My piggy is not eating!

Question
Hi, I just got a new piggy, he's about 6 months old and came to my house yesterday. He had some siblings for company but here he's all alone. He is called Piggy. I however did spend quite some time yesterday just cuddling him and he seemed to like it, purring a bit even though he resisted getting picked up.

I cuddled him again this morning too and he purred again too. Hopefully it's a purr of comfort and not of irritation! He didn't move away at all so that's fine.

All other aspects look good..his fur is nice and smooth, his eyes bright, and he's not too plump but not too skinny either.

But one question - why is it that he's not eating the alfafa hay pellets I gave him, nor the Vit C pill? I did see him eat a bit of the hay, and I assume he must have eaten a BIT of the pellets, cos some are gone.. but what about the pill? That's a bit worrying.

How long do guinea pigs normally take to settle into their new environment?  

Answer
Hello Kailou,

Congrats on your new piggy! He may be a bit stressed about his recent move and not too hungry because of it. Try giving him some veggies. If he is eating a bit of the pellets and hay and he eats the veggies, he is most likely just fine and still getting adjusted. Make sure he is still pooing and eating at least a little something each day and he should be just fine. If he starts acting lethargic or stops eating entirely or if his eating habits don't pick up in a few days, then there may be cause for concern. Not eating is often an early sign of illness and without him having any other symptoms, I can't venture a guess as to what it could be. If he stops eating or pooing, or shows any other signs of illness, he should see a vet quickly. Every moment counts when a piggy gets sick. I very much suspect he is perfectly healthy, but keep a close eye on him, just to be safe. As far as the pill goes, I have never ever had a piggy eat them of their own free will. When my piggies need an extra dose of vitamin c for some reason, I either buy the liquid and dose them directly with a syringe or I crush a tablet, mix it with water or fruit juice and again, dose with a syringe. For just regular daily vitamin c, it is best, most effective, and easiest to just use veggies and fruits. Few pigs will turn them down and you can feel confident they have gotten what they need. Below I'll list a few high in vitamin c veggies and fruits that are great for giving piggies the vitamin c they need. It depends on the individual piggy how long it will take him to adjust. Most take just a few days but some can take as long as a few weeks. Piggy sounds like a friendly little guy, so it probably won't take him long at all.

Some Vitamin C veggies and fruits (there are more, these are just a few):
Kale
Honeydew Melon
Bell Peppers
Cantaloupe Melon
Grapefruit
Carrot Tops
Kiwi Fruit
Spinach
Oranges
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Parsley
Cilantro
Strawberries
Mango
Papaya

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs