petting for piggies...

Question
hi john....
i bought two guinea pigs ,one male, (grammy) and the other female(oscar) a month ago...Now a few days back oscar gave birth to a new cavy(cherry)...today my 11 year old cousin dropped cherry from a bout 4 feet and he was badly hurt...he is unable to move properly...he falls down on his left side while moving...probably he has hurt his left limb...he cant satnd(the normal position of guinea pigs)...he tends to tilt on his left side...today all nearby vets are also closed...cherry is a small cavy 6 days old...i would like to know how shud we care for his injury...

another thing is that grammy and oscar were very playful and active before the birth....they used to make a whistle sound when we came near the cage and stood up to us...but now after the birth, the are VERY quiet!!....it also looks like they are very scared of us...many times they run away from us and peeing nd pooping a lot....Any reasons for this change of behavior??

I would also like to know about the food they should eat...i tested them with many vegetables...but the ONLY eat cuccumber...Is there any other thing which is required for their diet...they also dont drink water...not a drop!!!

i also dont know what does their sounds signify...when i pat them on their back they tend to do a BURRRR!!! sound...with a kind of shivering...looks like as if they dont like the patting and they are angry...what does this mean???

i think i've asked A LOT of questions now....now i'll wait for your replies....thanx in advance for any help...

Dalip

Answer
I think that you should see a vet on all the pigs because not drinking, lethargy, and only accepting cucumber cannot be good.

I am surprised that Cherry made it through that drop because guinea pigs are very fragile. In the future, you do not want to separate the baby from the female for 1-2 weeks.

I am REALLY, I mean REALLY, sorry to say, but the vet might need to put cherry down. Your vet will be able to tell you what you need to do though, so see him/her ASAP.

Also, the mom and the baby need alfalfa hay to bulk them up. But if they are not drinking, try not to let them have too much hay.

Once again, see a vet ASAP!
John Kliewer