guinea pig stopped eating

Question
Hi, we have a female white GP about 1 year old. For  about 2 months
she has been knawing at the cage, we thought to get attention. She has
always been a varocious eater, especially carrots. Then all of the sudden
this week she has stopped eating carrot and can barely eat her food.
Something is obviously wrong. Is this related to chewing on the cage? It is
unclear what is the cause and effect, but she is starting to lose weight and we
are concerned.
Dan


Answer
It is really hard to tell what is wrong with her with out seeing her, but if you have a stainless steel or other metal cage metal toxicity could be the problem. She could also be starting to catch an upper respiratory infection, which can cause a pig to stop eating. She could have also ate something else she was not suppose to. You will have to force feed her, either gerber baby food or baby cereal. The best thing to do is take her to a vet, extended periods with out food is deadly.
Brittany
http://woopets.bravehost.com