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Shocked piggies - Advice

I

Immy

New Born Pup
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Hi,
I think my guinea pig is in shock. I have two, there were frightened by a cat two days ago, a couple of strands of fur lost but they both hid in their tubes; they were in a run in the garden and Iw as gardening, but the cat managed the get to them. I made them both comfy back in their hutch after checking them over ( no blood or puncture wounds seen)
. One was making vocalised distressed noise, the other very quiet, neither moving very much. Since then I have hand administered water, even through the night. One now has begun to eat a couple slices of cucumber but is still quiet. The other is now making the noises the other made initially, and is not moving. I have cuddled her and given a little water - is there anything else I can do ? I have offered favourite herbs and food but she really isn’t interested. The other one has moved to the other side of the hutch ( its 6ft plus bed area) Any advice ? Thank you
 
As it’s been a couple of days since the cat got to them and they are still not behaving normal I’d get them seen by a vet to see if there are any internal injuries. Are they both pooping ok or are they both not eating, drinking or moving?

If they are not eating hay you will need to step in with syringe feeding until you can get them seen by the vet. Daily weighing will help you work out how much food to syringe them.
 
On your other thread you’ve said one piggy has passed away. I’m so sorry for your loss.

How is your remaining piggy? They will need to still see a vet if they are not acting like themselves. Good luck
 
Immy said:
Hi,
I think my guinea pig is in shock. I have two, there were frightened by a cat two days ago, a couple of strands of fur lost but they both hid in their tubes; they were in a run in the garden and Iw as gardening, but the cat managed the get to them. I made them both comfy back in their hutch after checking them over ( no blood or puncture wounds seen)
. One was making vocalised distressed noise, the other very quiet, neither moving very much. Since then I have hand administered water, even through the night. One now has begun to eat a couple slices of cucumber but is still quiet. The other is now making the noises the other made initially, and is not moving. I have cuddled her and given a little water - is there anything else I can do ? I have offered favourite herbs and food but she really isn’t interested. The other one has moved to the other side of the hutch ( its 6ft plus bed area) Any advice ? Thank you
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Hi

Please always see a vet asap of your piggies are not bouncing back noticeably. Your piggy could have internal injuries from the attack; guinea pigs can also die from fright. Any lethargic piggy that is not eating properly counts as an emergency.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Step in immediately with weighing daily at the same time and syringe feeding support. Keep in mind that three quarters of the daily food intake should be hay or fresh grass fibre and that preferably green veg and 1 tablespoon of pellets together only replace the supplementary role of wild forage (the last quarter of the food intake).
Your life-saving feeding support provides the much needed fibre to keep the gut going. Our comprehensive how-to support feeding guide als tells you how you can make a feed from mushed up pellets in an emergency and how you need to prep a syringe in this case together with feeding/medicating videos.
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I am sure that you won't put your piggies outside again until you have got a dog/cat safe cage with rods going into the ground and a solid top. Unfortunately, predator attacks happen so quickly that you cannot get there fast enough whether that is in an open outdoors cage or with a dog/cat inside your home. Make sure that you are placing a large sheet over the top and sides to give your piggies an extra feeling of protection and that you sit with them and talk to them the whole time for the first few outings. :(

PLEASE take the time to read our very helpful practical information and how-to advice links. We cannot repeat it all in every single post all the time and still aswer every post.
 
Thank you - they do have a very safe hutch with night covers which I put a heavy trough in front of at night and a Run with lid, I had just put them out and was Pottering near them - the lid was off just while I was near them, they watch me and pop their heads up and chat to me and I literally turned my back for a minute. The cat isn’t ours, it seemed to just appear from nowhere. The remaining one is eating a bit of cucumber and had a dandelion leaf, I have given her a syringe feed this morning and water and brought her Inside with me. I have managed to get a Vets appointment this afternoon.
 
Immy said:
Thank you - they do have a very safe hutch with night covers which I put a heavy trough in front of at night and a Run with lid, I had just put them out and was Pottering near them - the lid was off just while I was near them, they watch me and pop their heads up and chat to me and I literally turned my back for a minute. The cat isn’t ours, it seemed to just appear from nowhere. The remaining one is eating a bit of cucumber and had a dandelion leaf, I have given her a syringe feed this morning and water and brought her Inside with me. I have managed to get a Vets appointment this afternoon.
Click to expand...

