sick piggie

Question
Ok, last night before bed I gave him a lot of carrots cabbage and some celery. It appears as though he ate a little bit of that and some of the alfalfa. So, he did go a little poo. The poop was like a clump of hair with the fecal material wraped in it. It was very strange looking. So, I am guessing it is a blockage from all the hair he ate. Do you have any recomendations for getting the hair to move out? Also, it does not look like he drank any water, do you have any recommendations on force watering.
Thank you
Veronica
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Followup To

Question -
Hello, I have a guinea pig that is about 2 1/2 to 3 yrs old who was housed with a rabbit until this morning. I caught the rabbit trying to occasionally "hump" the guinea pig, and the guinea pig would chase him away and that would be the end of it. A bit of barbering was going on where the guinea would chew the rabbits hair. Well recently I moved to downstairs, and the weather has been a little chillier, and the rabbit balder, so I am not sure what is the cause. With in the past week or two I noticed my pig was sneezing every now and then, but when I checked him out he had no runny nose or eyes. So I left it alone. Last time I cleaned out the cage I noticed a lot of rabbit hair and not a lot of guinea pig poop. So I started to get worried, but saw that he was still eating and drinking. But, last night I woke up because the rabbit was making a lot of noise, and humping the pig, but the pig was not escaping or fighting. I do not know how long he was doing this, but now my pig looks really sick. They are both boys, both about 2, and I got them at the same time.
I do not know why my pig is sick, but now he looks dehydrated, and he is not eating, peeing, or pooping. He also looks like he is having trouble walking. Last night, when I caught the rabbit, I took the guinea out of the cage and brought him to bed with me. He is usually so nosie and walks around, this time he just cuddled with me. This morning I put him in his old cage & bed, and when I came home from school he was still laying there. He did not really eat his celery or drink noticeable amounts of water. He also looks really tired, and his cage is not soiled.
My guesses are between a cold, hairball problems from the rabbit, or injury from the rabbit. It could be a mix, but I do not know what to think, and I am really worried. Please send me any help you can on your guess and remedies that you know.
Thank you
Veronica & Ed

Answer -
Hello Veronica,

Your rabbit and Guinea Pig should not have been living together in the first place. It is common practice and most people don't realize that it's not safe because it has been done for so long, but it often proves fatal to the Guinea Pig for a number of reasons. I reccommend not putting them back together even after your piggy is well for his own health and safety. Here is a link with more information on why:

http://www.rspcareadingguineapigs.co.uk/index_files/Page1693.htm

Guinea Pigs don't get colds, they get URIs. With URIs they have discharge from their nose and/or eyes, so this probably isn't the case. It sounds like your Guinea Pig most likely has a blockage possibly from the hair, an intestinal parasite, or even an injury from the rabbit. I'm guessing you believe he stopped pooing before he stopped eating since you said there wasn't alot of poo the last time the cage was cleaned. If he stopped poong first it is most likely a blockage, however, if he did stop eating first, then it's possible it's a different illness that caused anorexia and he's not pooing simply because he hasn't eaten. Alot of things can cause anorexia from deadly bacterial infections to just plain stress. Unfortunantly if he's stopped eating and pooing, he needs a vet as soon as possible for treatment. If it's a bacteria or infection he needs antibiotics and if it's a blockage, there are meds they can give him to try to help him pass it. If it's a parasite they can treat him for those as well. You'll need to get to the bottom of this quick though, for Guinea Pigs their tummies not working is very serious. They are fermenters, so if their digestive system stops moving, they can get bloat and bloat is very difficult to treat. You also need to start force feeding ASAP as well. If you happen to have Oxbow Critical Care on hand, that's best, if not, crush his pellets and mix them with water to make a mush. Use a syringe to feed it to him. Feed him until no more will go in (typically 2 to 5 ccs depending on the pig). If you have any vitamin c, liquid or tablets, you should mix a bit with his mush (crush the tablets). You should also go to the store and get some acidophilous tablets to crush and mix with his mush. You can find it with the vitamins and it helps his good tummy bacteria and will hopefully help to get things moving again. Also force water in him often to help with the dehydration. Good luck with your piggy. I hope he'll be ok. The most important thing right now is to try get his gut working again (and try to force out the blockage). If you can do that, he's got a good chance. It will be hard and alot of work, but I believe you love him and I believe you can do it. I'll be praying for you and Ed (who, I'm assuming is the sick little piggy).

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

Answer
Hello Veronica,

That's great news. It does definantly sound like a blockage. Give him lots of hay and leafy green veggies (romaine lettuce, kale, green leaf lettuce, to name a few). If you give him lots of fiber you may be able to get it out without a vet and medicine since it has started moving. You can also give him liquid parafin (you should be able to get this from a pharmacy or a feed store) or a bit of mineral oil. Those also should help. As far as forcing water, which you do need to do, go to the baby or drug section of most stores and get a squirt syringe, the kind used to give meds to babies and small children. They shouldn't be expensive at all and use that to syringe water into him. Good luck! Hopefully he'll pass all of this hair soon.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs