Diarrhea

Question
QUESTION: i have a 4week old guinie pig who is normally very lively but ive notice today when i took her out the cage she has diarrhea and is just siting there looking very sorry for herself.ive started giving her a green bean a day.could this be the coarse and how long should it take for her to pull aroundi only had her at the vet on thursday for a check up and she was in good health.
ANSWER: Dawn,

Diarrhea is caused by dehydration, she isn't getting enough to drink and a major change in her diet of fresh foods. When trying a Guinea Pigs on new foods it needs to be spaced out until they get use to it.

Good news though you can home treat diarrhea, so you won't have to take her to the vet again. Make sure she has plenty of hay and that she is eating it, give her a little Pedialite or Dioralyte every hour from a dropper. Also give her a little water from the dropper every time you give her a little Pedialite or Dioralyte. This will get her hydrated again. And the Hay will help in getting the fiber back into her diet to help solidify the poop.

Keep it up for about 3 day or when you notice that she is back to pooping normally. If it last longer then 3 days you'll have to take her back to the vet for medication. Though it is very rare that after three days of the above that Guinea Pigs have to see the vet for it.

After she recovers, make sure she is drinking plenty of water and that her diet of fresh foods isn't change drastically but a little at a time to prevent it from happing again.

I hope this helps and that your girl feels better soon.
         Take care now,
         Jules

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

QUESTION: thanks  for your reply.the thing is i dont have any of the things you've surgested.the diarrhea seems to have stopped but she's just lying there doing nothing.is there anything else i can try.ive tryed giving her water out her bottle but she just seems to have no life about her.do you think its a good idea to take her from her cage and put her in a box for the next couple of days as she has a sister the same age and i dont want her getting ill.
ANSWER: Dawn,

She is so lifeless because she is seriously dehydrated. You need to get water in her fast. If you can't you'll need to get her to the vet for an injection of fluids. Being that dehydrated is rather serious to a Guinea Pig. If you have a dropper of any kind that you can wash out, then use it to get some water in her. If you don't have a dropper of any kind then try dipping your finger into some water and see if she won't lick it off. You have to do this several time as she'll only be getting very little at a time. But it will help if you can get her to do that. Also see if she won't eat greens that have been washed in water and are not completely dry. That will also help in getting water into her but also keep her strength up.

You can separate her from her sister, but there isn't any need as it isn't catching in Guinea Pigs. Mostly cause it is due to dehydration or a change in diet. But it is up to you on weather or not to separate them. I find that when my older girl gets diarrhea, she does better when she is with her cage mate then when I have them separated. But as I said before it isn't catching and it is up to you on weather or not to separate them.

Good Luck to you and I hope she starts feeling better soon.
        Take care now,
         Jules

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

QUESTION: hiya jules...i tryed giving her water but i think she must have been to weak as she passed away lastnight.so we've had a very sad day.thank you very much for all your help.dawnxx
ANSWER: Dawn,

I am so sorry. I had hoped she'd start drinking water and regain her strength. Again I am so sorry for your lose.

Her sister is going to need a lot of love, attention and handling from you now. As once she truly understands that her sister is gone and not coming back she'll start becoming depressed. To minimize the impact of her grief she is going to need you.

Once again I am extremely sorry for your lose,
   Take care now,
         Jules

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

QUESTION: we were thinking of getting a new one do you suggest this is a good idea for her  and if we do how should i introduce one.

Answer
Dawn,

This is a great idea for her, but wait a week before getting another one to introduce to her. She needs that time to understand that her sister is gone for real and isn't coming back before she'll accept the new one.

See if you can get one younger then she is and matches pretty close to her personality. That way they'll both be more likely to get along with each other.

Now here is some advise to go about introducing them, once you've waited the week of grief and understanding for the one you have now.

When you bring home a new friend for your girl, BEFORE you try putting them together, you need to keep them apart for two to three weeks to make sure the new guinea pig does not have any medical problems which could be transmitted to the other.

If one is sick or has any parasites or fungal infections, you'll want to treat that one first, rather than risk spreading the condition to the other guinea pig.

Quarantine means keeping the guinea pigs in two different rooms, which of course requires two separate cages. If you bought a pet store cage and have since realized it's too small, you can use the cage for quarantine until the pigs can be introduced.

You should handle the new guinea pig last. You should wash your hands after handling the guinea pig. It's a good idea to keep a smock in the room with that guinea pig. That way you have less risk of transmitting parasites or other things on your clothing.

Examine your new guinea pig very closely and carefully while in quarantine. Look for signs of mites (scratching and hair loss). Mange mites are not visible to the naked eye. Look for lice, fleas, fungus (ringworm). Look for eye or nasal discharge, excessive sneezing, wheezing, loud breathing and more. If you suspect your new guinea pig is not well, please take it to a good vet as soon as possible. Do not delay. Guinea pigs can go downhill fast.

Typical problems with pet store guinea pigs are URIs (Upper Respiratory Infections), mange mites, fungal infections, scurvy, and pregnancy!

Have patience, take your time, always on neutral territory, and don't give up too soon. Brief words of wisdom for introducing guinea pigs.

You've honored the quarantine period, your new piggie is healthy and you are ready to introduce her to your other guinea pig.

What you don't want to do is plop the new guinea pig into your existing guinea pig's cage. Never try to introduce guinea pigs in one of their cages. Be prepared. This may happen in one afternoon or it may take months!

Get a large bath towel or two.

Put the towels on the couch (neutral, unfamiliar territory).
Spread them out over the middle of the couch.

Each person holding a pig, sits at opposite ends of the couch.

Make sure the towels are between you and there is a good amount of space (it helps to have a big couch!). Floor works, too. Keep kids quiet and out of reach. No other distractions.

Let the pigs find each other on their own time.
You may need to nudge them in the right direction. Have another towel handy to toss on the pigs if you need to separate them.

Let the games begin!

More often than not, pet owners want to break up guinea pigs exhibiting normal dominant behavior. Everyone looks worried and asks, "Is that normal?"

How long and what next?

Usually, the first 15 minutes is just getting acclimated to the new surroundings and the idea that there is another guinea pig there. It's the next 15 to 30 minutes that can get interesting. The nice thing about being on the couch is it makes it easy for them to run to you when they get uncomfortable. But, keep your interactions and interference to an absolute minimum.

Some guinea pigs will get along just great. Some will decide on peaceful co-existence right from the beginning. Some will act like long lost buddies or lovers! But, most will go through the standard dominance dance getting to know each other and trying to figure out who is going to be the boss of who. They must and will decide this. It may not be now, but it will get decided later on down the road at they get older.

When to separate them? Serious blood is drawn or a wound is inflicted. Some nipping or minor biting can be quite normal. Even little tufts of hair in the mouth can be normal.

Some standard dating game behavior is (any sex combination):

Safe, non-combative, dominance behavior

Rumblestrutting

Butt sniffing

Butt nudging

Chasing

Butt dragging (they are leaving their scent)

Mounting (any which way: rear mount, head mount, side mount, flying leap mount!)

Nose face-offs (higher in the air wins, one must lower their nose to be subservient to the other)

Teeth chattering: a little (signal of dominance)

Raised hackles (hair on the back of the neck and along the spine)

Posturing for possible attack, battle for dominance is escalating but no need to separate them yet.
   
Teeth chattering: sustained (signal of anger, aggression, warning)

Nips, light bites, may result in little tufts of fur in their teeth Wide yawn, but this is no yawn, they are showing their teeth

Snorting (like a strong puff or hiss)

These behaviors may sound serious and they should be monitored VERY CLOSELY, BUT do NOT separate the pigs exhibiting this behavior, yet. This is when the average pet owner loses it and pulls the pig out. Most of the time, this behavior will continue for a while until one backs down.

Fighting with intent to harm
   
Bite attacks are no longer warning nips, they are lunges with intent to harm.

Combination of raised hackles, loud and angry teeth chattering, rumblestrutting in place with the head staying in one position while facing the other guinea pig doing the same thing. Usually a signal of a biting attack. But they may back down before they engage.
   
Both pigs rear up on their haunches, face to face. This is a clear, brief signal of their intent to launch full attacks at each other. Separate if possible before the attack.
   
Full battle. The pigs are locked together in a vicious ball of fur. This is very serious. Separate immediately, but be careful. Throw a towel over them and use a dustpan or something other than your hand to separate them. Unintended bites from their very sharp incisors can cause serious damage.

The best indicator to watch for on when to separate guinea pigs is the posturing of the nipping and bite attacks. If that gets more serious, that's the time to separate them. If blood is drawn, it's definitely time to stop that session. Hopefully, you can separate your guinea pigs before any serious harm is done.

I hope this helps and that everything works out for you all.
         Take care now,
         Jules