Worried about Edie

[Alicia]

The weather has really warmed up the past couple of weeks so today I moved the guinea-pigs from the shed to the garden. Edie and Marmalade's hutch and run is attatched, and they were in the run for most of this morning. Edie was just laying in her tunnel for a while, and I thought she was just lazing around because the weather was quite warm, so I put some shade over her run and left her alone for a bit. I went back a couple of hours later and she was still in the tunnel, but this time Marmalade had crammed herself in next to her. I was worried about her so I got them both out of the tunnel and put them back in their hutch, and Edie has been sitting in the corner for about an hour now. She's had a drink and has eaten some grass. Could she just be being lazy today? She's not normally a very energetic guinea-pig but she's not normally this lazy. Also, the shed is unheated and there isn't really much of a temperature change between the shed and the garden.

 

[Liane]

Well, any kind of change in behaviour can be one of the first signs of illness, so keep a close eye on her. Are there an obvious symptoms when you examine her? And do you know if she's lost any weight? If she continues to be quiet, I think you should get her checked over by a vet.

It is possible she's just having a lazy day. My Freddie was having a lazy day last week, but he's quite chirpy now. Is she more active in the evening? My piggies will usually be fairly laid back, especially around midday, but then get a bit more active as the sun starts to go down.

I don't think its really warm warm weather just yet, but you could try putting an ice cold bottle of water in the hutch and see if she goes to sit by that (which would mean she's just feeling a bit hot).

Hope she perks up soon!