very worried about willow sounds stopped up and diarrhea

Question
Hi, I have never seen this site and now that i see it is hear i have sooo many questions but i'll start with the most pressing. Our guinea pig willow has just been introduced to a new environment meaning, new larger cage, new water bottle, her first hay manger, she had a little rig i had came up with before to get her hay from that wasn't to easy to get it from but she could easily eat. Well since getting the new cage and things she has developed diarrhea and last night she was very lively  running around the cage and such after not seeming to feel well but I think it was the water bottle that caused it as i read here that the diarrhea could be from dehydration well we came to the realization that maybe she wasnt getting water from the new bottle( different mechanism) and so we swapped back to the other one and she drank alot right when we put it up. so today we get up and i dont see any soft poo around the cage but she is making a kind of throaty noise not like a wheezing shes breathing but its like when a kid makes a noise with their mouth closed from the back of their throat by pushing air up and not letting it escape there nose like a ump ump ump in exchange for her normal kinda squeak sound my fiancee is in tears when i wake up and i am happy that the poo seems to have returned to normal and i'm hoping to explain to her that she is just stopped up its her normal little squeak just throaty sounding. My fiancee is very concerned and where we live the only vet here won't see her we don't know what to do please let us know what we can do to help the situation for her. its hard to tell just yet if shes not being very active because she always lays around during the day... (shes a very backwards little character) never ever has wanted to be picked up let you pet her as long as your not going to pick her up happy to see you and hang out long as  you leave her in the cage or play pin. She is eating but not really drinking so we are giving her water from a dropper and she is taking it. I'm concerned then less i think ive said it all so thanks and i hope to hear back soon

Answer

Font water spout  

Stainless water tube w   It's not uncommon for a pig to not know how to use a new water bottle. The bottles I use have a standard tube and ball inside. The pig hits the ball with their tongue and the water comes out.  

There's another kind that is called a 'font' that has small pin in the center. The pig must move the pin around to get the water out. It's more difficult for them to operate but those who've been raised with it have no problem. We use this type for traveling to and from shows as they don't drip like the stainless tube and ball type. Because mine are not accustomed to them I supplement with a lot of lettuce until they figure it out.

I wouldn't expect dehydration to cause diarrhea, I would expect constipation from the lack of fluid in the intestines. A change of diet may cause a change in bowel habits.
 
Lettuce (especially Iceberg) is excellent for hydration because it's mostly water. It's only real purpose for most humans is to add crunch to a sandwich or to hold up dressing on a salad. Other than that it's not good for nutrition.

The throaty sound you hear is common and is often misdiagnosed as a respiratory problem. I currently have 60 pigs in my caviary (counting babies) and if I picked up every one and listened to their rib cage at least 50 would have a 'rattling' type sound.  

When a guinea pig is ill they stop eating and drinking. If she's finally getting the water she needs she's on the road to recovery. As for the shyness about picking her up that's normal for most pigs. Especially if she's not been handled much before you got her.

Even then, most pigs will run from you when you first try to catch them. Animals come in two hard wired types: fight or flight. Fight animals are predators such as wolves, lions, etc. Flight animals like birds, horses, rabbits, mice, etc. and are the ones the predators are going to kill for food.

The reason they're called fight or flight is because of their reaction when approached or threatened. We don't think of horses as flight animals because of their size, but when startled or frightened they immediately run from danger. Try that with a lion and you become lunch.

Cavies (guinea pigs) are prey animals and therefore have a strong flight instinct. Some always make you work for the right to hold them. Once caught they settle down. When you lift her try to lift from underneath. Keep one hand in front of her face as that prevents forward motion when in your arms. Make sure she is supported and doesn't fear she may fall.

You may also notice a reaction from her when you stroke the top of her head. She will instinctively jerk the head upward as if to push your hand away. This is what we call a 'knee jerk' reaction just like your knee will do when hit with a small percussion hammer by your doctor. You can't help it, it just does that.

In the wild (or if left unattended in an exposed pen in your yard), a hawk or bird of prey, dog, etc. will grab the pig at the back of the head on the neck. That paralyzes the animal and they cannot fight back. That's also why mother dogs and cats can carry their babies without the baby moving.

We have a little trick we use when going to and from the show tables, and that's to put the pig's face in the crook of your arm, supporting her on the inner part of your forearm.  Let her hide her face between your elbow and your body. The pig thinks they are invisible because they can't see you, therefore you can't see them.  They are instantly calm and do not move. You can keep the other hand on their back just for more security.

When you return her to her cage always hold her from underneath and keep that hand in front of her to prevent her from leaping from your grip and landing on her face. The teeth are easily broken this way. The good news is that their teeth never stop growing. So a broken tooth will grow back rather quickly.

The fact that she's drinking again is excellent news. She's recovering from the dehydration and will continue to improve. I once loaned a prized champion boar to a young lady for breeding and she had the 'font' type water bottles.

She didn't recognize the signs of dehydration in my boar and brought him back to me three days later, thinking he was ill.  His eyes were sunken, hair brittle and rough, lethargic and hardly able to move. They had not been checking on him to make sure he was eating and/or drinking. He died that night. It didn't occur to me to ask what type of water supply she used, and the result was irreversible dehydration.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the different type water bottle spouts just for informational purposes. It's a good thing you discovered the problem and was able to fix it. I think once your little girl settles in and becomes comfortable in her new surrounding she will be just fine.  My best to the three of you as a new 'family.'