Guinea pigs are small and cute pets. They are really small so that they need to eat something all the times. By eating something all the time, they can keep their digestive system working and moving.
You should start getting worried once your guinea pig stops eating. Many owners are worried if their guinea pigs not eating. Loss of appetite in guinea pigs is also a major issue in guinea pig’s health.
When your guinea pig stops eating or does not eat their food, then it can be an indication of something wrong. It can be a significant health problems, such as respiratory infection or GI stasis or even stress.
Here it is. Get to know the reasons why your guinea pigs are not eating and what you can do. As an owner, you need to know about this.
What Causes Your Guinea Pig not Eating?
A normal and healthy guinea pig should eat unlimited amount of hay, a cup of fresh vegetables, small serving of pellets, and some treats.
If your guinea pig does not eat his food, then it might affect its gut movement. You have to do an observation on your guinea pig. If he doesn’t eat for around 12 to 24 hours, then it might affect his health as well.
Get to know some of the common causes of a guinea pig who doesn’t want to eat. Here are the reasons.
- Dental Problems
This is the most common cause among the guinea pigs that do not want to eat or drink. The molars of guinea pigs generally grow inward and it might harm their gums and chin when they are overgrown. As a result, your guinea pigs will be difficult to ingest any food fed to them.
- Stress
Stress also affects the diet of your guinea pigs. If your guinea pig feels stressed, then he will hide more often and lose their appetite as well. There are some common causes of stress, such as loud noise, predators and so on.
- Temperature Fluctuations
Another cause of loss of appetite in guinea pigs is temperature fluctuation. Your guinea pig might get anxious and aggressive when the temperature around him is beyond 25 degrees Celsius.
Make sure to maintain the temperature around your guinea pig well. Get to know guinea pig temperature guide. Make sure you don’t make the temperature too cold or too hot.
- Change in Food
Changing the brand or type of hay, pellet or other food may also become the factor affecting your guinea pig’s diet. It is related to their personal preference of certain food.
So you need to avoid changing their food too often as it might affect their appetite. Never ever feed your guinea pig one of these foods we must avoid to give guinea pig.
- Gastrointestinal Problems
Constipation and GI stasis are most common gastrointestinal problems faced by guinea pigs. When your guinea pigs have one of these problems, it might slow down the movement of the gut. As a result, your guinea pig will lose his appetite.
- Dehydration
In many cases, dehydration leads to loss of appetite on guinea pigs. The bottle nozzle that does not dispense water accurately causes dehydration on guinea pigs. Mixing the water with some vitamins or medicines may also affect the taste of the water. As a result, your guinea pig won’t drink that water.
What to do When My Guinea Pig Doesn’t Eat?
Observe the cause. By finding the root cause of it, you will be able to find the way to solve it. You really need to pay extra attention once you notice your guinea pig doesn’t eat.
If you notice that your guinea pig doesn’t eat for a while, observe for his behavior and movement, too. Try to talk and calm him as well. If necessary, you can also try syringe feeding to feed some food for him.
Or give him some treats, find the idea of treats you can make at home for your guinea pig. If he doesn’t eat within a few hours, then take your guinea pigs to vet. Your vet will determine the best medication for your guinea pig.
Never postpone bringing your guinea pig to the vet. Guinea pig’s health can deteriorate very quickly after six hours. So, before passing 6 hours without eating, immediately bring him to the vet.
To treat guinea pigs that don’t want to eat requires some treatments, such as special food feeding, commercial hand-feeding formula, ground up pelleted chow and vegetable baby foods. Some supplements, such as vitamin C might also be needed.
To prevent this condition to happen again, you need to pay attention to some factors. Make sure your guinea pigs live in a stress-free environment during the recovery time.
Lastly, ensure that the food you feed your guinea pig are healthy and well-balanced. Hygiene of the environment is also a must to keep the guinea pigs healthy and happy. Maintain the cleanliness of his cage too, by applying these ways to clean the cage of guinea pig.