New guinea pig sick or just still adjusting?

Question
QUESTION: Hi I got two new female guinea pigs about 5 days ago. One is about 14 months old and the other about 8 weeks. The older one seems fine but is still shy but my worry is the baby one that we got from a pet store. She is very thin. She does not move much and if she does move she more hops around that run. She will stay in one spot and so she has poo on her underside that we need to clean. She is a long hair guinea pig. Her poo seems fine. She eats well but have not seen her drink water. I am hoping that she does at night. Could she be sick or is it just because she is still new? I worry as she doesn't run around and hide like the older one. Thanks

ANSWER: thats a difficult one,

if the two have lived together before you got them...

then first things first i would recommend trimming her fur, it could be that the poo is getting caught up around the bum and so shorter bum hair means less poo. it could be that she is ill, one thing that i have found works well for fattening guinea pigs up is carrot, packed with sugar they are like piggie ice cream, so one of those a day for her and she will soon gain the weight. it is difficult to know whether or not she is sick, if it does seem fairly serious then a trip to the vet is a must.

if the two have not lived together before you got them...

then it is more lilly that the older and more dominent one is bullying her a little, two water bottles and two food dishes are a good idea and if possible two sleeping areas. also always remember that the more space they have the better they get on.

in either case...

hopping rather than walking is not normal, have you checked her feet and legs? is it possible that something is wrong with them?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi thanks for your reply! The 2 did not live together before I got them. I spoke to the pet shore owner and he told us to come in and get her shaved! We did this. She does seem to be a bit fatter as I have been giving them carrots to eat :-)and watching her over the last couple of days she is moving abit more. The big one is bulling her a bit as I thought was normal and I have 2 food bowls and one water bottle and one water bowel as the older one only had a bowl. The little one is now going into the sleeping box but I still worry about her walking. It is really hard to see if she is walking normal because of the long fur on her sides. It almost looks like she bops her back legs along. Having a look at her legs they seem normal? Should I just wait and see if its normal as she is becoming more active? Also can I give them carrots everyday? there is so much info on the net that I don't know what to believe. Also what greens can I give everyday? I have been giving cabbage and broccoli but I read that its not good for everyday! I am new to guinea pigs but have owned many hamsters before:-)
Thanks again!

Answer
yeah there is loads of info, mostly good but to be on the safe side google peter gurney, he ws the guinea pig guru, unfortunately he died a few years ago but his website and a few tribute websites live on with mostly good info. e careful with greens, watery things such as cucumber celery and lettuce you should avoid because it gives them the runs. every once in a while though shouldnt hurt. as for carrots i feed mine one a day, but... keep an eye on the stools, if they seem a bit runny then cut back on the carrot, also if they seem to be a bit too fat cut ack on it. the reason why i feed mine so much is ecause i love carrots myself and have lots left over which i figure should be put to use.

with the leg i would wait, there are still a few things it could be, it could be that one leg is injured which could explain the bobbing, alhough it could also be a habit from trying to avoid stepping on her own fur, it might even be because her rear end is raw from it sticking. check her underside and make sure that her back feet look normal against each other and that they look normal when compared to the older piggie. if so then just leave her, keep an eye ou and keep minding that poo isnt getting caught still.

also i would recommend getting the second bottle still, unless they are both drinking fine from the bottle now.

thank you for answering back i was curious to know how you got on.
: )