tired piggie

Question
I have two pigs only 4 months old, one always is so tired and falls to sleep all the time unless there is food around, is that healthy?

Answer
Hi Rebecca,

If your piggy is eating, drinking, pooping, and urinating as normal then yes ... his or her tiredness is most likely not a sign of illness, just a sign of laziness! Guinea pigs are very food-driven creatures, and if they aren't eating or playing, they tend to nap.

You can help to make your piggy's life more interesting and worth staying awake for by getting some stimulating toys to put in the cage. The particular brands I'm about to mention are widely available in the UK; if you live somewhere else you may be able to get them, and if not I'm sure there'll be something similiar.

Here are some toy suggestions:

A "Chube" - a large, brightly coloured tube made from vegetable parchment. It's fully edible and your piggies will have hours of enjoyment eating it, hiding in it, and jumping over/onto it. Make sure you get one big enough for your piggies to fit through as they come in various sizes!

A "Hide n Hay" - another large vegetable-parchment tube, only this time coated in posh herbal hay. These are a bit pricey so more of a special treat; though once your piggies have eaten all the hay, they can still play with the tube. I've never seen my boys popcorn so much as when I give them one of these!

A gnawing block - quite self-explanatory really. These come in a surprising amount of different kinds; I like the natural-looking ones with bark on the best. You can get brightly-coloured ones too, and those that are flavoured/cut to look like vegetables. Never give your piggies a random bit of wood; make sure it's designed for a small animal to gnaw on and has been safely treated, and that any colours are achieved with food colouring, not paint.

A wooden ball - I bought one of these for my boys at the weekend and they love it. It's made of 5 bits of intersecting wood (never use the glue supplied with these things) and is adorned with a variety of holes. You can fill these holes with food! It's a good way to occupy your piggies whilst their cage is being cleaned out if you stuff the holes with hay. I like to fill the holes with veggies and give my boys their evening meals this way (in the mornings there's no time for so much fiddling around so they just have it in a bowl!)

If a bit of entertainment doesn't perk up your piggy it might be worth taking him/her to specialist small animal or exotic pet vet. Fatigue can be an early indicator of serious illness in humans, and guinea pigs are very similar (hence their history in labs) so if you're concerned it's better to be safe than sorry.

Good luck and if you have any other questions ... just ask!

Jenny.