Accepted Answer

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear your guinea pig is having this problem. 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. When a guinea pig exhibits lethargy and appetite loss, something serious is wrong. Because your guinea pig is elderly, this may be an age-related problem. If it is, there won't be anything you can do but keep her comfortable.

However, even at age 6, it's possible this may be something that can be treated.If you want to be certain, you'll need to see a vet. Here is where you can find a guinea pig/rabbit vet:

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

You can read more about anorexia at these two sites:

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

http://www.oginet.com/Cavies/cvanorx.htm

If you want to try a first aid measure at home, you can feed her from a syringe. You must make sure that she is passing stools before doing this because if she has a blockage, it's dangerous to force food into her system. To be sure, you can place her in a box on paper towels and watch for droppings. If she's defecating normally, you can make a slurry of crushed pellets, water, and pureed vegetables. This can be more difficult than it sounds, so I'm giving you a link to a page that describes it in great detail, including variations on what to feed, and how often to feed:

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

There is a product called Oxbow Critical Care, available in pet stores, that would be even better than the homemade slurry. It would also be good to give your guinea pig some unflavored Pedialyte (made for human infants), which you can buy in drug stores, discount stores, and many supermarkets.

You may want to consider visiting a vet for an evaluation. If the vet feels there is a condition that can be treated, he/she can provide what's necessary. If the condition is age-related, you might have to make the difficult decision to have the vet humanely end your guinea pig's suffering. I'm sorry not to have better news for you. It's always hard to watch our beloved pets grow old and frail. If you have further questions about this, just let me know by clicking on REPLY.

Anna

Expert:	Anna
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	10/27/2009

Pet Expert/Biologist

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