Thank you for clarifying. Unfortunately, cat-free gardens are very much time-shared territory for several cats passing through at different times of the day or night due to the increasingly overpopulation in cats. It can unfortunately, happen as soon as you are turning your head if you happen to have a natural hunter using your garden. these things always come as a horrendous shock. It is the kind of lesson you cannot foresee or brace for until you have experienced the true speed of an ambush attack without being aware that there is a lurking cat. :(

I have had to become a lot more careful myself, too; since I re-started my piggies with just one rather peaceful neighbourhood cat nearly 20 years ago but we have now got three or four different cats using our garden - and a couple of them are hunters. :( :( :(

Please be aware that a guinea pig mostly off their food needs around 60-90 ml support feed over the course of 24 hours in order to make up for the not eaten hay. Just nibbling on a little cucumber and a dandelion lief only covers the equivalent of perhaps 2 ml. You manage the actual amount needed by weighing your piggy on the kitchen scales first thing in the morning. Your first aim is stop any further weight loss and stabilise your piggy.
Our new updated syringe feeding and medicating guide contains all the practical how-to information you need to get your piggy through a crisis on the home support side since the volume needed for support feeding is often underestimated.
Here is the link again: All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
 
Piggy Checked over and is physically ok. Pleased to update she is now eating with encouragement and drinking independently from her bottle but remains quiet and understandably a bit jumpy.
 
Yes she’s had. Some pepper and hay this morning -I am wondering now that she is likely to need a new friend? If so when? male(neutered) or female. If female one or two younger. I know it’s me but it seems lonely for her in her hutch 🤔😢
 
Immy said:
Yes she’s had. Some pepper and hay this morning -I am wondering now that she is likely to need a new friend? If so when? male(neutered) or female. If female one or two younger. I know it’s me but it seems lonely for her in her hutch 🤔😢
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Hi
I am so glad that your girl is eating again. Shje may be grieving as well as feeling very shocked.
Please keep on monitoring her weight daily on the kitchen scales instead of the life-long weekly weigh-in to make sure that she is really enough and doesn't need any extra feeding support from you. She has likely lost quite a bit of weight. Regular weight monitoring is best your friend and can be a life-saving measure together with a weekly body check. You can find out all the detailed how-to advice in what to look out for and when to step in with support feeding in this link here: Weight - Monitoring and Management
Here is our detailed practical advice for what you can do for bereaved guinea pigs in the immediate and the longer term and information on how to best go about it. If you can get to a good welfare standard rescue that offers dating with either a sow or a neutered boar to allow your girl to choose who she wants to be with, then that would be best.
Unfortunately, as you haven't added your country or UK county to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar), we cannot give you any area-relevant recommendations and advice as it is not appearing with every post you make and is not allowing us to tailor any advice and recommendations to what is relevant and available to you straight away.
Please take the time to read these links here. You will find all the very practical advice and information in them very helpful. Unfortunately, we cannot repeat it in every post and still answer all threads.
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs
Guinea Pig Forum recommended rescues (which have been all carefully vetted)

All the best!
 
Thank you - I am in the UK in Oxfordshire - I have been in touch with the blue cross and rspca and a small animal rescue in Bristol but at the moment they don’t have anything suitable and don’t offer bonding services. I have through friend been put in touch with someone who has a pair of girls, a young one and a 1 year old. I have had my girlie with me on and off through the days and I even got a little chat from her earlier.
 
Immy said:
Thank you - I am in the UK in Oxfordshire - I have been in touch with the blue cross and rspca and a small animal rescue in Bristol but at the moment they don’t have anything suitable and don’t offer bonding services. I have through friend been put in touch with someone who has a pair of girls, a young one and a 1 year old. I have had my girlie with me on and off through the days and I even got a little chat from her earlier.
Click to expand...

The Blue Cross and the RSPCA don't do rescue dating at all.

But we do have a recommended (and carefully vetted rescues list on the top bar, when you click on the expansion icon (three horizontal lines).

Here is the link directly: Guinea Pig Forum recommended rescues
 
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