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My Guinea Pigs Are Acting Strange!

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zuzanna

zuzanna

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I woke up this morning and as usual cut up some fresh veggies, put in fresh hay and put in some nuggets. I've noticed that neither of the piggies are moving around - barely at all. They are not eating or drinking either. They are still quite young and I haven't had them for very long.
Could it be that they are cold? Because they are burrowing under their bedding and cuddling together which is very unusual for them as they aren't the best of friends.
(They are indoor piggies).
 
Sorry to read that you are having this worry so soon after getting them.

I don't know what to think, but if they are ill they may go down-hill very quickly.

Are they hunched up? Are they pooping? Is there any evidence of sloppy poo? Do their bellies feel a bit hard/swollen? If so this is very serious (bloat) and can kill them quickly. I don't wish to be alarmist but bloat is something that you need to watch out for. Bloat can be caused by many things but common triggers are too much grass when they're not used to it, fermenting veggies, too much cabbage/brussels/kale/spring greens/broccoli.
If you get them out what do they do? Can they move around OK? Do they appear to be in pain?

I personally think that the best thing would be to get them to a vet as soon as you can to check them over. If you live in the UK there is a handy vet locator at the top of the forum to give you a recommended vet in your area. If you update your information with your location this will help others to tailor their advice to your area too.

Alternatively something could have spooked them perhaps? It's not unheard of for piggies to hide away scared for hours at a time after something has spooked them, especially when they are new and have not yet developed their confidence.

@Wiebke @helen105281
 
They seem to be laying in the cage normally and yes, I've noticed a few poops today as I cleaned out the cage about an hour ago. It was only a few and I believe it only came from one of the guinea pigs - I'm not 100% sure.
I was thinking it was them being bloated but the bellies feel and look normal - or at least I think. They're not moving around but when they do (for example when I put them back in the cage) they seem to be do it just fine. Neither of the piggies are acting as if they are in pain either.

When I took one of my piggies out - Snowball - she was waddling around a bit on my chest and nibbled on my hands like she usually does. My other piggie - Coffee - did the same. When I took them out together a few hours later I had them wrapped up in a blanket and they sat together but didn't move.

I've had Coffee for a few months but she seems very tame and I've had Snowball for about 3 weeks. They both seem quite comfortable with me even though it's not been long.

I'm also not sure if they could have been spooked by something as I noticed this behaviour in the morning. It is possible they could have heard something outside during the night.
Thanks for the reply!

(I've also had a piggie before Snowball that passed away because of an indigestion problem, I believe. However, when she passed away I only had her for 7 weeks and she was showing much more severe and obvious signs of illness.)
 
Hi, thanks for getting back with an update - they certainly know how to worry us don't they? :hug:

Well, it's good news they don't appear to be ill or in pain (but they still may be ill). I know piggies can hide their illnesses well, but they are acting normally with you, so that's good. Have you managed to tempt them to eat anything yet? Their lack of appetite is a concern.
 
Unfortunately they won't eat anything or even give it a nibble :(
Thats mainly my concern. I've also checked their teeth and nothing unusual is happening there. They've been munching a bit on hay but not nearly as much as usual.
 
Oh dear. I was hoping by now they'd eat something. I'm afraid I can't shed any light onto this. Do you have a vet near you who will open tomorrow?
I don't want to be over the top or cause a worry if it turns out to be nothing, but when pigs stop eating their digestive systems can shut down, and when this happens it's very hard to get it going again, and again they can develop bloat if their systems are malfunctioning. It would be a bit of a coincidence if both of them had developed problems with their mouths or teeth on the same day, but weird things do happen at times (I know you have taken a look).
Perhaps it could be worth mushing some pellets with warm water and offering that from the handle-end of a spoon? It can help.
The product that I have found useful in the past is Critical Care, Also a probiotic mix called Bio Lapis.I tend to order these but many vets stock them or similar products.

Hopefully one of our more medically experienced members will be along soon to help you out.
 
Please accept my apologies if I cover ground that you already know about. It seems to me that you know quite a bit already :)
 
I find that some guinea pigs namely one's that 'chirp' (I have one) can suddenly appear to go off their food and seem really jumpy and can be 'Trance like', it's hard to describe. I suggest leaving their cage in a quiet place for a couple of hours then maybe try them with a piece of lettuce? Takes Bonbon about that length of time to 'come out of it'
 
Thank you for replying :) I am going to try mushing some pellets as I know from past experiences how quickly the situation can go downhill. I would have taken a visit to the vet today but I was hoping the situation would get better in the evening. I'll let you know how the feeding goes.
 
