Guinea Pig - Strange Behaviour

Question
QUESTION: We've had our female guinea pig for about two and a half years, and, although she lives alone, she's always been very playful and hyper.  Recently, though, she's started to be much more quiet and eat less of her pellets.  In case it's important, we did take her to the vet about three months ago and they removed a cyst, although at her check-up, the vet said that she was recovering very well and that it was one of the happiest and well behaved guinea pigs that he's ever met. He did, however, mention that she was overweight. (In the past, her nail-clipper has thought that she was pregnant)  Also, within two or three days, her bowel movements have started to look like they have a tail, rather than looking like a pellet.  I'm getting quite concerned as I'm going away for vacation tomorrow afternoon, and leaving her with a relatively inexperienced relative.  Please let me know if you know what's causing this, if it's dangerous, and what I can do to help.  Thanks in advance.

ANSWER: Hi Allison,

Make sure your relative has the number of a good specialist small animal or exotic pet vet. Guinea pigs have a nasty habit of going downhill rapidly (usually overnight) so whilst I don't want to alarm you, the piggy's carer needs to be ready to rush her to the vet if serious symptoms (not eating, looking puffed up etc) appear. You can also point him or her in the direction of this forum in case the help of myself or any of the others is needed.

Unusual pellets are, as you might expect, indications of a digestive problem or change in diet. What do you usually feed her, and has this changed recently? Watch her whilst she's going to the toilet if you can - is she squeaking or straining?

You say she hasn't been eating as many pellets as usual - do you mean the special poop she reinjests, or the dried mix you feed her?

For an adult guinea pig you should be feeding:

* Two portions of fresh veggies a day
(I do this once at 7am and once at 6pm - a portion is a small carrot, half a large pepper, a quarter of an average cucumber, one celery stick (cut up small!), etc.)

* A guinea-pig sized amount of hay
(I do this when I go to bed)

* A handful of dried mix
(I sprinkle this in the hay, at bedtime)

Hope this helps and if you can answer the questions I asked, we might be able to get to the root of the problem before you go away.

Jenny.




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

QUESTION: Thanks very much for the help.  By pellets, I meant her dry feed, which she's only eaten about ten of in the past day.  She's also not eating as many vegetables.  I've been trying to feed her lettuce and carrots by hand, but she just sniffs at them and ignores them, sometimes nibbling at them later but sometimes not.  She's also been very quiet, lying in the corner of her cage for hours on end.  Recently, she's been puffing up her fur a tad, and not squeaking when she hears vegetables being cut.  She's not straining when she poops though, so I hope that's a good sign, and she's had no changes in diet, location, or anything.  She's also been sneezing quite a lot, and it sounds like she's choking on her water a bit, as she coughs and sputters often after taking a drink. Sorry for the rush of information, I'm just in a bit of a panic about leaving her.  Thanks again for the quick reply.

ANSWER: Hi again,

Don't worry about lots of info - I'm glad you asked.

I suggest you whisk her off to a small animal or exotic pet vet this evening, to put your mind at rest if nothing else. You could try an emergency vetinary practice if you can't get an appointment at a normal place, as they usually have a specialist in each of the different species.

Being off food is not a positive sign in a guinea pig. It could be that she has a blockage in her stomach or elsewhere in her digestive system and literally can't fit any more food in. A good vet will be able to alleviate the condition without too much trouble but if left untreated, it could be fatal. She could simply have a cold and be feeling off her food, but it'll be best to know for sure before you go on holiday. If she's not eating and yet is in good health, something very odd is going on and you (or your relative) may need to syringe-feed her for a few days until she perks up.

Try feeding her some fresh parsley - most piggies go crazy for it, and it's got medicinal qualities too.

Good luck!

Jenny.

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

QUESTION: Sorry for writing to you again, just wanted to let you know what was happening.  My guinea pig's doing much better behaviour-wise. I took her out of her cage, and she was running laps and sniffing everything she saw.  She also popcorn jumped twice, which she hasn't done in about two weeks.  She's still not eating any of her dry food pellets, and even peed in them this morning.  I cleaned it and gave her some more, so hopefully she'll eat these.  I gave her a bit of grass (her favourite) and later, I'm buying some parsley and celery.  As long as she's eating timothy hay and vegetables, should I be super worried about the lack of dry food she's eating and her weird poop or does the good outweigh the bad in this case?  Thanks so much for your patience with me.

Answer
Hi Allison,

Don't worry about it - I know how worrying the little critters can be. I've been so concerned about mine I couldn't sleep in the past, for no reason at all!

That's good that she seems to have perked up a bit. Perhaps she was in season? Guinea pigs suffer from grumpiness for hormonal reasons, too! It could be that she's gone off her pellets, and if she isn't eating them, it will be affecting her bowel movements. Perhaps get a different brand - such as Gerty Guinea Pig - and ask whoever's looking after her to mix it in with the pellets (completely switching over will upset her tummy).

As long as she's showing an interest in fresh veggies and hay she'll be okay diet-wise. That is, after all, all she'd get in the wild! Make sure she gets lots of vitamin-c rich veggies, if she's missing out on the supplement in her pellets. Things like carrot and brocolli are good - and parsley is always a winner :o)

I hope she's okay and that she doesn't cause your relative any stress when you're away. Make sure they have the number of your vet though, and know what symptoms warrant a visit.

Good luck and have a lovely holiday,
Jenny.