Haven't posted in a while,

My piggies bonded properly as I took your advice, they are sleeping together even tho they have two places to sleep in, they eat together, the one that was sick earlier, started to eat hay and gained 30grams already, I'm so happy.

However, the thing is that even tho I give my piggies a lot of attention and usually take them out of their cage during the day, the one I just got, her name is Luna, she's making me feel so frustrated.
I work 3 days a week in a night shift and when I come home in the morning Luna is always under the couch as the cage doesn't have a roof and she somehow manages to jump out, and I'm having hard time getting her out every morning. And she only does that when I'm at work.

What can I do about it? I don't want to put a lid on the cage, and I don't want to spend all my morning after tiring shift lying on the floor begging Luna to get out.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately it seems the only way to stop this would be to add a lid of some sort, for your piggies safety aswell.

I am glad to hear the bonding went well and fingers crossed they can live a happy, long life together.
 
Thank you, Piggl
Yes but what concerns me the most is that she only does that when I'm at work, if I'm home sleeping she never does that.
 
KatieBecker said:
Thank you, Piggl
Yes but what concerns me the most is that she only does that when I'm at work, if I'm home sleeping she never does that.
Click to expand...

Hi

Glad that your piggies are fine. some can be very athletic and adventurous. If it is a consolation to you, my Minx would never jump up the stairs if a human was around (she discovered stair jumping 10 days before she gave birth to two pet shop pregnancy babies, by the way - that it why I have gone strictly rescue since). I had to basically resort to open the fridge and give the food call to find her after she pulled it the first time and we couldn't find her anywhere downstairs.

Firstly, please remove any cage furniture from around the edges into the middle of the cage. Then peg a towel or sheet over the cage or get a lid if she still gets out. In that case, could you install a camera to get an idea of how she achieves it before you take any permanent measures? Piggies can be amazingly clever.
 
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