Both my guinea pigs tend to jump around the cage a lot so that's why I reported on it so quickly as they aren't moving much today. I've tried feeding them some parsley as it's there favourite treat but they don't want any of it either!
 
What veg have you tried them with? Lettuce is usually top of the like list, followed by cucumber, kale and spinach. Tomatoes is another fav, then broccoli. Oh, and Bell peppers x
 
Today they had a bit of cucumber which they love, red bell peppers, a bit of parsley and a bit of apple. They love apples and all the veggies so I'm quite concerned as to why they're not eating x
 
What time do your vets shut? Just wondering whether nipping them in to have a check up might be a good idea, and get the vet to check their temps as well. If there's something brewing it will show up hopefully.
 
The closest vet to me is closed already unfortunately :(
Any other near vet doesn't specialize in guinea pigs which is really annoying as last time when I went with a piggie all they did is give liquid recovery food.
 
Do they have out of hours for emergencies? Is it one of those with a vet on site at night, as I know a few that do.
 
Sorry I haven't been around today. You are right to pick up on the change in behaviour. Are you in the UK? if so I would give the emergency vet a call and see what they say. In the meantime could you try mushing up their pellets and putting them in a bowl? (think that was suggested above). Have they had access to anything different? maybe nibbled a plant they shouldn't have? how does their breathing seem? is it laboured at all?
 
The cage is placed away from anything they could have nibbled on and their breathing seems just fine. Is there anything else I could look out for?
 
Am not too sure, you have already checked their poos, can you tempt them with anything? What is the weather like where you are?
 
zuzanna said:
I woke up this morning and as usual cut up some fresh veggies, put in fresh hay and put in some nuggets. I've noticed that neither of the piggies are moving around - barely at all. They are not eating or drinking either. They are still quite young and I haven't had them for very long.
Could it be that they are cold? Because they are burrowing under their bedding and cuddling together which is very unusual for them as they aren't the best of friends.
(They are indoor piggies).
Click to expand...

Please weigh your piggies and place a blanket over the cage to give them a feeling of security. Are they in a busy area or in a quiet place?
Here are more tips on how to settle them down plus other useful information for new owners: " Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners
 
Sorry for the late reply but yesterday their poos seemed fine, a little smaller than usual but other than that they looked alright. Unfortunately they wont nibble at anything besides my finger :( I am going to pick up some syringes to hopefully get some food into their system before its too late.

I am also going to complain to the shop I got all my piggies from because it just doesnt sound like a coincidence to me that they are all getting ill so quickly.
 
If you've only had one of the pigs for 3 weeks then I'm worrying that maybe she's got a URI and has now also passed it onto the other pig. Not sure whether it's already been mentioned but is there any discharge around their noses or have you heard any sneezes?
 
Both of the guinea pigs were checked at the vet a week before the day I saw their lack of apetite. Ive been hand feeding them with mushed food and giving them water and they seem to be doing a little bit better. They still arent eating as much but they are nibbling on pellets and hay.
 
Sorry for the late reply! They do seem to be doing a little better, they havent been checked at the vet due to many reasons unfortunately but I've been hand feeding them. I did see them both munching on hay and pellets and drinking some water. Still not sure why theyve put off vegeteables though!
 
After decades of never having the slightest health problems mine all went instantly off their food after a dodgy batch of Excel pellets, they have taken over two weeks to get back to anywhere near normal, and one of them still won't eat anything but grass, it's like she's convinced it was the pellets too, and doesn't want to risk it even with different sorts! Only three of them are back to their original weight - it's so frustrating and I still don't know what was the matter with the pellets.
Never seen animals go off food so fast before!
 
I would weigh them daily if you can so you can see whether they are losing weight.
 
Did they go off everything as well? Because mine refuse to eat anything unless its hay :(
 
Yes, that was what I found most unusual, to start off with they wouldn't even eat their carrots! It was as though they were doing the rodent thing of losing trust in 'human type' food completely. Three are now eating normally - though I'm never giving them pellets again, the fourth is still only eating grass.
 
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