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My guinea pig is a little over 3 year old. He has not been eating or drinking much the last few days. He normally drinks a fyll bottle of water everyday and he has not drank even half a bottle in the last 3 days. He has only eaten bites of carrots in the last 3 days and shows no interest in anything else. He acts as if he feels fine, still wanting attention. What is going on with him?

Submitted: 152 days and 11 hours ago.

Category: Pet

Value: $15

Status: CLOSED

Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 3

Already Tried:
I have given him more attention than usual, cleaned his cage, cleaned his water bottle, trimmed his hair where it sometimes gets matted, encouraged him to eat and drink and tried various fruits and veggies, looked at his mouth(it seems to look normal).

Posted by Anna 152 days and 10 hours ago.

Info Request

Hello,

Some additional information will help me to answer your question.

Check under your guinea pig's chin - is it wet, or is it matted with saliva?

Is he passing normal droppings, none at all, runny/mushy ones, or hard dry ones??

Are there any bits of undigested food in his droppings?

Thank you.

Anna

152 days and 9 hours ago.

Reply

His chin is dry. He is not passing droppings.

Accepted Answer

Thank you for getting back to me. Loss of appetite in guinea pigs is extremely serious. It is called anorexia. If they go for 24 hours without eating, a condition called ketosis develops and the guinea pig cannot recover. Because your guinea pig has been eating a bit of carrots, ketosis may not have occurred in him. You can read more about anorexia on this site:

http://www.guinealynx.com/anorexia.html

There are many different conditions that can cause appetite loss, but since your guinea pig is not passing any droppings, it's possible he has an intestinal blockage. Regardless of the cause, he needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible. Here is where you can find a guinea pig/rabbit vet:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Normally, with appetite loss, we can syringe feed, but when there's any possibility of a blockage, that can be dangerous. However, it would be a good idea to give your guinea pig some Pedialyte (made for human infants and available in discount stores and pharmacies) to prevent dehydration. Put the syringe in the side of his mouth, not straight down the throat. Start by giving a few drops every ten minutes for the first hour. After that, give him some once an hour. this is a first aid measure only, and doesn't take the place of a vet visit. It may help keep your guinea pig going until you can get to a vet.

If you have more questions about this, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. I hope your guinea pig will reach a full recovery.

Anna

Accepts:
Expert:	Anna
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	6/24/2009

Pet Expert/Biologist

40 yrs.: herps, pocket pets, rabbits, poultry, dogs, horses. Biology degree. Volunteer vet assistant

152 days and 8 hours ago.

Reply

Thank you very much. I will get him the care that he needs and now understand how serious this new lack of appetite is.

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Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 3

Already Tried:
I have given him more attention than usual, cleaned his cage, cleaned his water bottle, trimmed his hair where it sometimes gets matted, encouraged him to eat and drink and tried various fruits and veggies, looked at his mouth(it seems to look normal).

Info Request

Reply

His chin is dry. He is not passing droppings.

Accepted Answer

Reply

Thank you very much. I will get him the care that he needs and now understand how serious this new lack of appetite is.

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Optional Information

Pet's Sex: MalePet's Age: 3 Already Tried: I have given him more attention than usual, cleaned his cage, cleaned his water bottle, trimmed his hair where it sometimes gets matted, encouraged him to eat and drink and tried various fruits and veggies, looked at his mouth(it seems to look normal).

Info Request

Reply

His chin is dry. He is not passing droppings.

Accepted Answer

Reply

Thank you very much. I will get him the care that he needs and now understand how serious this new lack of appetite is.

Related Pet Questions

Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 3

Already Tried:
I have given him more attention than usual, cleaned his cage, cleaned his water bottle, trimmed his hair where it sometimes gets matted, encouraged him to eat and drink and tried various fruits and veggies, looked at his mouth(it seems to look normal).